This year we are thrilled to welcome keynote speaker, Greg Lindsay.  Mr. Lindsay is a journalist, urbanist, futurist, and speaker.  He is a contributing writer for Fast Company, author of the forthcoming book Engineering Serendipity, and co-author of Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next. He is also a senior fellow of the New Cities Foundation, where he leads the Connected Mobility Initiative, a non-resident senior fellow of The Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight Initiative, a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute, and an associate researcher at the United States Military Academy’s Network Science Center.  He’s been cited as an expert on the future of travel, technology, and urbanism by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, USA Today, CNN, NPR, and the BBC.

With sell-out crowds of nearly 1,500 for the last five years, this event is an opportunity to engage with others interested in Downtown’s vitality, and also to educate clients, colleagues, and employees about the latest happenings and future plans for Downtown.  It is the only event solely dedicated to center city issues.  It is also a fundraiser for DDI, helping us to achieve our mission through critical programs such as the Downtown Safety Patrol, advocacy efforts, the Clean Team, and economic development initiatives.

We hope you will demonstrate your support and join us for an enlightening look at the future of our city!

In addition to holding a Bachelor of Science in International Economics from Texas Christian University and a Master in Urban Planning from Texas A&M University, Browning has over ten years of work experience in the field of city planning.  Before joining DDI, he worked as Community Engagement Liaison for the City of Fort Worth, Planner for the Fort Worth Police Department, and Senior Planner for the City of Austin.

“As DDI continues to grow its capacity, adding talented team members is essential to meet the needs of members, PID stakeholders, and the community.  Jacob’s expertise in planning, coupled with his experience and passion for engaging the community through the planning process, will help guide Downtown into the future,” said Dustin Bullard, DDI’s Vice President of Public Space and Design.

“I am honored to become part of the amazingly talented team at DDI, and to contribute to their successful, long-term endeavors in making Downtown Dallas a rich and vibrant urban center.  As DDI continues to support the dynamic growth and development of Downtown Dallas, I hope to, in this new role, help bring about the brightest future possible for Downtown,” added Browning.

AT&T also will add 500 workers to its 5,800 employees in its buildings on the south side of Downtown.

The planned renovations would be one of the largest such office building redos on the way for downtown Dallas.

"This is in addition to the $100 million we have already invested in this campus," said Michael Peterson, AT&T regional vice president. "We have more than doubled our employees since we moved here in 2008.

AT&T unveiled preliminary Downtown design plans in January for the first time. The biggest changes are on the way at street level, where AT&T intends to expand landscaped plaza areas, and add eateries and shops.

"Our vision is to help transform this campus into a destination place for tourists and downtown residents as well as our employees," Peterson said. "We are calling this the AT&T Discovery District."

The company also wants to close almost three blocks of Akard and Jackson streets to vehicles as part of the new pedestrian plan.

"We have been in discussions with the city and DART and Downtown Dallas, Inc. and our neighbors all around us to make sure this vision works for all of us," Peterson said. "It will necessitate some changes in the streets in order to enhance the traffic flow and make this district more pedestrian friendly."

Kourtny Garrett, president of the economic development group Downtown Dallas, Inc. said there is support for AT&T's plans.

"The degree of investment and what they are doing in this neighborhood will serve as a catalyst in the southern area of Downtown," Garrett said. "It's the vision they are bringing with that investment and turning the campus inside out."

Four Things That Shaped Downtown
1. Outside Capital Investors coming from outside North Texas understand the revitalization happening Downtown — they do not need convincing to keep bringing capital, CBRE senior vice president Jack Gosnell said at Bisnow’s Urbanization and Future of Downtown event last week. It is Dallas residents who are slow to accept the new Downtown, Gosnell (here with CBRE's Cameron Gosnell, his son, and Elizabeth Herman) said.

2. Public And Private Development The combination of public and private dollars Downtown make this market dynamic, Spire Realty president Jon Ruff said. He has seen nothing like that relationship anywhere else in North Texas. Of the 180 developments happening Downtown, about 100 are private, and the rest are a combination of public, city and infrastructure developments, Downtown Dallas Inc. president and CEO Kourtny Garrett said.

3. Redevelopment  Larry Hamilton (here with Worth Ross & Associates’ Steve Shepherd) has flipped several properties Downtown, including the Lorenzo Ascend Hotel (which is moments away from delivering), Mosaic, Lone Star Gas Lofts, Dallas Power & Light, the Davis Building and the Aloft Hotel. Granite will soon deliver Factory Six03. Alterra International’s Alto 211 has been renovated from its original 1958 roots. World Class Capital Group redeveloped 717 Harwood with lots of amenities and services. These developers prove that smart development is not just about getting product on the ground, but about using a city's history to build for the future.

4. New Development Hall Group has been at the forefront of new development in the Arts District. After opening KPMG Plaza in 2015, Hall Group has two more phases planned in Hall Arts. More office space, a residential high-rise and a boutique hotel are planned for future phases, Hall Group director of leasing Kim Butler said. And ground-up buildings are not the only noteworthy developments. New green space, like Klyde Warren Park, shows the city's dedication to creating a Downtown experience, rather than a string of office towers.

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“We had this trend in the ‘80s where we tore down the buildings that interacted with the ground. Then we built the tunnels,” Hamilton Properties CEO Larry Hamilton said. “We have too many voids in the urban fabric that prevent Downtown from being a walkable experience.”

Downtown has made a lot of progress building successful nodes, Downtown Dallas, Inc. President & CEO Kourtny Garrett said. Now it’s a matter of connecting them.

By inviting pedestrians to interact with the world around them with sidewalk cafés, retail shops, and well-maintained streets, everyone benefits. Tourists and residents could have a contiguous experience if every building opened up the ground floor for public activity, Garrett said. Tenants have more to do during their non-work hours. Landlords can diversify revenue with retail tenants and pick up more foot traffic.

Most developers, leasing execs, and Downtown experts agree that turning surface lots into parks or developments with stellar ground-floor interaction would improve foot traffic and Downtown's overall vibe.

The sooner Downtown becomes a pedestrian haven, the sooner DDI and the city can focus on connecting adjacent neighborhoods. To achieve that vision, developers must think outside their own walls, Garrett said. “We want to focus on the interior of a building and the tenant experience. But giving employees an experience outside their office walls will allow them to add value to the neighborhood.”

Hamilton has a similar rule for all his Downtown developments, including the $41M Lorenzo Hotel. “The idea that the spaces between the buildings are more important than the buildings themselves shapes all our projects,” he said. The 237-room Lorenzo will have a container village (made of old shipping containers, of course) on Griffin and Akard streets selling coffee and pastries.