News

May 01

Buffalo Bayou Hurricane Harvey Update – Spring 2018

Dear Friends:

Spring is here! If you are like me, it’s time to clean your closet, prune plants in your garden, and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Here at Buffalo Bayou Partnership, we’ve been spring cleaning and enjoying the weather too!! In addition to doing regular seasonal chores, our team continues to clean up after Hurricane Harvey.

Sediment Removal
Our sincerest thanks to the Kinder Foundation for its generous commitment to support the removal of sediment in Buffalo Bayou Park. You probably still notice significant amounts of sediment at several park areas. Please know these will be removed by Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). These sites are referred to as flood benches and were specially designed to collect large amounts of sediment that is annually removed by HCFCD.

On-Water Cleanup
Our Field Operations crew has been hard at work removing debris, plastic bags and trash from the waterway. However, recent cleanup efforts have been hampered by periodic low water levels. HCFCD also has a crew removing major logjams along Buffalo Bayou.

Johnny Steele Dog Park Renovation
After careful consideration, we are making changes to the Johnny Steele Dog Park to improve maintenance operations and the park’s functionality. We are confident that the renovated dog park will continue to be a place for dogs and their owners to enjoy. Among the changes being made are:

Large Dog Park Area: Pond removal, lawn expansion and entry portal expansion
Small Dog Park Area: Pond incorporated into large dog park area, new seating wall at edge of pond, lawn expansion, and new entry

We expect the work to be completed by early summer. We appreciate your continued patience.

Tree and Garden Planting
Hurricane Harvey left behind approximately 400 dead trees. Special thanks goes out to the team at Trees for Houston who have stepped up to partner with us, providing new trees, mulch, and much needed volunteers.

We hope you have been enjoying the many colorful wildflowers blooming throughout Buffalo Bayou Park. These and the prairie areas fared quite well during Harvey. However, we want to make sure these sites continue to thrive. In April, with funding and volunteer help from Anheuser-Busch and Silver Eagle Distributors, we installed prairie plants on the north bank near the Rosemont Bridge. Just east of the park along Sabine Promenade, a large garden area has been redesigned and replanted thanks to the generosity of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Over 45 Silver Eagle Distributors and Anheuser-Busch employees volunteered to
get their hands dirty and helped to restore a Buffalo Bayou Park meadow.

Trail Repairs
Our Buffalo Bayou Park team has been hard at work installing more than 500 tons of riprap and 150 tons of stabilized sand to repair numerous footpath segments. We also are currently realigning a footpath to merge with the multi-use trail just west of Tapley Tributary and repairing a major damaged area below the Lost Lake Visitor Center. In addition to this work, Harris County Flood Control District, after receiving federal funding, will be repairing major trail failures at the following locations: northside bank near the Rosemont Bridge, southside bank just below the Wortham Fountain, and southside bank just below the Beth Yeshurun Cemetery.

In downtown, there has been a major trail failure on the southside bank just below Milam Street that was caused by a water main break. The City is developing a plan for future repairs. East of downtown, there has been severe erosion with some banks eroding by 100 feet or more. A collapsed northside trail, just west of the Jensen Drive Bridge, has been barricaded off for safety.

Our Work Continues
Although Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Buffalo Bayou has been significant, we are very encouraged by Buffalo Bayou Park’s and other green spaces’ resiliency. Now that it is spring, grass is coming back, trees are budding out, and the light layers of sediment are disappearing. Visitors were enjoying Buffalo Bayou Park within days of Harvey and they continue to use the trails and green spaces in record numbers. Despite the incredible amount of time that we have been spending on cleanup, we have been able to resume our regular activities such as boat rides, walking tours and our annual Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta. We also still have plenty of volunteer opportunities. If you have a few hours to spare over the coming months, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Leticia Sierras at volunteer@buffalobayou.org.

All of us at BBP thank the Houston community and friends from far afield for all they have done to help Buffalo Bayou make a comeback. We are eternally grateful. Enjoy your spring out on Buffalo Bayou!

