Helping Houston Expand City Parks
The Houston Parks Board and its funding partner, the Houston Endowment, have committed to being strategic with parkland acquisition, so that conservation protects environmentally significant areas while adhering to master plans. With land costs high and minimal vacant land that’s right for park development, city leaders need the ability to make quick, cost-effective decisions.
Our Role
To meet that need, we worked with the Houston Parks Board to complete the “Houston Parks Rapid Assessment for New Parkland Acquisition” in 2005. Four years later, we updated our original assessment to incorporate an updated parks master plan and additional data. Our assessments help planners:
- Prioritize parkland acquisition opportunities.
- Proactively identify locations for new parks and park expansions.
- Evaluate requests from Houston residents.
- Raise capital for conservation projects.
Our work narrows the “universe” of park prospects from nearly 1000 square miles to the fraction of land with viable, high-priority park potential—improving community livability and improving access to parks across Houston.
