Texas Exceptionalism embodies the values of Fort Worth and the ethos of a Texan\u2019s drive to settle the American west. At Walsh, the concept of Texas Exceptionalism inspires us to push the boundaries of convention and create a home our residents will be proud of. In this continuing series of profiles, we shine the spotlight on individuals who personify the ideal that anything is possible, heeding the call to be extraordinary in their everyday lives.<\/p>\n
When a city gains nearly 500 new residents a week, it takes a forward-thinking mayor to help keep things moving in a way that benefits all of its citizens. And, luckily for Fort Worthians, Mayor Betsy Price more than fills that role.<\/p>\n
In this, the second part of our chat with Ms. Price, Walsh discovers how she feels about Fort Worth\u2019s growing pains, community connectivity and the new Walsh development.<\/p>\n
Walsh:<\/strong> \u201cWe were chatting about how important it is to keep your city a fit one. When you get people out to explore their city in a healthful way, what is the ultimate result that you hope for?\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Price:<\/strong> \u201cIf you make the outside environment where people live more appealing, more people will out to take their kids to the park, swing on a swing, and connect with each other. When you get people outside, they get connected with their community and each other. They tend to know each other better.<\/p>\n \u201cTexas has always been that state where we tended to be more isolated in our cars. So many of us say we need to engage citizens, engage communities to have safer neighborhoods and healthier neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n W:<\/strong> \u201cWhich brings us to the Walsh development. With our maker spaces and trails, we are definitely in the mindset to build an interactive, active community. How do you see what\u2019s happening with Walsh dovetail with what\u2019s going on in Fort Worth at large?\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201cThe Walsh development has been on the drawing board for 20 years, and it is a very thoughtfully done development. They\u2019ve worked very closely with the city and our administration so I think (the development) is going to fit in perfectly. It\u2019s been so well thought out, and they\u2019ve been so caring and concerned about keeping (Walsh) Fort Worth. It\u2019s very unique, there are no other developments quite like it. There are other wonderful ones, but this one will have its own personality.\u201d<\/p>\n W:<\/strong> \u201cAnd you\u2019re already planning on bringing your passion for cycling to Walsh.\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201cWe\u2019ve been talking to the Walsh team about doing a ride out at Walsh for the Grand Opening this fall. We do rolling town halls, and we\u2019ve asked if we can bring one out there, and they\u2019ve wanted to wait until the grand opening. One of the things we\u2019ve done the last few years is to get riders through the (naval air station) joint reserve base, and we\u2019ll draw 100 to 200 riders (for town halls). I know we\u2019ll have a big crowd at Walsh!<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very excited because it\u2019ll be a whole new area for people to ride. It\u2019s beautiful\u2014there are flat parts and rolling hills, so it\u2019ll be a challenge for some riders, but tremendous for families and runners. It\u2019s a brand new area that\u2019s never been open to the public and I think people are going to find it fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n W:<\/strong> \u201cSpeaking of fascinating, what other things do you want to share that you love about your city?\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201cI love the museums. I love the trails. The Stockyards, the food\u2014I love it all! I love the restaurants, you can go for everything from sushi to Mexican food to steaks.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the people, the fact that it’s a great community to live in with a great quality of life and people that are passionate and care about each other. It\u2019s very friendly and diverse\u2026 not just racially. Where else can you see a cattle drive and then a little bit later see a Michelangelo at the Kimbell (Art Museum)?\u201d<\/p>\n W:<\/strong> \u201cSome people say that Fort Worth could be the new Austin. How can you try and preserve that unique Fort Worthian charm?\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201cThat’s our single biggest challenge: How do we keep Fort Worth\u2019s identity while managing growth? Part of that is getting people out (of their homes), get them talking to each other. Getting community leaders engaged in a neighborhood or church or volunteering so they know their city better and understand it. When I get out and speak I say, \u2018Tell all these new people who we are and what we like in Fort Worth and bring them into the fold.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cOur population is growing, we gain one new citizen every 24 minutes. We\u2019ve got the cool factor, we\u2019ve got the trails, we\u2019ve got great new developments like Walsh and we\u2019ve got a growing community. A lot of people are staying where they used to go to Dallas and Austin.\u201d<\/p>\n W: <\/strong>\u201cDoes that present its own set of challenges? How do you plan for those?\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201cWe have a strategic plan on transportation needs and infrastructure, and we\u2019ve done will with public and private partnerships to get the infrastructure where it needs to be. It\u2019s a big need with schools, they\u2019re growing and everybody has to work together for the quality of education. Fort Worth has been one of those cities that plans well together with their private partners, and we\u2019re flexible enough that if things change we can roll with it.\u201d<\/p>\n W:<\/strong> \u201cThat brings us to the idea of Texas Exceptionalism, of which Fort Worth is a great example. What does that concept mean to you?\u201d<\/p>\n MP:<\/strong> \u201c(Texas) is a very exceptional state, and a whole lot of it has to do with its long term history, particularly Fort Worth. From the time (the city) was founded, its truly been about its people and their attitude. They\u2019re hardworking, honest, genuine people and they want good quality for their hard-earned dollar and their hard-earned time. They want to be able to do something they\u2019re passionate about, too.<\/p>\n \u201cThat and their work ethic is what makes Texas Exceptionalism. People say, \u2018You are passionate about fitness,\u2019 and I say it\u2019s selfish. I want to enjoy my grandkids and when I do retire, I still want to still get out and meet people and discover what makes them tick.\u201d [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1\/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text] Mayor Betsy Price on Fort Worth…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":971,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[1841,123,69,1142,1333,76,61,1867,1917,1897,1819,1856,1927,23,120,151,1880,20,1849,78],"class_list":{"0":"post-895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-community"},"yoast_head":"\n
\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Article By: Kendall Morgan[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"