Sincerely,

Anne Olson
PresidentBuffalo Bayou Partnership is the non-profit organization revitalizing and transforming Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource.
buffalobayou.org

Apr 11

Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference

Carlos Cruz-Diez Art Installation at the BBP Cistern

PRESS RELEASE

Media Contact: Trudi Smith
713.752.0314 ext. 103
buffalobayou.org

Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference
Outstanding art program for Houston’s historic reservoir continues
Opens to the public – Saturday, May 12, 2018

HOUSTON – April 11, 2018 – Building on the success of its inaugural art installation, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is proud and honored to present a unique site-specific environment by world-renowned artist Carlos Cruz-Diez in the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a 1926 underground city reservoir that BBP restored, repurposed and revealed in 2016. Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference will open to the public on Saturday, May 12, 2018.

The Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, a structure reminiscent of the ancient Roman cisterns in Istanbul, is a cavernous, 87,500-square-foot-space featuring more than 200 slender, 25-foot high concrete columns. BBP re-discovered the Cistern in 2010 when it was developing the $58-million Buffalo Bayou Park project, a 160-acre green space west of downtown Houston. Recognizing the significance of the highly unusual site, BBP took a bold step to repurpose the Cistern into a magnificent public space. In addition to tours highlighting the history and architecture of the Cistern, BBP presents an ambitious program of changing art installations in this iconic space. BBP opened the Cistern in 2016 and the inaugural art exhibition, Rain: Magdalena Fernández at the Houston Cistern, was on view from December 2016 to June 2017. Since opening, the Cistern has welcomed over 65,000 visitors.

For the second art installation in the Cistern, BBP commissioned pioneering artist Cruz-Diez to create the site-specific Spatial Chromointerference. Considered to be one of the fathers and greatest figures of Kinetic and Optical art, Cruz-Diez’s wide-ranging body of work includes unconventional color structures, light environments, street interventions, architectural integration projects and experimental works.

“When Carlos Cruz-Diez expressed interest in working in the Cistern, we were not only honored but thrilled about the possibility of bringing his mastery of color and movement into this industrial space. The artist, the entire Atelier Cruz-Diez team and Sicardi Gallery have all been incredibly generous with their time and resources to realize this truly immersive experience that will be unique to the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern,” says Judy Nyquist, BBP Board Member and Co-Chair of the organization’s Public Art Committee.

Cruz-Diez’s Spatial Chromointerference (1974/2018) creates a situation in space involving the dematerialization, transfiguration, and ambiguity of color through movement. By projecting moving chromatic interference modules on objects and people, these become transparent and virtually change condition and form. The spectator becomes both actor and author of a complete chromatic event, which evolves through space.

For the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern, Cruz-Diez conceived an ephemeral and participatory work integrated into the architecture of the urban space, the objective being to radically change the experience of color. Twenty-six projectors will be placed in the Cistern to project moving lattices of light on the columns, interior walls, walkways and on cubes floating in the shallow pool of water on the Cistern floor. This aerial projection, reinforced by its reflection on the water, will create a space where everything loses its materiality. Color becomes not merely a visual object to see but a space to be experienced.

“With this presentation of Carlos Cruz-Diez’s outstanding work, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is solidifying a robust organizational infrastructure for the Cistern to sustain an on-going art program of global importance,” says BBP President Anne Olson

The Cistern’s distinctive architecture as well as its sheer size and raw interior, punctuated by a series of rhythmical columns, will make for an intriguing and interactive experience. Visitors to Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference will be encouraged to wear white or light colored clothing and will actively participate in viewing as the color changes creating a sensation of movement.

Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference (#CisterninColor)

On view from May 12, 2018 to January 13, 2019 at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern located at 105 Sabine Street, Houston, Texas 77007. Open Wednesday through Friday from 3:30 to 6 PM; Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM.

Admission is $10 per person; $8 for Seniors (65+ with ID), Youth (9-17) and Students (18+ with ID). Admission is free on Thursdays. Please note that children under the age of 9 are not permitted in the Cistern. Visitors are encouraged to wear white or light colored clothing.

Timed tickets for Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern can be purchased at buffalobayou.org.

This exhibition is organized by Buffalo Bayou Partnership with major underwriting provided by Leslie and Brad Bucher.

Additional support provided by Sicardi | Ayers | Bacino. Project management by Weingarten Art Group.

Click here for images of Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern. Photo credit is as follows: Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference. © Carlos Cruz-Diez / ADAGP, Paris 2018. Photo by Paul Hester.

