Gentrification is simply the renovation of an area or part of a city. McKnight-Chavers, author of “Gentrification Rolls on in Dallas,” seems torn between supporting and opposing gentrification, especially in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. She describes residents of areas under gentrification as hard working, well-educated, professional and good citizens. Yet, she identifies decades of neglect to that area of the city since the JFK assassination. She admits that gentrification has…

            The City Beautiful movement began with Daniel Burnham, who challenged architects to make city plans that had “magic to stir men’s blood”. George Kessler was a fellow planner and believer in the City Beautiful movement. Kessler was born in Germany in 1862, raised in Dallas, studied landscape architecture in Germany, and eventually accepted a planning job in Kansas City. His Kansas City creation of urban parks and boulevards opened the door for him to similarly plan Memphis,…