Global environmental issues, ranging from energy policy to artificial intelligence and activism, topped the agenda at EarthX鈥檚 annual climate conference, which kicked off on Earth Day in Dallas. Inside one Hilton Anatole ballroom, however, the focus was squarely on North Texas.
, a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 as Earth Day Dallas, offered free admission April 22 for its North Texas Day events centered on water quality of the Trinity River, preservation of green space and the future of transportation infrastructure.
As the region鈥檚 population surpasses 8, city officials and residents alike have begun to recognize the importance of green space, said Robert Kent, the Texas state director for the Trust for Public Land. The trust has worked with cities such as Fort Worth to .
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen a great shift in how parks and trails and other green assets are viewed over the last decade, going from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have,鈥� Kent said. 鈥淣ot only does it create opportunities for recreation, but it鈥檚 also essential health infrastructure. It鈥檚 essential water infrastructure, essential transportation infrastructure.鈥�
As officials turn their attention to green space, regional planners have a 鈥渕oral obligation鈥� to reconnect communities that were separated by highway construction several decades ago, said North Central Texas Council of Governments transportation head Michael Morris. That obligation can mean creating green space in places that are currently gray by creating such as Klyde Warren or committing to not expand freeways beyond their current sizes.
鈥淚鈥檓 a big believer in fairness and equity,鈥� Morris said. 鈥淲e woke up and said, 鈥楾he future of transportation has some onus or responsibility to fix as best we can, in our generation, what has happened previously.鈥欌��
The legacy of rapid development and urban sprawl has left North Texas with a variety of flooding challenges, said Jerry Cotter, the chief of water resources for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers鈥� Fort Worth district.
An increase in massive floods between 2009 and 2020 has led federal, state and local officials to act, Cotter said. Under normal conditions, people living along the Trinity River basin would experience one or two floods per decade that rose beyond what planners prepared for, he said.
鈥淒uring that decade, we had over 20 events,鈥� Cotter said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you鈥檙e hearing about flooding all the time. It鈥檚 a very serious situation.鈥�
Five years ago, Fort Worth identified needed to address in the city. Many of those by the way development was done, Cotter said.
鈥淯pstream development increases flooding. Scientifically, it has to,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e covering areas with concrete, and you鈥檙e also filling in the rivers themselves and depleting storage.鈥�
Working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the Army Corps of Engineers, to proactively plan stormwater and transportation infrastructure in the western half of North Texas. The region, which includes 85 cities and eight counties, is expected to house 2 million residents by 2045 鈥� a 126% increase from 2020.
Officials expect the project, which will map flood risk and propose development policies to prevent flooding in the Upper Trinity River basin, to wrap up in 2026.
鈥淭his is a huge project that could be a game changer in the way that we develop,鈥� Cotter said. 鈥淭he benefits will be just unbelievable.鈥�
As leaders across Dallas-Fort Worth consider solutions to the area鈥檚 environmental challenges, they must remember that every element 鈥� from the Trinity River itself to the communities that call the region home 鈥� is intertwined, said Dallas-based environmental activist and author David Marquis.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had to separate the river from the highways, from the communities, from the parks,鈥� Marquis said. 鈥淎ll this ties together. Nothing can be pulled apart. When you look at the forest and the river, that鈥檚 the place to begin. It can鈥檛 be an afterthought.鈥�
Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at haley.samsel@fortworthreport.org.
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