As monolithic, office-focused downtowns become obsolete, city leaders are seeking design strategies to enhance their central business districts with vibrant ecosystems of mixed-use lifestyle-anchored developments. Rising CBD vacancies left a dormant identity for Downtown Dallas until AT&T brought the area to life with a combination of cutting-edge technology and purposeful placemaking.

The AT&T Discovery District is an immersive, mixed-use entertainment destination that is seamlessly integrated into the company’s corporate campus. The project unifies physical and digital environments with a matrix of fully connected experiential platforms embedded into the buildings and landscape. Multiple features help celebrate the community and connect employees and visitors, including hike and bike trails, a nine-story Media Wall and responsive Globe sculpture, free public Wi-Fi and 5G, dynamic art, and dining, retail, and entertainment options.

This four-block plaza redevelopment blurs the boundaries between work and lifestyle environments while catalyzing immense growth for the city. This active community gathering spot has become one of Dallas’ most popular destinations, attracting about 100,000 visitors each month. Programming and planning required tight coordination with AT&T, the City of Dallas, and design and construction teams, and the result is an unrivaled example of how a city can be reshaped through a magnetic new public space.