The Better Block

10/13/2026

We’re bringing Better Intersections to District 1 in Dallas, and we need your help!

Join us and the District 1 community at West Clarendon Drive and Coombs Creek Drive as we implement and test a designed intersection that aims to improve the safety and connectivity in the neighborhood.

Grab a paint roller and join us for one or both workshops:
• Workshop 1: October 29 | 5 - 7 PM
• Workshop 2: October 30 | 9 AM - 12 PM
• Location: 3400 W. Clarendon Drive, Dallas, TX 75211

No experience necessary - just bring your enthusiasm and help us make our streets safer for everyone! Sign up to volunteer and learn more about Better Intersections at betterblock.org/betterintersections.

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters for District 1: AARP Texas / AARP / AARP Livable Communities, Toyota Motor North America, Rooted Oak Cliff, and Zoox

10/09/2026

We revisited one of our older project sites from 2021 to highlight our next Impact Report story!

Better Block partnered with the Forest-Audelia community in Dallas to test ideas for a new park, and one request stood out: a basketball court. By listening to residents and letting them experience the possibilities firsthand, the pop-up helped shape the permanent Park at Forest-Audelia, now moving forward with a $7.5 million investment from the City of Dallas.

From Frenchtown to Corpus Christi to Forest-Audelia, Pillar 3 has shown us that belief follows experience. Sometimes, proving what’s possible starts with giving people the opportunity to see it for themselves.

Up next: Pillar 4, Data That Speaks Louder Than Opposition.

10/08/2026

To highlight Dallas Week Without Driving, KERA joined us for bus ride on Dallas Area Rapid Transit to talk about the mission behind the week-long campaign and the importance of advocating for better public transportation for everyone!

Learn more at dallasweekwithoutdriving.org!

10/08/2026

We are hosting our third neighborhood block party on Saturday, October 24th, from 12–4 PM in the Tenth Street Historic District (1208 E 10th St)!

Tenth Street is the most intact Freedman’s Town in the United States, and we’re lucky to have this historic gem right here in Dallas. We’re excited to uplift its history and celebrate its future alongside Tenth Street Residential Organiztion, For Oak Cliff, The Oak Cliff Veggie Project, and _bcWORKSHOP.

We will have performances from the famous Townview Big D Band, local musician Len Barnett Percussion, and DJ Bran Movay. Not to mention FREE burgers and several vendors to purchase goods from. Spend a day in the historic district and stop by the Oak Cliff Art Walk at the Oak Cliff Assembly before or after the party!

Everyone is welcome: kids, adults, elders, longtime residents, and new neighbors. These are community celebrations and also an opportunity to learn something that affects every neighborhood: zoning, the quiet policy that shapes what gets built on our block, how our neighborhoods grow, and whether our community stays a place where working families can afford to put down roots.

These block parties are part of our Be My Neighbor campaign, a grassroots effort to advocate for more attainable housing across Dallas, small and home-based businesses, and neighborhoods that preserve what makes Dallas special, all through the City of Dallas' zoning code update currently underway. This is the first major update to our city's zoning code since the 1980s. That means the decisions being made right now will shape Dallas for future generations. All of us deserve a say in this process and the outcome.

To help make zoning easy to understand for the whole family, we've partnered with Better Block to create hands-on, interactive activities that let you see and touch what zoning really means for a neighborhood. No confusing paperwork, no city hall jargon, just simple, visual ways to explore how our neighborhoods can grow while staying true to who we are.

We chose each block party location with care and intention. Each neighborhood on this tour has a history worth celebrating and demonstrates the type of neighborhoods and diverse housing options that help our communities thrive.

This is what real community looks and feels like. Be our neighbor and come to our block party!

Visit our website DallasHousingCoalition.com/zoning-reform to learn more about our campaign.

This event is FREE and open to the public. To get reminders, RSVP at bit.ly/bmnblockparty3.

Free and open to the public. Enjoy FREE FOOD, local vendors, live music, performances, educational activities, games, and good company.

10/07/2026

Take a look at what’s coming to the City of Duncanville!

The Duncanville Better Block will bring new possibilities to South Main Street, creating a space to gather, discover local businesses, and explore new ways to get around and connect with the neighborhood.

Here’s a peek at what’s in store, from shaded seating and a
performance stage to a Better Block in a Box celebrating Duncanville’s City of Champions spirit, wayfinding signage inspired by the “Duncan Switch” rail station, and a temporary bike lane connecting toward the downtown area.

We’re looking for volunteers to help us build and paint Nov. 11 - 13 from 3 - 6pm, local business vendors to showcase during the opening on Nov. 14 from 12 - 4pm, and on-going activities, performances, and future activations over the next few months.

Want to be part of it? Click the link in our bio or visit to
betterblock.org/duncanville to find out how you can be involved!

10/01/2026

We’re excited to be featured on the Season 11 finale of Active Towns!

Tune in this Friday, October 2, at 2 PM ET for a conversation with our Executive Director, Krista Nightengale, about how we work alongside communities to create safer and people-centric places.

We hope you’ll tune in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtvBDDmoRU4

In this episode, I finally connect with Better Block Executive Dire...

09/29/2026

The World Cup gave us 56 days to experiment with Main Street in Downtown Dallas, and what we observed gave us a glimpse of what could come next.

We collected 406 survey responses, observed 586 pedestrian crossings, and found that 95% supported a more pedestrian-friendly Main Street, 78% said it felt more walkable during the installation, and 74% discovered a downtown business they hadn’t visited before. We also documented 137 instances of curb space being used for deliveries, rideshare, pickups, and drop-offs - not just for parking.

The experiment may be over, but the lessons don’t have to be. You can view all nine findings in our Activate Main Street Data Study through the link in our bio or visiting betterblock.org

A special thank you to Downtown Dallas, Inc. (Downtown Dallas, Inc.) for their support in making this study possible!

09/22/2026

Join us and Dallas Housing Coalition this Saturday for our first Be My Neighbor zoning block party! We created custom, interactive zoning education tools that allow residents to visualize concepts like housing density and see how potential zoning changes could play out in real neighborhoods. See you there!

09/17/2026

North Texas Giving Day is here!

Today, we’re celebrating the people who make our work possible. Thank you to everyone who has donated, volunteered, shared our work, or supported Better Block in any way over the past 10 years!

Because of you, we can continue working alongside communities to test ideas and turn people-centered projects into lasting change.

Your support helps us build better spaces, one block at a time. Thank you for being part of the Better Block community.

Give today: www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Better-Block-Foundation

Communities Foundation of Texas

09/15/2026

Did you know proof-of-concept projects can catalyze city plans into realized infrastructure?

In 2020, we piloted a bike lane connecting Downtown Dallas to the Farmers Market and The Cedars. The project helped turned a recommendation from the Dallas 360 Plan to life and build momentum for $700,000 in bond funding toward a permanent installation.

By testing out temporary practices, communities can turn ideas into action, and action into progress toward lasting change.

With North Texas Giving Day just two days away, your support can helps us continue creating people-centered projects that can grow into something more.

Give today: www.northtexasgivingday.org/organization/Better-Block-Foundation

Communities Foundation of Texas