The Better Block

Ever wondered how our El Mercado Everybody Table came to be?

Created through a partnership with AARP Texas, the Everybody Table is part of our Age-Friendly Wikiblock Collection - an extension of our open-source design library focused on creating spaces that are welcoming and accessible for adults 50+ while bringing together people of all ages.

Designed to support livable, age-friendly communities, these pieces prioritize comfort, stability, usability, and connection. The Everybody Table lives up to its name. With seating for four, generous space for easy entry and exit, and room to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers, it’s designed so everyone has a seat at the table.

Since 2022, this design has been used in projects around the world, helping create places where people of all ages can gather, connect, and build community.

Hold the dots from slides 10-19 and scroll to see the table in action! Ready to build your own? Download the files for free at betterblock.org/aarptx and get started!

We’re continuing our spotlight on the incredible 2025 Better Block University cohort:

To support Bunkie’s Complete Streets vision, Michelle Reynolds with Move Bunkie Forward introduced a demonstration crosswalk during the community’s annual corn festival to gather feedback on safer street design. The crosswalk incorporated corn and sugarcane motifs while highlighting how Complete Streets improvements can enhance safety, accessibility, economic development, and overall quality of life for the community.

To address pedestrian safety and underutilized public infrastructure along Newark’s South Broad Street corridor, Bilal Walker developed a tactical urbanism project rooted in community data, public art, and environmental design. By combining urban planning, local artistry, and public health principles, the project reimagines the corridor as a safer, more connected space.

In response to Anchorage’s rising pedestrian fatalities, Bree Kessler launched a simple but impactful safety intervention focused on increasing pedestrian visibility during Alaska’s long winter months. Partnering with local agencies and urban design collaborators, the project activated a high-crash bus stop with lighting, community engagement, and the distribution of hundreds of reflective zipper tags to help create safer streets for pedestrians citywide.

To address safety concerns at one of Lawrenceville’s most dangerous intersections, Emma Gamble with Lawrenceville United led a community-driven activation focused on creating safer and more welcoming streets. With the help of more than 35 volunteers, the project introduced a temporary bus lane, high-visibility crosswalks, a mural, solar lighting, planters, benches, and streetscape improvements. The activation also sparked long-term commitments for permanent intersection upgrades, demonstrating the power of tactical urbanism to build safer, more connected communities.

Applications for the Better Block University 2026 cohort are now open. If you’re ready to reimagine your streets, public spaces, and neighborhoods, apply now at betterblock.org/bbu before June 12!

What can temporary change teach us about the future of our cities?

We partnered with Downtown Dallas, Inc. to create Activate Main Street, an initiative that uses temporary urbanism and the World Cup as ways to test new possibilities for Downtown Dallas in real time. While we could not paint crosswalks, we worked with volunteers to temporarily transform parking spaces into protected curb extensions with parklets designed for people as a place to safely gather, rest, play, explore, and connect.

Temporary demonstrations like this allow cities to move beyond conversation and into experience. Rather than imagining what a more walkable, bikeable, and pediestrain-freindly Downtown could look like, residents and visitors are invited to experience it firsthand.

We purposely installed the activation a few weeks before welcoming World Cup guests because we wanted to test real-world conditions and gather feedback and data from residents and visitors to Downtown. Over the next few weeks, we’re working with community volunteers to gather data on public life, traffic speeds, and safety to better understand how these interventions shape how people move through and interact with Downtown. These temporary projects may only last a few weeks, but they create something lasting: real-world insight, public feedback, and a shared vision for what our streets can become.

Make sure to follow Downtown Dallas Inc. for future events along Main Street this summer, or visit betterblock.org/activatemainstreet to learn more about the data study!

(Drone images: Downtown Dallas Inc. / Lindsay Jones)

From safer crossings to vibrant public spaces, the 2025 Better Block University cohort brought bold community ideas to life through tactical urbanism and safer streets! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting the incredible projects created by our 12 BBU participants. Here’s a look at the first four:

Faced with limited public gathering spaces, Brittany transformed five parking spaces into a temporary pop-up park during a community Walkabout. By adding curb extensions, narrowing overly wide travel lanes, and shortening crossing distances, the project slowed traffic speeds and created a safer, more comfortable space for neighbors to gather, walk, and connect.

In response to heavy traffic along Kansas Avenue, Monica worked with community members and muralist José Faus to transform the corridor through vibrant public art and placemaking. With the community, they painted a large-scale mural, 10 sidewalk designs inspired by Lotería Mexicana, and a colorful crosswalk connecting nearby small businesses. This created a safer, more welcoming streetscape that celebrates the culture and identity of the Armourdale neighborhood.

