Houston Strategies

Houston's diverse portfolio of neighborhoods

A Chronicle interview with the president and CEO of The Woodlands Development Co. gives an update on the present and future plans up there in the far northlands. The Woodlands, especially with its new Town Center development, is a real gem in what I like to call the "portfolio of Houston neighborhoods". There's a lot of debate in the urban planning world about the "One Right Way" to build the perfect neighborhood, but it seems to me the goal should be to offer as wide a diversity of communities as possible, so every newcomer can find someplace comfortable for them. Diversification is the mantra for financial portfolios, and the same should hold for Houston's neighborhood portfolio.

Like Austin? Check out The Heights. Urbanism? Downtown or Midtown. Waterfront? Bay Area Houston. Diversity trumps conformity.

And the best part about all those Woodlands improvements? Rather than being jealous, Houston has the option of annexing them after the moratorium expires in 2011...

posted by Tory Gattis @ 6:47 PM