Downtown Houston Rediscovers Green with New Eco-Centric Park
by Trevor Reichman on 10.26.08
image by trevor reichman
What was a large downtown parking lot in Houston just a year ago, is now Discovery Green, downtown Houston’s new urban park. Underneath the park, an underground parking garage now accommodates the same number of cars as before…no more, no less. An above ground portal, designed by Austin artist, Margo Sawyer, takes drivers from their cars below the Earth up to almost a dozen acres of new centrally located parkspace.
Park Attracts New Downtown Residents
Claudia Morlan (Public Relations) explains that the new park has spurred an increase in new, unplanned, downtown residents…fish, turtles, and birds. It didn’t take long for them to reclaim their space once the asphalt was removed. The manmade one acre lake easily maintains lake levels because water catchment from roofs of solar paneled structures are fed right into it.
image by trevor reichman
Instant Community
Where cars used to park now serves a weekly farmers market, free yoga, concerts, art installations, a water park for young and adult children, a library with public computers and wifi, a restaurant, bar and cafe powered by solar panels, a recycling program for downtown residents, and last but not least... PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
image by trevor reichman
Nature Takes Over after Help from a Human Rescue Effort.
A centerpiece of the park is a grove of century old Oak trees, some of which were already there, and some which were rescued and replanted from nearby. The largest rescued Oak stands 50 feet tall and weighs 420,000 pounds! It was moved with a 32-foot diameter root-ball six feet deep, using one 400-ton-crane and one 500-ton-crane. Estimates place its age at 80 to 100 years old. While the park has only been open for about 6 months, nature is making an incredible comeback. Besides the park's firmly rooted Oak grove, it didn't take long to also establish a wetland area teaming with life, and gardens with prolific native grasses and plants.
photo by Craig Hartley
A Working Model
Claudia Morlan explains that the successful develoment of Discovery Green and it's immediate popularity is due to the fact that, even though the park is a city project, it is operated by a private non-profit organization. Not only did the Discovery Green Conservancy raise about half of the funds for the project, they were also in charge of the design, construction, and ongoing operations and management. This combination of public/private management and funding relationship follows the successful model of Bryant Park in New York City. It is a healthy way to break though municipal bureaucracy and project stalling.
Also read:
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It's amazing to think that change is this possible. No one would have believed 10 years ago that Houston would become a wonderful walkable downtown full of parks, shops, and restaurants. And with the expectation that it might become a Democrat majority city with this election.
It's truly hard to believe change can happen so fast.
This makes me proud to be a Houston resident :o)
I had no idea this was happening. I love this! Yeh Houston. Finally! Now I think I'm ready to go downtown again. Maybe eventually they can do something about the traffic.
Mayor Daley has been on a Green Binge for almost 10 years, and while you can't always like the way things have been done, the results have been pretty good for a city of Chicago's size. Millenium Park was designed in a similar way, for similar reasons though probably nowhere near as green.
It's great to see more and more cities getting cars out of sight, out of mind and bringing back some real LIFE to the city - both physically and intellectually.
Well Done Houston!