The Better Block

The Better Block We’re an urban design nonprofit that educates, equips, and empowers communities' environments.
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Better Block Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that educates, equips, and empowers communities and their leaders to reshape and reactivate built environments to promote the growth of healthy and vibrant neighborhoods.

Did you know that temporary traffic calming can spur long-term investment?At the Detroit G7 Better Block, we temporarily...
09/01/2026

Did you know that temporary traffic calming can spur long-term investment?

At the Detroit G7 Better Block, we temporarily reduced travel lanes on a 35 MPH road where drivers were traveling up to 63 MPH. During the one-day activation, not a single car was recorded traveling over 40 MPH.

The demonstration helped the City of Detroit secure a $24 million state grant to fund permanent safety improvements. This is the power of Show, Don’t Tell: Testing ideas in real spaces helps communities see what works and turn temporary changes into positive, lasting developments.

This North Texas Giving Day, your support can help us bring that same approach to more neighborhoods. We’re fundraising to apply the lessons we’ve learned in Dallas through our Better Intersections Initiative.

You can give today at: www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Better-Block-Foundation

It’s Early Giving, and your support can help us build better places, one block at a time!This North Texas Giving Day, we...
08/27/2026

It’s Early Giving, and your support can help us build better places, one block at a time!

This North Texas Giving Day, we’re raising funds to take what we’ve learned through our work in Dallas and communities around the world and bring those lessons to more communities through our Better Intersections Initiative.

We work alongside communities to test ideas, temporarily transform spaces, and show what’s possible through thoughtful, people-centered design. By testing new ideas in real spaces, we demonstrate how small changes can create places where people can connect, gather, and thrive. Follow along over the next few weeks as we highlight the positive and lasting impacts some of our Better Block projects have created in communities.

Early Giving is open now through September 17. Your donation helps us continue educating, equipping, and empowering communities to reshape their environments through urban design and placemaking.

Visit www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Better-Block-Foundation to give today!

Communities Foundation of Texas

08/25/2026

We welcomed our new cohort to Dallas for their first in-person class, where they learned the Better Block process, put their skills to the test through hands-on challenges, and even installed a temporary bike lane in the Texas heat.

Class 1 is in the books, but the work is just getting started. Mini-Better Blocks are already underway, and we can’t wait to see what this cohort creates in their communities!

Thank you to this year’s sponsors for their generous donations: Communities Foundation of Texas, Harold Simmons Foundation, and HEB.

If you're in the Duncanville area, join us and the City of Duncanville, Texas Municipal Government tomorrow for a commun...
08/19/2026

If you're in the Duncanville area, join us and the City of Duncanville, Texas Municipal Government tomorrow for a community meeting leading up to the Better Block activation!

Two great opportunities to learn, connect, and rethink how we build better places:• August 25 | Webinar: Lessons Learned...
08/17/2026

Two great opportunities to learn, connect, and rethink how we build better places:

• August 25 | Webinar: Lessons Learned Over 10 Years of Building Better Blocks with Gil Penalosa at 8 80 Cities

Join Better Block Executive Director Krista Nightengale for a conversation about more than a decade of lessons, successes, and failures that have shaped Better Block’s approach to community engagement, walkability, urbanism, and creating places people love. Registration link: https://shorturl.at/Rejqb

• August 26 | West Coast Premier: “Close Encounters of the 34th Ave Kind” with Placemakingus

If you’re in the Long Beach area, see how residents in Jackson Heights transformed a neighborhood street into a 1.5-mile community promenade, then hear from Krista and other placemaking leaders about what communities can learn from the Paseo Park story and how streets can become places for people. Registration link: https://shorturl.at/dwDzR

Two events. Two different perspectives. One big question: What happens when communities have the tools to shape the places they call home?

08/10/2026

After years of volunteering and advocating for Better Block, Bekah Kornblum joined us this summer as an intern!

From helping paint the streets for our Downtown Dallas FIFA activation to supporting our Better Intersections initiative, she contributed to community outreach, walk audits, design development, installations, and working alongside residents to create safer streets.

Her biggest takeaway? Temporary projects have the power to inspire lasting change, especially when shaped by the people who know their community best.

Thank you, Bekah, for an incredible summer. We can’t wait to see where your journey leads next!

To learn more on how you can support and donate to Better Intersections, visit betterblock.org/betterintersections

The 2026 Better Block University cohort is officially underway!We welcomed our BBU students to Dallas for the first in-p...
08/06/2026

The 2026 Better Block University cohort is officially underway!

We welcomed our BBU students to Dallas for the first in-person class of the program. The day began with an introduction to the Better Block process before each student shared the project they hope to bring to life in their own community.

The afternoon focused on learning by doing during our first-ever Better Block Lab. Through interactive games and hands-on activities - including Better Feud, the Better Block Map Design Challenge, The Price Is Right, and Mural Madness - students explored each stage of the Better Block process before putting their new skills into practice by installing a temporary bike lane behind our office. It was a fitting reminder that meaningful change often starts with simple, temporary interventions.

With the first class complete, we can’t wait to see these ideas develop into impactful community projects over the coming months.

A special thank you to our sponsors (Communities Foundation of Texas, H-E-B, and the Harold Simmons Foundation) for helping make Better Block University possible!

This fall, the City of Duncanville, Texas Municipal Government and Better Block will temporarily reimagine the South Mai...
08/05/2026

This fall, the City of Duncanville, Texas Municipal Government and Better Block will temporarily reimagine the South Main Street corridor at East Wheatland Road to explore safer streets, stronger connections, and more vibrant public spaces.

The demonstration will test ideas like traffic calming, safer pedestrian crossings, outdoor seating, public art, and community gathering spaces to better connect Downtown Duncanville, Armstrong Park, nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and civic destinations. Throughout the project, community feedback and data will help inform future investments and long-term improvements along the corridor.

We want to hear from the community! Your ideas will help shape the demonstration and test new possibilities before long-term investments are made. Share your ideas and help shape the future of Duncanville by completing the community survey before the August 27 deadline.

Visit betterblock.org/duncanville to learn more and take the survey! If you know someone who lives, works, or spends time in Duncanville, share this post so every voice has the opportunity to be heard!

07/31/2026

How do you help thousands of visitors navigate a city during one of the world’s biggest sporting events?

Through Via Fútbol, we partnered with Downtown Houston, Momentum, and SWA Group to create a simple, intuitive wayfinding system for the FIFA World Cup. Inspired by successful global events, the project uses a blue hexagon pathway and easy-to-follow signage to help visitors answer one simple question: “Where do I go next?”

Designed with Houston locals and visitors from around the world in mind, the system prioritizes clarity over complexity. Whether you were arriving by METRO, exploring Downtown, or headed to the FIFA Fan Festival, good wayfinding design can make it easier to move through the city while encouraging people to discover everything Downtown Houston has to offer along the way.

Thank you Dallas Urbanists for inviting us to speak at this month's mixer! It's great to see so many organizations and p...
07/31/2026

Thank you Dallas Urbanists for inviting us to speak at this month's mixer! It's great to see so many organizations and people advocating for a better Dallas!

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1723 South Ewing Avenue
Dallas, TX
75216

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