Fear has a way of filling the gaps where understanding is missing.
And few conversations in Dallas are filled with more fear, or more misunderstanding, than the conversation about the future of South Dallas.
Mention new development, updated zoning, or affordable housing, and the reactions come quickly. For some, it signals hope. For others, it signals gentrification. For many longtime residents, it raises one deeply personal question:
Will there still be a place for me here?
It’s a fair question.
History has given our community every reason to be cautious. South Dallas knows what it feels like to be overlooked, underinvested in, and left out of conversations that shaped our future. So when cranes appear on the skyline and new investment follows, skepticism isn’t irrational. It’s earned.
But perhaps the greatest challenge facing our community today isn’t development itself.
Perhaps it’s our understanding of what development can be.
What if we’re misunderstanding what this next chapter is supposed to look like?
Think about a caterpillar.
No one mourns the caterpillar because it eventually becomes a butterfly. We celebrate its evolution. Not because it became something different, but because it became what it was always created to be.
The butterfly never abandons its identity.
Its DNA doesn’t change.
It simply reveals what was always there.
Wings replace crawling.
New possibilities replace old limitations.
The same life takes on a new perspective.
That’s how I see the evolution of South Dallas.
Not becoming someone else’s community.
Becoming a more complete version of our own.
The same history. The same culture. The same churches.
The same families. The same resilience. The same pride.
But now with stronger schools, thriving small businesses, quality housing, walkable neighborhoods, better parks, improved infrastructure, and opportunities that allow our children and grandchildren to build their futures right here instead of feeling like they have to leave.
That’s not displacement.
That’s evolution.
Unfortunately, we’ve allowed too many conversations about growth to become conversations rooted in fear.
Fear that new housing automatically means longtime residents will be forced out.
Fear that investment means someone else benefits while the people who’ve held this community together are left behind.
Fear that growth and preservation cannot exist together.
But development and displacement are not the same thing.
Displacement happens when investment ignores the people already living in a community.
Development, when done intentionally, creates opportunities for those same residents to build wealth, become homeowners, start businesses, improve their quality of life, and remain active participants in the neighborhood’s future.
Those are two very different outcomes.
One of the biggest misunderstandings fueling this fear is the phrase “affordable housing.”And will the community still have it.
Many people believe affordable housing refers only to public housing or government-assisted apartments.
It doesn’t.
Affordable housing simply means a household spends no more than 30% of its income on housing costs. Including rent or mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities. When families spend more than that, they’re considered housing cost-burdened, leaving less money for groceries, healthcare, transportation, childcare, education, and saving for the future.
Affordable housing isn’t just for people living in poverty.
It’s for teachers.
Police officers.
Firefighters.
Healthcare workers.
Young professionals.
Seniors on fixed incomes.
The family earning enough to get by, but not enough to comfortably absorb another rent increase or another jump in property taxes.
In other words, affordable housing isn’t about lowering the standard of a neighborhood.
It’s about ensuring that the people who make a neighborhood work can continue to live there.
And in Dallas, that’s becoming increasingly difficult.
According to the City of Dallas Housing Action Plan, nearly half of all renter households in Dallas are housing cost-burdened. Among households earning between $35,000 and $50,000 annually, approximately 72% spend more than they can reasonably afford on housing. At the same time, Dallas continues to face a significant shortage of housing affordable to working families.
Source: City of Dallas Housing Action Plan
https://dallas.gov/departments/housing-neighborhood-revitalization/Documents/DHP33%20Documents/DHP33%20Housing%20Action%20Plan%20%28English%29.pdf
Additionally, The Child Poverty Action Lab’s 2025 Rental Housing Needs Assessment further estimates that Dallas remains tens of thousands of affordable rental homes short for lower-income households.
Source: Child Poverty Action Lab – 2025 Rental Housing Needs Assessment
https://childpovertyactionlab.org/inside-the-lab/2025-rental-housing-needs-assessment
Those aren’t just statistics.
They’re the reason families move farther away from their jobs. Farther away from city centers. And, too often, farther away from the communities, schools, churches, and support systems they’ve called home for generations.
They’re the reason grandparents can no longer afford to remain in the neighborhoods where they raised their children.
They’re the reason young professionals delay buying homes, and working parents are forced to choose between paying rent and paying for childcare.
