Parks professionals and advocates turn to The Conservation Fund to assess parkland needs, identify parkland acquisition opportunities, and assist with the implementation of parks master plans.
The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Houston Parks Board, completed the Houston Parks Rapid Assessment for New Parkland Acquisition in 2005. The rapid assessment facilitated identification and prioritization of parkland acquisition opportunities that implement the 2001 City of Houston Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The assessment identifies the most suitable locations within the City of Houston for new parks, linear parks along creek and bayous, and expansions of existing parks.
The Houston Parks Board and their funding partner, the Houston Endowment, were seeking to become more strategic with their parkland acquisition activities and to ensure that parkland acquisitions preserved and protected environmentally significant areas and addressed needs outlined in the Master Plan. With high land values and minimal suitable vacant land for park development, a quick, cost effective assessment approach was necessary.
With assistance from the Parks Board, the Fund obtained input from a Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of local parks professionals and advocates. Using this input, the Fund performed analysis using a Geographic Information System (GIS) that graphically represented suitable locations for potential parkland acquisitions. The rapid assessment includes a ranking system and supporting information for over 840 square miles of land area, allowing the Parks Board to both proactively identify new opportunities and evaluate requests from Houston citizens.
The rapid assessment narrowed the “universe” of 840 square miles of land area to 23 square miles of prospects, and it is currently helping the Parks Board to further narrow down the prospects to the needed 8 square miles (or 4,750 acres) of new parkland to implement the 2001 Master Plan. The rapid assessment confirmed the value and highlighted the importance of an existing acquisition project on West 11th Street that is currently underway. The Parks Board also received a customized ArcGIS™ system for future planning and evaluation work and is utilizing the rapid assessment to efficiently pursue parkland acquisition opportunities and to raise the conservation capital necessary to meet the city’s parkland needs.
Houston Parks Rapid Assessment (Download PDF)
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Dubbed the "biological crossroads of North America," Big Thicket attracts hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy its lush forests, cypress swamps, creeks and bayous. We now have the opportunity to protect the forests of Big Thicket and celebrate the cultural and historic treasures of the Texas Pineywoods region.
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