Talking Color: Celebrating Carlos Cruz-Diez in Houston
Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the University of Houston will co-host a public talk with Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jr., director of the Atelier Cruz-Diez Paris and son of the artist, and Mari Carmen Ramirez, Wortham Curator of Latin American Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, on May 8, 2018 at 6 PM at the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion at the UH Library. The discussion will center on the Cistern presentation as well as the artist’s Double Physichromie on the UH campus.

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About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

In 2015, BBP completed transformation of the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park that lies west of downtown Houston. Enhancement of the park was a collaboration of BBP, the Kinder Foundation, the City of Houston through Houston Parks & Recreation Department and Harris County Flood Control District. Buffalo Bayou Park includes beautiful gardens and native landscaping; hike and bike trails; paddle craft and bike rentals; the go-to dog park in the city; nature play area; two visitor centers; the Cistern; and gathering places for visitors to picnic, relax and enjoy outdoor activities. Buffalo Bayou Partnership maintains and operates the park with annual funding provided by the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3.

About Carlos Cruz-Diez:
The Franco-Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez (Caracas, 1923) has lived and worked in Paris since 1960 and is considered to be one of the greatest artistic innovators of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He is a major protagonist in the field of Kinetic and Optical art, a movement that encourages “an awareness of the instability of reality.” He is a master of color and line, adept at creating fluid, participatory visual experiences.

Cruz-Diez’s visual art explores the perception of color as an autonomous reality evolving in space and time, unaided by form or support, in a perpetual present. His artworks are housed in prestigious permanent collections at institutions such as: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Tate Modern, London; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne.

Mar 05

Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou

Activating and Connecting Six Sites along Buffalo Bayou in the East Sector

SATURDAY, April 7, 2018

WHAT:

Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) recently launched a major planning effort to bring a new network of waterfront parks and open spaces along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector, stretching from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. As part of the organization’s East Sector outreach, Buffalo Bayou Partnership is collaborating with students from the University of Houston Graphic Design and Creative Writing Programs to present Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou on Saturday, April 7^th.

This afternoon event features site-specific, text-based installations at six locations along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector. Using the sites as inspiration and vehicles for content, the students created large scale typographic/text based messages/stories that activate and animate. The installations express interpretations of the history, economy, resilience, culture and community values of the East Sector neighborhoods as they relate to the bayou and green spaces.

The public is invited to take self-guided tours of the installations and share ideas and opinions related to Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s future plans along the Bayou’s East Sector. Participatory activities ranging from nature walks to boat tours will be offered at the sites and live entertainment and food trucks will be located at the North York Boat Launch site.

This event is made possible in part through the City’s Initiative Grant Program of the Houston Arts Alliance. Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou is funded by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts in the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts.

Visit buffalobayou.org for more information. View more photos here.

WHEN: Saturday, April 7, 2018

WHERE: Six locations along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector:

Allen’s Landing – 1005 Commerce Street, Houston, TX 77002
Gravel Silos – 507 N. Nagle Street, Houston, TX 77003
Japhet Creek – 4600 Clinton Drive (at Emile Street), Houston TX 77020
BBP Field Office – 723 N. Drennan Street, Houston, TX 77003

Yolanda Black Navarro Buffalo Bend Nature Park – 2300 S. Sgt Macario Garcia Drive, Houston TX 77011

North York Boat Launch – 808 N. York Street, Houston, TX 77003

*Entertainment and food trucks

COST: FREE (food and drinks for sale at the North York location)

TIME: 1-4pm

WHAT ELSE:

Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s goal for this planning project is to reclaim the waterfront for East Sector residents and create green spaces that will catalyze the equitable revitalization of their communities.

BBP is developing a plan that is based on:

Authenticity – Creating unique park spaces that reflect the cultural and industrial legacy of the East Sector
Connectivity – Rethinking how parks and neighborhoods interact by activating the waterfront and connecting it to surrounding neighborhoods
Inclusivity – Establishing a pioneering precedent where green space can catalyze equitable communities
Resiliency – Providing a sustainable waterfront model by limiting environmental or man-made risks while allowing them to adapt in an ever-changing city.

###

About Buffalo Bayou Partnership

Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. Thanks to the generous support of foundations, corporations, individuals and government agencies, BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership maintains and operates Buffalo Bayou Park, with annual funding provided by the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #3. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands. For more information, please visit www.buffalobayou.org.

