With plenty of space to build and an increasingly diverse economy, Houston continues to attract up-and-coming developments offering jobs, housing, and entertainment for the city's growing population.
As workers and employers flee high costs of living and doing business for more affordable climates, cities like Houston are booming with new construction. Among the major players setting up shop in Houston's suburban periphery are Amazon, Ross, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, who will collectively create thousands of jobs. Amazon's new Houston facilities include a million-square-foot fulfillment center for furniture and other large items. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is among several Silicon Valley giants to recently announce moves to Texas, with Elon Musk also announcing plans last week to shift additional Tesla facilities to Austin.
Texas winery Messina Hof and brewing company Karbach are also opening Houston-area locations, hoping to draw customers with expansive gardens, tasting rooms, and restaurant facilities. For those looking to buy or rent a home, new residential developments offer waterfront condominiums, single-family homes, and assisted living facilities. The Tiki Island Residences and Boathouse Resort, located near coastal Galveston, promises a boardwalk community complete with a yacht club and waterfront restaurant.
Prominent suburbs Sugar Land and Katy plan to enhance their central districts with new hotels, conference centers, and improved outdoor spaces, signaling their ambitions as future urban centers.
FULL STORY: New developments coming to the Houston suburbs in 2021 and beyond
12 Developments That Will Change Houston Forever
Major upcoming projects include Hewlett Packard's new global headquarters, a 'boardwalk district' in Katy, and massive housing developments.
How Urban Sprawl Came To Dominate U.S. Cities—And How To Change That
The auto-centric development patterns of American cities are a result of decades of misguided, but reversible, policy decisions.
Houston Area's Center of Gravity Shifts Outside the Loop
The population center of Harris County is now outside central Houston, a shift that occurred over the last two decades as the region's suburbs blossomed.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
Proposed Transit Line Would Connect Downtown Tucson to Airport
Based on community input for a 15-mile transit line, residents want to see a focus on affordable housing development and anti-displacement measures.
Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?
Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
Ada County Highway District
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
