Taken out of context, “grassy knoll” embodies sustainability. One envisions a place deeply connected to nature that invites human interaction. For some people, interaction with nature might mean a picnic with the family, and for others, a place to escape the complexity of urban life. In short, a grassy knoll is a place that invites human occupation within the larger context of nature. It is not only a piece of the landscape, but a landscape that still involves people and their lives. In a contemporary city, this vision becomes more complex, but through sustainable design, it remains possible, even if in a different form.

Yet this term also represents the difficulty we as a society face as we look towards a sustainable future. Any idea must respond to its historical context, and sustainability is no different. We live in an energy-intensive society, and any vision for the future must take this into account. A sustainable project in Dallas, therefore, could have no better title than the “Grassy Knoll.” A title that represents an event that no one is comfortable with, but still defines a city for better or worse. Pretending it did not occur will never make the event and its relationship to Dallas disappear. In much the same way, we must view our relationship with our energy-intensive present and past. Yes, for many, it represents problems in our society, but its problematic nature cannot mean ignoring it; it means engaging with and building on it.