Feb 27

Welcome to the Buffalo Bayou Blog!

One of the things I have always loved about Houston is how persistent our natural world is. I’m from up north, where each spring you race to coax the season from the ground hoping that life will finally return to the world. Here, you spend all your time hacking back everything you have declared unworthy, hoping to make a bit of room for that rose bush you love so much. This blog is going to be about everything that’s crowding out and nibbling on the rose bush and I hope to help Houston learn to celebrate the profusion of life that will rush into any open space we forget to build on. Most particularly, I’m going to write about Buffalo Bayou Park. I have had a 30 year romance with this park, living just a half mile north. I loved it when it was wild and a bit frightening and I have learned to love it almost as much now because I get to share it with so many people. Buffalo Bayou Park is a wild space and in each blog post, I hope to share with you something I saw on a walk in the park. Sometimes it will be a huge and amazing thing; often, it will be something small and amazing. Life is amazing and it is running wild in Buffalo Bayou Park. I am Alisa Kline, a Texas Master Naturalist, and I hope you join me as I attempt to chronicle the wonders of our Park.

Feb 14

Discovery Green® Hosts Kick Off of Bayou City Music Series on March 1 and Wraps Up at Buffalo Bayou Park on May 19

HOUSTON, TX — Discovery Green, the 12-acre park in the heart of downtown Houston, kicks off its Spring 2018 Season with the Bayou City Music Series. This new concert series honors the great jazz, blues and zydeco musicians of Houston in free concerts taking place in three parks.

Acclaimed Houston rapper Bun B headlines the series kickoff at Discovery Green on Thursday,
March 1, with opening performances by the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Jazz Ensemble; Milton Hopkins, B. B. King’s bandleader; and Jewel Brown, former vocalist for Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra. This event takes place on the 10th anniversary of Discovery Green’s first-ever event in 2008, “One for Doc,” a concert honoring HSPVA’s nationally recognized jazz program.

On Saturday, April 7, Grammy Award-winning pianist and record producer Robert Glasper returns home for his first performance at the historic Emancipation Park. The HSPVA Jazz Sextet, from Glasper’s alma mater, will open.

The series moves to The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park on Saturday, May 19. The lineup features the full HSPVA Jazz Band; saxophonist Grady Gaines, who has recorded with Little Richard, Sam Cooke and many others; vocalist Trudy Lynn; and the ThunderSOUL Orchestra, a 14-piece orchestra featuring former students of Conrad Johnson from Kashmere High School, which was the subject of a 2011 documentary film.

This free music series resumes in September with one more event at each park. The Bayou City Music Series is made possible by the Kinder Foundation.

Event Details

WHAT:

Bayou City Music Series: Bun B, HSPVA Jazz Ensemble, Milton Hopkins, Jewel Brown Thursday, March 1, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77010

Bayou City Music Series: Robert Glasper, HSPVA Jazz Sextet Saturday, April 7, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Emancipation Park, 3018 Emancipation Avenue, Houston, TX 77010

Bayou City Music Series: HSPVA Jazz Band, Grady Gaines, Trudy Lynn, the ThunderSOUL Orchestra
Saturday, May 19, from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
The Water Works in Buffalo Bayou Park, 105 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007

COST: Admission is free

IMAGES: http://bit.ly/2GAIrkC

Discovery Green
facebook.com/events/768626063345774/www.discoverygreen.com
Facebook: @DiscoveryGreenHouston Twitter: @DiscoveryGreen
Instagram: @DiscoveryGreen

Emancipation Park
www.emancipationparkconservancy.org
Facebook: @EPConservancy
Twitter: @EmancipationParkHou

Buffalo Bayou Park
www.buffalobayou.org
Facebook: @BuffaloBayou
Twitter: @BuffaloBayou
Instagram: @BuffaloBayou

Feb 10

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Welcomes Eight New Board Members

Media Contact
Trudi Smith
BBP, Director of PR and Events
tsmith@buffalobayou.org
713.752.0314 x103

HOUSTON – February 12, 2018 –Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) announced eight new members to its board of directors during its annual meeting and luncheon on January 26th at La Griglia.

