Stephanie Drenka, Veletta Forsythe Lill and Mark Lamster

Mark Lamster, architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News, winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, and author of the new book Welcome to Paradox City: A Critical History of Dallas as Told Through Its Architecture, joins Stephanie Drenka and Veletta Forsythe Lill for a conversation about how Dallas is changing and what kind of city it wants to become. One of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, Dallas is a place where rapid development is transforming its neighborhoods, architecture, and public spaces.

Bringing together perspectives on architecture, preservation, community, and urban development, the panel will explore the choices that shape the character of a city: what we preserve, what we build, who participates in those decisions, and how growth affects the communities that call Dallas home. A conversation about the past, present, and future of the city, and the role its residents can play in imagining what comes next. Presented alongside Deep Vellum, the conversation will look at the past, present, and future of Dallas, and the role its residents can play in imagining what comes next.