Who decides that exploring every inch that Dallas/Fort-Worth has to offer is a good idea? Hi, I'm Justin.
In June of 2023 I randomly found myself reading an article about the streets of Dallas: Overspending and Unchecked Work: This Is Why Dallas Can't Have Nice Streets. My first thought when the author mentioned that Dallas contains 11,755 miles of streets was "oh, that’s doable."
Two days after reading the article, the first route was complete along with a post describing my short adventure in the area, coupled with photos made along the way. While it sounds like this idea came together relatively quickly for something that is likely to take a very long time, this idea has been brewing for years.
It began back in highschool when a few friends and I decided to walk across our hometown. We stashed snacks and drinks along the route before embarking on this most adventurous of adventures. And by adventurous, I mean, completely underwhelming five mile walk completed in under two hours. It turns out the city in which we spent all of our time wasn’t very big at all. And, I still have fond memories of that walk and so many others during that time.
Years and years later my interest was sparked again when I decided to run around the city where I now live (Farmers Branch, a suburb north of Dallas), visiting all of the parks the city has to offer along the route. This was in the middle of the pandemic, on one of the hottest days of the year, and took 7.5 hours and over 28 miles to finish. Stupid fun with friends and family.
Last year I began to develop a more keen interest in this place. So while working on a similar project that led me down the rabbit holes of city planning, naturalism, and the history of the area, my perspective changed on two things that I now cannot unsee.
The main thing is that we absolutely must begin designing places for living beings. This spans a lot of topics and areas of study.
I think we can do a lot better on both counts to build a much stronger, vibrant community full of interesting, connected places. And I’ll be sharing what I learn on these topics and so much more as I continue this project.
First and foremost I’m here to explore, observe, document and share my adventures as I go, one route at a time.