A North Texas suburb is embracing the concept of 15-minute cities.
15-minute cities are a development model in which all necessary amenities are located within a short distance of residences.
The urban design concept — a World Economic Forum favorite that has become prominent in recent years — encourages cities to be walkable mixed-use developments that offer parks, cafes, grocery stores, medical practices, fitness centers, and workplace offices within 15- to 20-minute zones or neighborhoods.
The Fields development in Frisco is one of the first interconnected communities in Dallas-Fort Worth openly embracing the 15-minute city concept.
The 2,600-acre community is being developed in partnership with Dallas-based real estate investment and development firm Hunt Realty Investments and The Karahan Companies, a fully integrated group comprised of real estate development, property management, and investment operations.
In total, the Fields development will include 14,000 homes across nine different communities, according to Levi Lascsak, a local real estate agent and the co-founder of Living in Dallas Texas.
“People are staying in these communities, like Fields, where they’re building it where you don’t even need to leave,” Lascsak told WFAA Daybreak. “You don’t have to leave that community except to take your kids to middle or high school and they’ll solve that problem within the next year whenever they build the middle and high school within the community,” he said.
The $10 billion development is already underway and is coming at a time when Frisco is experiencing explosive growth.
Frisco had an estimated 2024 population of 236,599 based on statistics from the latest U.S. Census Bureau. This means that Frisco is growing at an annual rate of 3.73% and its population has risen by 16.7% since 2020.
“Fields reimagines the way we think about our neighborhoods and community – how we live, work, play, learn, eat, shop, and embrace the outdoors,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney in a statement.
“Fields will be home to thriving businesses and restaurants, dream homes and beautiful neighborhoods, top-notch schools, and world-class parks and open spaces. If that weren’t enough, the new PGA Headquarters and the University of North Texas at Frisco will call Fields home. I can’t wait,” he said.
While Frisco is embracing new urban planning concepts to support its substantial growth, Dallas must overhaul its development services department (DSD) and accelerate the construction permitting process.
Long review times and slow permit turnarounds have generally been an on-and-off issue for builders and developers in Dallas, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
While DSD Director Andrew Espinoza has improved the department’s customer service and turnaround times since taking over in 2022, the department is still working to keep review and issuance times down and developers happy.