New board members include Shawn W. Cloonan, Chief Operating Officer & Vice President for the Texas Medical Center; Gaynell Floyd Drexler, Attorney-at-Law; Michael D. Fertitta, SVP and General Counsel for Hilcorp Energy Company; Christina Morales, President/CEO of Morales Funeral Home; Winifred Riser, community volunteer; Shannon B. Sasser, Shannon Sasser Architecture; Carson Trapnell Seeligson, InVista Advisors, LLP; and Christof Spieler, PE, LEED AP, Vice President and Director of Planning for Huitt-Zollars.

The following board officers are continuing with their roles again this year: Thomas Fish, Chair; Jonathan H. Brinsden, Vice Chair; Bas Solleveld, Vice Chair; Paul A. Cannings, Jr., Treasurer; and Nory Angel, Secretary.

“We are delighted to welcome this stellar group to our board,” said Anne Olson, president of Buffalo Bayou Partnership. “Our new members bring a wealth of experience and strong interest for protecting, preserving and improving Buffalo Bayou.”

The 39-member board of directors includes: Ralph Abendshein, Murad Ajani, Richard M. Blades,
C. Ronald Blankenship, Carolyn W. Dorros, Bolivar Fraga, Cristina Garcia Gamboa, Stacey Gillman, Guy Hagstette, Kellie R. Jenks, Samir Khushalani, Lisa Marshall, Ginni Mithoff, Sara-Ashley Moreno, Judy Nyquist, David Ott, Jr., Alison Porter, Karl S. Stern, Judy Tate, Jeff Taylor, Claire Cormier Thielke, Saul Valentin, Anne Whitlock, Renee Wizig-Barrios, Robert P. Wright and Ellyn Wulfe. Chair Emeritus members include Chuck Carlberg, Brady F. Carruth, Collin J. Cox, Mike Garver, Sis Johnson, Susan Keeton and Bob Phillips.

Board members retiring this year include Christina A. Bryan, Clayton Erikson, J. David Heaney,
Lynn M. Herbert, John Mooz, Charles R. Parker, Carleton Riser and Geraldina Wise.

Click to download additional photos.

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About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

Jan 29

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Hosts Community Gatherings

Continues master planning for the waterway east of downtown from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin

HOUSTON – January 29, 2018 – Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) recently launched a major planning effort to bring a new network of waterfront parks and open spaces along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector, stretching from US 59 to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP’s goal for this project is to reclaim the waterfront for East Sector residents and create green spaces that will catalyze the equitable revitalization of their communities. The organization will be sponsoring two community town halls to meet with East End and Fifth Ward residents, and business and property owners to shape a vision for the future of Buffalo Bayou. The meetings, which are being co-sponsored with Houston City Council Members Karla Cisneros and Robert Gallegos and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Jerry V. Davis, are being held:

Tuesday, February 6
6-8:30 p.m.
DeLuxe Theater
3303 Lyons Avenue

Wednesday, February 7
6-8:30 p.m.
BakerRipley
Ripley House Community Center
4410 Navigation Boulevard

“We are committed to a strong community engagement process,” says BBP President Anne Olson. “While we want to hear from a range of stakeholders, we are strongly focused on seeking the input of long-time residents and business owners in the East End and Fifth Ward, two neighborhoods that border Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector.” Olson further points out that BBP is developing a plan that is based on:

Authenticity – Creating unique park spaces that reflect the cultural and industrial legacy of the East Sector
Connectivity – Rethinking how parks and neighborhoods interact by activating the waterfront and connecting it to surrounding neighborhoods
Inclusivity – Establishing a pioneering precedent where green space can catalyze equitable communities
Resiliency – Providing a sustainable waterfront model by limiting environmental or man-made risks while allowing them to adapt in an ever-changing city

The communities of the East End and Fifth Ward have long been separated from Buffalo Bayou, its unique beauty, and exciting industrial context. Long-time East End resident and BBP board member Bolivar Fraga says, “We have a great opportunity to bring together communities north and south of the bayou and connect them to the waterfront and to each other.”

Unlike other parts of Buffalo Bayou, the East Sector was not impacted heavily by Hurricane Harvey due to its higher elevation. Because of this, one of the plan’s areas of focus will be more on long-term resiliency needs such as new housing opportunities.

“We want to not only bring new open space, but also to build a model for resilient, mixed-income residential development that can accommodate Houstonians who were displaced by the storm while enhancing the strong vibrant and culturally rich East Sector,” states Olson.

