2023 Winners
Built Project Award
Winner: Harwood Park
Harwood Park opened in Sept. 2023, the four-acre Harwood Park offers sweeping green lawns, over 200 trees, an event venue, and a pavilion. The park also includes spots for outdoor dining and mammoth-themed playground structures that harken back to when these giant creatures once roamed. Harwood Park is the final of the four priority parks that DDPC is building in partnership with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department. The park site was previously a collection of surface parking lots and vacant buildings in a historic district.
This project improves the fabric of the Downtown Dallas community by converting a parking lot into a neighbor park with an event lawn,
playground, basketball court, and water feature. Parks increase community gathering opportunities and increase surrounding land values.
Unbuilt Dream / Study Award Winner:
The Place at Honey Springs
The Place at Honey Springs is a project that renovates an abandoned segregated school from the 1950s into a new multipurpose center in Joppa. Joppa is part of a stream of connected Freedmen’s Towns across the Trinity River – these are communities built by former slaves who were emancipated after the American Civil War. All these neighborhoods suffer from injustices like the ones Joppa faces and we hope that our project can serve as a domino effect and raise attention to a matter that has been for long unnoticed. The neighborhood presents itself as an oasis constrained by the borders of the trinity river on one side and I-45 on the other. The settlement of several industries has further widened the border between Joppa and the rest of the city secluding themselves from the surrounding towns. Joppa is within the city limits of Dallas, but also a place apart.
DUNNIGAN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AWARD:
Jessie Marshall Zarazaga, Ph.D., RIBA, LeedAP
Dr. Jessie Marshall Zarazaga, a Clinical Associate Professor at the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU, is a dedicated educator, sustainability advocate, and community engagement leader. Dr. Zarazaga has made indelible contributions to the academic and community landscape.
Dr. Zarazaga is recognized for her impactful role as a Fellow of the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity and her service on the Dallas Urban Design Review Board. Her influence extends to the sponsorship of the Urban Research Cluster in an interdisciplinary research institute, fostering vital conversations on urban design across the SMU campus.
She has transformed the Sustainable Urban Development track into a robust community engagement program. Her project-based courses, collaborating with communities and organizations in South Dallas, West Dallas, Bonton, DART, Garland, and Flower Mound, involve neighborhood policy makers and professionals. She partners with the Paul Quinn team, addressing critical issues like community health, air pollution, water runoff and transportation access. Her planning efforts delve into the impacts of the Inland Port, food deserts (with Restorative Farms and Big Tex), healthcare access, recycling opportunities, and the environmental effects of planning decisions.
Dr. Zarazaga has established herself as a leader committed to the intersection of education, sustainability, and community development. Her transformative initiatives exemplify her dedication to creating positive change and advancing sustainable urban development practices.
Mark Goode Pioneer Award Winner:
Philip Hiatt Haigh
Philip Hiatt Haigh is the Executive Director of the Circuit Trail Conservancy, the public private partnership building The LOOP, which will unite Dallas neighborhoods and make walkable green space a part of the Dallas identity. Upon completion, 11 new miles of trail will create a 50-mile active transportation network around the core of Dallas, connecting neighborhoods to transportation hubs and economic opportunity.
Under his leadership, the CTC is currently delivering all projects needed to complete The LOOP, the long-awaited Trinity Forest Spine Trail, the Hi Line Connector, the Trinity Gateway, and the Skyline Trail Link. The CTC also recently secured an additional $42M in funding from multiple public sources bringing total commitments for all projects to $85M, raised from public funds and private donors.
Kessler Lifetime Achievement Award Winner:
Darren James, FAIA, NOMA
Darren James, President of KAI, Inc., a distinguished minority-owned design-build firm, showcases innovation and creativity at the forefront of the industry. Simultaneously, his leadership as the Chair of the Black Chamber of Commerce
underscores his dedication to advancing economic empowerment within the Black business community. Serving as the President and Chairman of Fair Park First, Darren contributes significantly to rectifying historical injustices and fostering inclusive development in Dallas.
Darren’s impact extends to his involvement on the Dallas Citizen Council, where his insights shape governance and civic engagement initiatives. Appointed by Gov. Abbot, he chairs the TX Board of Architectural Examiners, ensuring excellence and standards in the architectural profession.
Darren has also been involved in impactful local projects, such as the National Juneteenth Museum and the South Oak Cliff High School.
His commitment to urban design and sustainability is evident in these projects, reflecting a dedication to uplifting underserved and underinvested communities. Darren’s passion for community-focused initiatives is further exemplified by his involvement with over 20 community organizations. Through Fair Park First, he actively works towards correcting historical injustices and promoting inclusivity in urban development.
Darren’s selfless commitment to Dallas and advocacy for the underserved position him as a true servant leader and an exemplary figure in urban design and community development.
Student Urban Design Award Winner:
A Stop Worth Waiting For
Stop Worth Waiting For | This project proposes a new DART bus shelter model that distributes public art, urban tree canopy, community message boards, public seating, and safety lighting to all areas of the city. The built prototype was developed via various public engagement methods and input from DART riders, citizen advisors, bus drivers, DART leadership and local artists. The design outcomes respond to rider needs at both the individual shelter and DART network scales. Shelters accommodate a place to sit, wheelchair access, weather protection, and unobstructed views of oncoming buses. Added features include multi-lingual audio and lighting cues that alert riders and bus drivers in real-time, WIFI charging stations, renewable energy sources, community message boards, and safety alert buttons that convert shelters into micro resilient hubs. Proposed partnerships with local organizations to incorporate public art and one tree at every stop transforms the bus network into public galleries capable of absorbing over 330,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, reducing temperatures at each stop by 2-9 degrees, and decreasing perceived wait time by an average of 3 minutes.
Student work is currently being advanced by a local architecture firm and manufacturers. Four built prototypes will be installed at DART stops to garner additional public input.
