Project Spotlight: Building a Better Block with Better Block

Image © Gensler

At the edge of Dallas’ Bishop Arts District, what was once an unremarkable, unvisited concrete corner is now a lush, welcoming neighborhood hangout. The hub of this activity is the new Better Block headquarters. Part office, part co-working space, part venue and part maker-space, the new headquarters is a flexible collision of diverse programs, a synthesis of urban design experimentation and community hub.

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Empowering the Powerhouse

The scenic north of England is a new focus for economic equity and improved quality of life—the “Northern Powerhouse” that includes cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull. Image © Andrew Hawkes.

For many years, London and the South East region of England have been the focus of many of the UK’s conversations around the economy. But, in the short time since the first mention of the “Northern Powerhouse” proposal, there’s been a tangible shift towards support for the core regions of the North (including the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Hull).

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Order & Chaos: Planit’s New Brand of Connection

Order & Chaos, Planit’s coffeehouse, connects the agency’s clients with consumers.

When Baltimore’s award-winning ad agency Planit moved to a new neighborhood, it looked to forge a tighter bond with the community. So it opened a coffeehouse. (Yes, a coffeehouse!) What might seem like a head-scratcher of an idea turned out to be a stroke of genius.

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Speaking of Livability

The stairs to Sydney’s Opera House invite a social moment. Photo: John J. Parman.

The new issue of Dialogue is designed to be read on any online device that suits you—a transition, 17 years after its debut as a print magazine, that speaks to how ideas and information reach us now. On a recent trip to Europe, I read a book on my iPhone—a necessity in the dimmed cabin of a 787, but one that spares me having to bring six paperbacks along to catch up on my reading.

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