Downtown Dallas can keep its current City Hall and fit a new development for the Dallas Mavericks without having to choose one over the other, a group of UT Arlington architecture students say.

Why it matters: Dallas has the potential to be as walkable as Paris and Barcelona.

• The students, led by professors who work in the architecture industry, envision three integrated downtown districts: entertainment, civic and cultural, and residential and educational.

Driving the news: The group started imagining downtown's future at the beginning of the spring semester, before disagreements about City Hall reached a pinnacle.

• They've spent the last few weeks presenting their ideas publicly and talking to City Council members.

Catch up quick: Dallas leaders haven't reached consensus on whether to update the 48-year-old City Hall or move to another building downtown. Residents are also divided.

• Meanwhile, the Mavericks are looking for a Dallas site for a new arena, hoping to build an entertainment district around it.

State of play: Dallas' new convention center will serve as a center of gravity for downtown, adjunct assistant professor Carlos Alba tells Axios.

• The site of the older convention center will free up land that can be used for the proposed districts, says Alba, a senior designer at Perkins&Will who was on the convention center's design team.

What they're saying: "Once we started looking around the area, we realized there are tons of empty lots and urban gaps, as we call them, around City Hall," Alba says.

Reality check: The Mavericks have said they want a 50-acre site for their training facility, arena and entertainment district. Alba says it may be possible to get the team everything it needs with less land.

• The city would also have to commit to funding the districts. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's office didn't reply to Axios' request for comment about the UTA students' proposal.

The bottom line: Alba says the city needs to rally around a clear vision for downtown for the area to meet its potential.

• "We're asking a bigger question … how we create a better city for us to live in," he says.

A gallon of gas now costs on average over $4 in Texas — about 20 cents more expensive than a week ago, per AAA.

Why it matters: Spiking gas prices are straining paychecks, even if fuel is a relatively small part of the average person's spending.

• Gas prices have gone up about 30 cents since mid-April, adding to the feeling for most Americans that their financial situation is worse than ever.

Zoom in: Inflation is ticking back up in Dallas-Fort Worth, largely driven by energy costs.

• The Consumer Price Index through March was up 3% year over year, according to the latest figures.
• Energy prices were up nearly 12% year over year, including a nearly 20% increase in the price of gas.

By the numbers: A gallon of regular gas cost an average of $4.04 yesterday in Texas. A year ago, it was $2.76, per AAA.

• The average in Dallas-Fort Worth hovered right at $4 as of Wednesday.

Yes, but: Gas prices peaked in June 2022, when high inflation had driven up prices of all goods.

• In Texas, the highest recorded average price of a gallon of regular gas was $4.69 on June 15, 2022.

The bottom line: It could be worse.

🪄 Become a wizard. Cosm in The Colony is premiering "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" at midnight. The immersive dome has screenings into June.

• Tickets start at $39.

🔦 Attract nightlife. An urban wildlife biologist is leading a Moth Night Party with UV lights to observe moths and other nighttime insects in McKinney.

• 7-10:15pm Friday at Erwin Park Hill Top Pavilion. Free.

📽️ Fly high. Watch "Top Gun: Maverick" at Main Street Garden as part of downtown's May movie nights.

• The movie begins at 8pm Friday, but moviegoers can arrive at 7:30pm. Free.

🎶 Practice Santería. Sublime is hosting the Me Gusta Festival at Panther Island Pavilion with Slightly Stoopid, The Ataris and others. There will be food trucks and a craft beer package available.

• Noon-10pm Saturday in Fort Worth. Tickets start at $116.

☪️ Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to cut $530,000 in state funding to Grand Prairie if the city's water park is used for a private Muslim event. (DMN)

🎰 Las Vegas Sands has been posting Dallas tech jobs for the past month, fueling speculation that the casino corporation is expanding its footprint in North Texas. (Dallas Business Journal)

💰UNT approved 40 faculty buyouts as part of a plan to cut its projected $45 million deficit. (DRC)

Last week, we asked if you know where this piece reminding us of our shared humanity sits. Only a few of you guessed correctly.

State of play: The religious symbols hover above House of Blues Dallas' main stage, reminiscent of other House of Blues venues that also promote unity and inclusivity.

The intrigue: The Dallas venue opened in 2007 in the historic White Swan building, which was built in 1913 as a warehouse for White Swan Foods Co.

• The 27,000-square-foot venue houses over 1,000 original pieces of folk art, per its architects. It also has dining, bars and several event spaces.

The bottom line: A standing ovation for Elizabeth E. and John V., who were among the first readers to guess correctly.