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We talked a while back about a new strategic plan for downtown being developed, called Plan Downtown. Well, the Houston Downtown Management District and Central Houston, Inc. recently released the results of that planning process, called Plan Downtown: Converging Culture, Lifestyle & Commerce. The 20-year vision lays out recommendations for planning, development and design leading up to the city’s bicentennial in 2036.
We talk with Bob Eury, executive director of the Downtown District, about what's in the document and what it could mean for downtown Houston.
- The North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) presents numerous opportunities for downtown Houston prompted by the availability of new public land as a part of the highway relocation. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- Potential changes across the northern edge of downtown Houston enabled by Union Pacific freight rail relocation, as seen in the new long-term plan for the city's core. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- An artist's rendering of potential changes to downtown Houston, part of the new long-term plan for the city's core. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- An artist's rendering of potential changes to the western edge of downtown Houston, part of the new long-term plan for the city's core. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- Future freeway changes around downtown will fully remove or trench many of the elevated highways that surround downtown. Where a gray loop of 20th century infrastructure currently defines these edges, a “green loop” comprised of green spaces and trails could surround Houston’s core. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- An artist's rendering of potential changes to the area adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center, part of the new long-term plan for downtown Houston. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- Downtown has a high concentration amenities: the Theater District, Market Square, Buffalo Bayou, Discovery Green, and Minute Maid Park, to name a few. However, Downtown’s attractions are often perceived as disconnected from each other, separated by gaps of uninteresting blocks, leading many users to experience their walk as longer than the actual distance. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- An artist's rendering of potential changes to South Pierce Street, part of the new long-term plan for downtown Houston. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
- An artist's rendering of potential changes to West Bagby Street, part of the new long-term plan for downtown Houston. (Photo Credit: Downtown District)
