DALLAS-I was recently in a client's conference room with three floor-to-ceiling aerials mounted to the walls, recounting the growth in Dallas from 1985 to 2006. As I moved from aerial to aerial, I was fascinated by the change across our Metroplex in just 30 short years.

However, I was soon interrupted by pressing business and moved on without giving much thought to the story each aerial told about our city. But last week at JLL, our retail team discussed how the growth and demographic shift in North Texas has reshaped individual neighborhoods and the potential impact on our business.

Establishing roots

Dallas has evolved from an agrarian society to a bustling metropolis that spans nearly 385 square miles. Over time people settled into neighborhoods and inadvertently created distinct demographic profiles for residents and retailers alike. Commonly recognized areas include Little Mexico, the Cedars, Deep Ellum, East Dallas, Lake Highlands, and Oak Cliff. 

As the city grew, select neighborhoods and shopping districts lost a level of prestige as enclosed malls and power centers were developed. Looking back it's interesting to think about how, and why, some areas disappeared, evolved or became established.  

Adjusting in the millennium

Little Mexico and the Cedars have practically disappeared while Deep Ellum has continually reinvented itself. In the early 1990s it was an industrial district. In the late 1990s it was a thriving late-night scene where most local bands first made it big.  Today it's focused on Baylor Health Hospital and the growing residential population looking for hip condos with affordable rent.   

The Park Cities, Uptown and M Streets areas are comprised of 45,000 households with an average income of over $106,000. That translates into a retail purchasing power of over $1.2 billion! Combine the concentration of significant spending power like that with a lack of available land and it's easy to understand how Knox-Henderson transformed from a “mom and pop” corridor into the high-end shopping destination.  Major anchors now include Crate and Barrel, Apple, Mecox, Jonathan Adler, Z Gallerie, and Trader Joe's.  It was recently confirmed that the grocer will replace old retail buildings between Knox and Armstrong. 

Defining new areas

The emergence of newer DFW neighborhoods such as Uptown, State Thomas, Legacy Town Center, Bishop Arts District, West 7^th in Fort Worth and Main Street in Grapevine have created or revitalized the popular live, work, play environment.  Residents benefit from the multiple retail offerings that foster a sense of neighborhood and community pride. 

Today's master-planned and in-fill developments are giving our local residents a way to reconnect with their neighborhoods through shopping experiences. Over the next five to 10 years, Dallas will continue to experience the excitement of a “neighborhood renaissance.”  

Continuing the revitalization

Dallas residents are driving the change. They want a personal experience and crave more from their shopping destinations.

• Look for transformational changes to the Farmers Market from its current “produce only” configuration to a destination area which incorporates well known restaurants and retailers for local consumers and tourists. 
• The hospital district around UT Southwestern and Parkland Hospital will become a city within a city to serve the health care growth, supporting services and residential development currently under construction.  Kroger took over the old Elliot's Hardware location on Maple Avenue and is a strong indicator that additional service-oriented retailers should follow shortly. 
• Trinity Groves will breathe life into West Dallas with a fresh mix of restaurants, retail, artistic and entertainment venues that will help local small businesses.  In more than one way, it further Dallas' reputation as an entrepreneurial incubator. 

Commercial business will always come first, followed by the residents and consumers and finally by retailers serving that demand. You don't need an aerial to see that progression in each of these new or revitalized neighborhoods.

If I know one thing, it's that changes are constant. Successful developers, brokerage firms and retailers will embrace the transformations to make Dallas-Fort Worth a first-class city with a variety of neighborhoods people are proud to call home.

Lance Taylor is an SVP at Jones Lang LaSalle. The views expressed in this column are the author's own.