To reimagine an underutilized public square in downtown Ardmore, Craig led a community-informed transformation centered on beauty, comfort, and sustainability. The project featured a vibrant mural inspired by migratory bird flight patterns, custom-built planters, native plantings, flexible seating, and a revived Windows Into History installation celebrating the plaza’s rich transit heritage.

Andrew’s project at the Martin Luther King Community Center in Fort Worth focused on creating a safer, cleaner, and more welcoming environment through community-driven design. With the help of 30 volunteers, the team built and planted raised flower beds around the center’s entryway and enhanced the space’s appearance while supporting principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design to foster greater community pride and ownership.

Inspired by these projects? Applications for the Better Block University 2026 cohort are now open! Apply today at betterblock.org/bbu

What makes a green space feel welcoming? Simple seating, shade, color, and a little play can go a long way!

That’s exactly what we brought to West Trinity Heights Park during our “Picnic in the Park” event in Oak Cliff’s Vermont Village. Thanks to the support of The Dallas Foundation and their 2025 Summer Grant Cycle, we teamed up with local neighbors and nearby students at the KIPP School to help build, paint, and activate the greenspace.

From the Wikiblock Everybody Table and Dreambox Couch to brand-new designs like the Reese Lawn Chair and Pup-lick Stick Library, every element helped transform the park into a more welcoming space for neighbors to relax, play, and spend time together. With live music by Kane Vinson Music, cold popsicles, healthy drinks from Recipe Oak Cliff, and plenty of bubbles from Big Bubble Heroes, it became a beautiful reminder of what’s possible when communities shape spaces together.

Next time you’re in the neighborhood and need to touch some grass, make sure to stop by West Trinity Heights Park!

What if the idea you have for your neighborhood could actually happen?

Better Block University was created for people who see potential in their communities and are ready to take the first step toward change! Over four months, participants learn how to transform ideas into action through hands-on mentorship, collaboration, and real-world tactical urbanism projects focused on public safety.

Whether you’re passionate about safer crossings, activated public spaces, community gathering spots, or stronger neighborhood connections, BBU is designed to help you build it.

Applications for the 2026 cohort are now open, and we’re looking for 15 participants - 5 in North Texas and 10 worldwide - to join the movement. There are also full tuition scholarships of $2,500 available for North Texas applicants thanks to the support from the Communities Foundation of Texas, Harold Simmons Foundation, and HEB.

Learn more and apply at betterblock.org/bbu!

For the final leg of our Paris Learning Journey with Reimagining the Civic Commons, we traded in our bikes and took public transit to Hôtel de Ville to visit the Urban Forest at their town hall.

There, we met with Pascal from Ville de Paris, who guided us through their work and shared how urban forests function as civic infrastructure by helping cool the city through connecting neighborhoods.

Our final stop was at Césure with Plateau Urbain, where Adrien Monange and Mathias Rouet welcomed us into a “third place” dedicated to learning, collaboration, and experimentation. Located on the former Censier campus of the Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Césure has been transformed into an open, creative space where knowledge and community intersect. We also had the opportunity to speak with Marion Waller, a member of the Paris City Council and Director of the Pavillon de l’Arsenal, the Center for Urban Planning and Architecture in Paris. An urban planner and philosopher, she previously served as an advisor to the Mayor from 2014 to 2023 and helped lead the “Reinventing Paris” competition, an initiative that reimagined 23 sites across the city.

We closed out the journey with a reflective group workshop, sharing insights and lessons learned, and exploring how these ideas can continue to advance the core goals of Reimagining the Civic Commons.

Across three days in Paris, we explored how policy, design, and community come together to shape a more people-centered city - from riverfronts and bike networks to urban forests and reimagined public spaces.

A special thank you to our incredible translator, Charlotte Burnod, for guiding us throughout the journey and our amazing participants for coming along for the ride!

Continuing our Paris Learning Journey with Reimagining the Civic Commons, we explored how streets, nature, and public life intersect in and around central Paris.

We began in Saint-Denis with a visit to the Olympic Aquatic Center and a walking tour led by Alex Lapinte-Law of Agence POP. There, we learned how major events, like the 2024 Summer Olympics, can create lasting community benefits when planned with intention.

For lunch, we stopped at La REcyclerie, an urban farm and eco-center restaurant located along a former Petite Ceinture station, now transformed into a vibrant community space. We then hopped on bikes to explore the La Chapelle area with Agnès Bonhomme from the Ville de Paris, discussing how former infrastructure can be reclaimed for nature and everyday neighborhood life.

We wrapped up the day at Rue Louis Blanc’s School Street, where Hiba Bedouin and Fabien Clavier of AREP shared how reimagining streets around schools can help rebalance public space for daily life.

Day two showed us how infrastructure, nature, and community can work together at every scale. Up next: Day 3, where we bring it all together!