LAND Faculty Envision New Future for Dallas Wetland

The project will give Dallas residents a place to explore both infrastructure and the natural environment in a large urban setting. | Image courtesy of Studio Outside

Two Landscape Architecture assistant professors are collaborating on a water infrastructure and park project that will transform underutilized land in Dallas, Texas.

Before Gwendolyn Cohen and Isaac Cohen joined the faculty at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) in 2022, they were both Associates at Dallas-based landscape architecture firm Studio Outside. While they were in Texas, the pair undertook a large-scale collaboration with the firm, the City of Dallas, nonprofit Dallas Wetland Foundation, developer Matthews Southwest and water science and engineering firm LimnoTech to revitalize an industrial site into a 15-acre park.

The project works to clean water from storm runoff before it runs back into the adjacent Trinity River. | Image courtesy of Studio Outside
The project works to clean water from storm runoff before it runs back into the adjacent Trinity River. | Image courtesy of Studio Outside

Located on a former meander of the Trinity River on the south side of Downtown Dallas, the Dallas Water Commons will soon serve as a recreation area, water management system and public education facility.

A small creek with overgrown banks flows toward a tunnel, with city buildings and an American flag visible in the background under a blue, cloudy sky.
The Dallas Water Commons will revitalize a forgotten site just outside of downtown Dallas.
As it is, the site hides pond behind the river levee, rather than opening them up to the public. | Photo by Sean Fitzgerald
As it is, the site hides pond behind the river levee, rather than opening them up to the public. | Photo by Sean Fitzgerald

The Commons introduces natural infrastructure—including constructed and restored wetlands—to clean and slow stormwater before it rejoins the Trinity River. The existing ponds are a part of flood control for the city of Dallas, but are hidden behind the river levee and are unknown to most of the city’s residents. The proposed design will tell the story of the site’s history while demonstrating possible new futures for urban wetlands.

People walk, relax, and interact on raised wooden walkways above a natural wetland area with flowers, trees, and water, under a clear sky.
The Dallas Water Commons will be a place for public recreation and ecological study.

The site design traces the former riverbed through a series of boardwalk-lined ponds, surrounded by native plants and trees, that double as habitat for fish and other wildlife. Meanwhile, an education center will draw in visitors and researchers to reflect on the site’s history and possibilities.

“The design sets a new precedent for the ways that public space can engage with ecological and infrastructural systems,” Isaac Cohen said. “It’s a space where people can come to experience those systems in a beautiful place.”

Gwendolyn Cohen explained that the Dallas Water Commons also shifts the city’s perceptions of the Trinity River, particularly in such a dense urban area.

“It’s exciting to have this intersection of ecological systems adjacent to a major metropolitan downtown,” she said. “It brings attend to water and these underlying, managed systems.”

Whether people come to the project to walk their dog or research the aquatic environment, the Dallas Water Commons will celebrate both the flood management necessary for health and the human experience necessary for urban life.

A cross-section of a landscape design shows preserved trees, a wetland area, a bridge, fish habitat structures, an irrigation zone, and people walking on pathways.
The design considers multiple layers of programming overlapping and stacked within the site. | Image courtesy of Studio Outside
Aerial view of an urban park development with paths, greenery, and water features, set against the backdrop of a city skyline and highways.
The project also accommodates future private development.

The project is currently in an extended permitting phase, but it’s already gaining notoriety for its design. The Dallas Water Commons has earned both a 2023 Metropolis Planet Positive Award for Innovative Unbuilt Projects and a 2023 Award of Excellence in Planning & Analysis from Texas ASLA.

At the end of the month, Gwendolyn Cohen will present the design with Matthews Southwest at the TxA25 Annual Conference & Design Expo hosted by the Texas Society of Architects in Dallas.

See more in:
Faculty Collaboration, Faculty Recognition, Faculty Work, Outreach, Research

Related people:
Gwendolyn Cohen, Isaac Cohen