Affordability affects the strength of an entire city.
Unfortunately, affordable housing development often gets caught up in another conversation. Gentrification. The misunderstanding around any new development that includes both market rate and affordable housing, often gets jaded by simple mistruths and misunderstandings.
That’s why conversations about this type of development matters.
Not because we’re trying to preserve poverty.
Because we’re trying to preserve people.
Which brings us back to South Dallas.
Recent changes, such as the adoption of PD595 zoning Ordinance amendment and years of work through the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan, were never intended to erase the community’s identity. They were designed to create a roadmap for South Dallas’ next stage of evolution: encouraging mixed-income housing, supporting neighborhood businesses, improving walkability, activating vacant land, expanding housing choices, and attracting investment while preserving the character that makes this community unmistakably South Dallas.
Evolution doesn’t erase history.
It builds upon it.
Every neighborhood has a story.
South Dallas’ story didn’t begin with today’s investment, and it won’t end with tomorrow’s development.
Our churches. Our music. Our entrepreneurs. Our homeowners. Our families. Our culture.
Our resilience.
That is the DNA of South Dallas.
New buildings don’t replace that DNA.
They simply create an environment where it has the opportunity to flourish.
As someone who develops here (but more importantly as someone who lives here, raises my family here, worships here, and plans to grow old here) I don’t believe our community has to choose between preservation and progress.
I believe we deserve (and should get) both.
We deserve neighborhoods where longtime residents can age in place while young families can afford to purchase their first home.
We deserve quality schools, grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, healthcare, and thriving small businesses.
We deserve development that creates opportunity instead of anxiety.
We deserve investment that includes the people who stayed when others overlooked us.
And we deserve a future where our children inherit not just the history of South Dallas, but its prosperity as well.
A butterfly isn’t beautiful because it forgot it was once a caterpillar.
It’s beautiful because it fulfilled the purpose that was always written into its DNA.
I believe the same is true for South Dallas.
Our history isn’t something to outgrow.
It’s something to build upon.
If we remain intentional. If we pursue development with the community instead of around the community. We don’t have to fear losing South Dallas.
We can help it evolve.
And years from now, I hope we’ll look back on this season not as the moment our community was replaced, but as the moment it finallFear has a way of filling the gaps where understanding is missing.
Few conversations in Dallas carry more emotion—or more misunderstanding—than the conversation about the future of South Dallas.
Mention new development, updated zoning or affordable housing, and the reactions come quickly. For some, those words represent long-overdue investment. For others, they signal gentrification and the fear of being pushed out of the neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations.
At the heart of those reactions is one deeply personal question:
Will there still be a place for me here?
It’s a fair question.
South Dallas has every reason to be cautious. For decades, our community experienced disinvestment, broken promises and decisions made without meaningful resident input. When cranes appear on the skyline today, skepticism isn’t irrational.
It’s earned.
But perhaps the greatest challenge facing South Dallas isn’t development itself.
Perhaps it’s our understanding of what development can be.
A Community’s Evolution
Think about a caterpillar.
No one mourns the caterpillar when it becomes a butterfly. We celebrate its transformation—not because it became someone else, but because it became what it was always created to be.
Its DNA never changed.
Its identity remained intact.
It simply grew into something stronger.
That’s how I see the future of South Dallas.
Not becoming someone else’s community.
Becoming a more complete version of our own.
The same churches.
The same families.
The same culture.
The same resilience.
The same pride.
But with stronger schools. Thriving neighborhood businesses. Quality housing. Safer streets. Better parks. Improved infrastructure. And opportunities that allow future generations to build their lives here instead of feeling like they have to leave.
That’s not displacement.
That’s evolution.
Development Isn’t the Same as Displacement
Too often, conversations about growth begin with fear.
Fear that every new apartment means longtime residents will be forced out.
Fear that every new business benefits outsiders instead of neighbors.
Fear that investment automatically comes at the expense of preservation.
Those fears deserve to be acknowledged.
But development and displacement are not the same thing.
Displacement happens when investment ignores the people who already live in a community.
Responsible development creates opportunities for those same residents to remain, build wealth, purchase homes, start businesses and improve their quality of life.
Those are two very different outcomes.
