This November, Texans will head to the polls to decide on a number of constitutional amendments, including Proposition 4, which would dedicate a portion of state sales and use tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund. For communities across Greater […]
WHA Developments
How TIRZs Help Houston Revitalize, Grow, and Thrive
In our last article, we explored how Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZs) function and why they have become a key component of Houston’s approach to funding public improvements. By allowing a portion of property tax growth within a defined area […]
The Art of Placemaking – How Creativity Shapes Quality Growth
The West Houston Association’s Art of Placemaking forum offered an inspiring look at how arts, culture, and thoughtful design can shape the future of our communities. Held on September 18, the event gathered developers, public officials, civic art professionals, and […]
Partnerships in Action: Moving Forward on Hillcroft Mobility Improvements
Earlier this year, members of the West Houston Association’s Regional Mobility Committee sat down to discuss a stretch of roadway that has long been on the minds of many Houstonians: Hillcroft Avenue between Westheimer Road and IH 69. Anyone who […]
Building Flood Resilience Through Collaboration
The West Houston Association’s Partners in Progress: Public Partnerships for Regional Flood Resilience forum was not a morning of slide decks or technical reports—it was a very candid conversation about how Houston can better protect itself from flooding. The three […]
The Art of Placemaking
Placemaking, as an intentional practice, came into being in the late 1960’s, as architects, scientists, artists, geographers, planners, and designers all struggled with the impersonality and alienation of Modernism (1). The rationality of the prevalent design practice at that time, […]
Understanding Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ)
Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZs) are an impactful yet often misunderstood tool driving infrastructure improvements and economic development across Houston and throughout the State of Texas. In simple terms, a TIRZ is a special zone where increases in property tax […]
Building Resilience: The Future of Flood Control in a Growing Region
In the wake of increasingly frequent and severe weather events, Greater Houston’s future depends on how effectively we prepare, respond, and adapt. From Hurricane Harvey to more localized but still damaging storms, the cumulative impact of flooding is not just […]
The Right Size: Rethinking Density in Master Planned Communities
The final panel of our 2025 QPD Symposium tackled one of the most loaded concepts in modern land development — Density. “We don’t say the Z-word,” Chris Browne of EHRA Engineering joked at the start, referring to zoning, and “the […]
Integrating Key Elements: Building Robust and Equitable Communities for the Future
The second panel of our 2025 Quality Planned Development (QPD) Symposium brought together leaders from healthcare, education, and land planning to explore a core question for the region’s continued success: How do we build communities that are not just livable, […]