Yes there is a secluded, totally shaded space on Main Street in the heart of Downtown Houston. It is on the north side of the Harris County Administration Building sandwiched between that nine-story building and the far older three-story buildings facing Congress. This is between Preston and Congress and can be entered from Main St. or Fannin St. The space is owned and maintained by Harris County. (more…)
Market Square Park’s 2nd reincarnation was to the traditional style of being a place to sit and relax when rushing on to the next meeting or for a quiet stroll with your dog-and hopefully a plastic bag. The park included several significant art pieces, two great fountains, interesting historic pieces and numerous oak trees. But it had various issues that did not let it be an asset to the neighborhood. The new park is being constructed at the time of this post and will be complete in June, 2010. (more…)
Discovery Green is a privately built, managed and programed park on the east side of downtown Houston. The original concept planning was lead by Project for Public Spaces (PPS) who lead two well attended full-day sessions in the George R. Brown Convention Center (see building in the background of photo) with attendees who responded to city-wide invitations. Following PPS’s philosophy, the park has many separate destinations with something to do or participate in every day. (more…)
The question in the title to this post comes from my good fortune to have been part of several exte
nsive planning sessions for two parks in downtown Houston, Texas and working with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The two parks I will use as examples are Discovery Green (recently built and in operation) and the soon to be rebuilt Market Square Park. Both are in downtown. The purpose of this post is to share what I believe is an important concept to hopefully peak your interest–then point you to the experts in park planning.
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