What Affordable Housing Actually Means
Perhaps no phrase creates more confusion than affordable housing.
Many people assume affordable housing only refers to public housing or government-assisted apartments.
It doesn’t.
Affordable housing simply means a household spends no more than 30% of its income on housing expenses—including rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance and utilities.
When housing costs exceed that threshold, families become housing cost-burdened, leaving less money for groceries, healthcare, transportation, childcare, education and long-term savings.
Affordable housing isn’t only for families living in poverty.
It’s for:
- Teachers
- Police officers
- Firefighters
- Healthcare professionals
- Young professionals
- Seniors on fixed incomes
- Working families who simply need housing they can afford
Affordable housing isn’t about lowering the standard of a neighborhood.
It’s about ensuring the people who make a neighborhood work can continue to live there.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Dallas continues to face a significant housing affordability challenge.
According to the City of Dallas Housing Action Plan, nearly half of all renter households are housing cost-burdened. Among households earning between $35,000 and $50,000 annually, approximately 72% spend more than they can reasonably afford on housing.
Meanwhile, the Child Poverty Action Lab’s 2025 Rental Housing Needs Assessment estimates Dallas remains tens of thousands of affordable rental homes short for lower-income households.
Those aren’t just statistics.
They’re grandparents being priced out of neighborhoods they’ve called home for decades.
They’re teachers commuting farther from the communities they serve.
They’re young families delaying homeownership.
They’re parents choosing between childcare and rent.
Housing affordability isn’t simply a housing issue.
It’s a community issue.
Sources
- City of Dallas Housing Action Plan
- Child Poverty Action Lab 2025 Rental Housing Needs Assessment
Preserving People, Not Poverty
Affordable housing often becomes entangled in conversations about gentrification.
Unfortunately, those conversations are frequently driven by misinformation rather than understanding.
The goal isn’t to preserve poverty.
The goal is to preserve people.
That distinction matters.
Recent efforts such as PD595 and years of planning through the South Dallas/Fair Park Area Plan were never intended to erase South Dallas’ identity.
They were designed to encourage mixed-income housing, support neighborhood businesses, improve walkability, activate vacant land and create opportunities for investment while preserving the character that has always defined this community.
Evolution doesn’t erase history.
It builds upon it.
Building on South Dallas’ DNA
South Dallas has always had something special.
Our churches.
Our entrepreneurs.
Our homeowners.
Our music.
Our culture.
Our resilience.
That is our DNA.
New buildings don’t replace that DNA.
They create an environment where it has the opportunity to flourish.
As someone who develops here—but more importantly, as someone who lives here, worships here, raises my family here and plans to grow old here—I don’t believe South Dallas has to choose between preservation and progress.
I believe we deserve both.
We deserve neighborhoods where longtime residents can age in place while young families can afford to purchase their first home.
We deserve quality schools.
Grocery stores.
Healthcare.
Restaurants.
Parks.
Thriving local businesses.
We deserve development that creates opportunity instead of anxiety.
We deserve investment that includes the people who stayed when others overlooked us.
And we deserve a future where our children inherit not only the history of South Dallas—but its prosperity as well.
The Future Is Ours to Build
A butterfly isn’t beautiful because it forgot it was once a caterpillar.
It’s beautiful because it fulfilled the purpose that was always written into its DNA.
I believe the same is true for South Dallas.
Our history isn’t something to outgrow.
It’s something to build upon.
If we remain intentional—if we continue pursuing development with the community instead of around the community—we don’t have to fear losing South Dallas.
We can help it evolve.
And years from now, I hope we’ll look back on this season not as the moment our community was replaced, but as the moment it finally spread its wings and showed the rest of Dallas what it had always been capable of becoming.
About The Neighborhood Ledger
The Neighborhood Ledger is a monthly Dallas Weekly column by Scottie Smith II exploring the policies, projects and conversations shaping the future of Southern Dallas. Drawing on his experience as a real estate developer, community advocate and resident, Scottie provides insight into housing, neighborhood revitalization, zoning, economic development and the decisions that directly affect our communities.
Join us each month as The Neighborhood Ledger helps break down the issues behind the headlines—and explores how informed communities build stronger neighborhoods.y spread its wings and showed the rest of Dallas what it had always been capable of becoming.