The high caliber multidisciplinary planning team working on the East Sector plan is led by Michael Van Valkenburg (MVVA), an internationally recognized landscape architecture firm, and HR&A Advisors, an industry-leading real estate, economic development, and public policy firm. Other consultant team members include: Utile(Urban Planning & Design), Huitt-Zollars (Architecture and Civic Engineering), Stantec (Transportation) and Limnotech (Hydrology).

MVVA brings to Houston wide-ranging experience and a proven track record of success in creating acclaimed and economically viable parks and waterfronts such as Brooklyn Bridge Park and Hudson River Park in New York City, and Maggie Daly Park and the 606 in Chicago. The firm is also very familiar with Houston as they recently completed plans for The Menil Collection, Hermann Park and Houston Parks Board.

For more than 35 years, HR&A has been working with parks throughout the US and abroad to develop open space real estate strategies, financing plans, programming activation, and sustainable operations and maintenance programs. The High Line and Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, Tulsa Riverfront and Dallas Trinity River are among the more than 100 parks that have benefited from HR&A’s talent.

The Buffalo Bayou East Sector planning project has been funded by Bank of America Charitable Foundation, The Harry S. and Isabel C. Cameron Foundation, The Carruth Foundation, Inc., The Clayton Fund, Fifth Ward Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #18), The Garver Foundation, Greater East End Management District, Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority (TIRZ #23), Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc., Midway, Anne Whitlock and Michael Skelly, The Winston Charitable Foundation and The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

About Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) is the non-profit organization transforming and revitalizing Buffalo Bayou, Houston’s most significant natural resource. BBP’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of Buffalo Bayou from Shepherd Drive to the Port of Houston Turning Basin. BBP has raised and leveraged more than $150 million for the redevelopment and stewardship of the waterfront – spearheading award-winning projects such as Sabine Promenade and Sesquicentennial Park, protecting land for future parks, constructing hike and bike trails, and operating comprehensive clean-up and maintenance programs. BBP recently completed the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project that includes major destinations, natural landscaping, footpaths, trail lighting, water features and pedestrian bridges. Buffalo Bayou Partnership also seeks ways to activate Buffalo Bayou through pedestrian, boating and biking amenities; volunteer activities; permanent and temporary art installations; and wide-ranging tours and events that attract thousands.

Jan 09

Buffalo Bayou Hurricane Harvey Update – January 2018

Volunteers removing dead trees along Buffalo Bayou last weekend.

Dear Friends:

Happy New Year!! As we begin 2018, we are writing to provide you with an update on our post-Harvey cleanup work and continuing Buffalo Bayou restoration.

Sediment Removal
We are pleased to report that sediment removal in Buffalo Bayou Park is nearing completion. To date, we have collected and hauled off nearly 30,000 cubic yards. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Millis Construction and Sprint Sand and Clay crews for their steadfast work over the past five months. They have done a yeoman’s job for us. Within the next month, we will be removing the sediment at Allen’s Landing as we prepare for post-race festivities for this year’s March 10th Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta (a new ending location).

Before and after sediment removal at Carruth Bridge.

Dog Park
Hurricane Harvey caused BBP to take a serious look at the sustainability of the Johnny Steele Dog Park, and we have determined it is time to make some adjustments. We are working with SWA, Buffalo Bayou Park’s designers, to develop plans for reducing the frequency that the area goes under water. Foremost among these changes will be the removal of the large dog pond. Decisions about the small dog pond area are still underway. By making modifications, we hope to create a space that dogs and their owners will continue to enjoy, and a site that our park staff can more easily maintain. Our goal is to have many of these improvements completed and the dog park open by late spring, although we expect some work may require more time.

Trails
Our Buffalo Bayou Park maintenance team has begun repairs to trail erosion areas, and this work will continue through the spring. There are several trail segments where BBP will need to hire an outside contractor. In addition, Harris County Flood Control District will be designing plans for major repairs near the Rosemont Bridge, Wortham Fountain and Beth Yeshurun Cemetery. In cooperation with the Houston Parks & Recreation Department, BBP is assessing the erosion damage along the trails in downtown. Please know that the north side trail between Sesquicentennial Park and the University of Houston-Downtown is closed due to severe erosion at a pedestrian bridge location.

Trees and Vegetation
Hundreds of trees were impacted as a result of the storm. While we know now that many are dead it may be several years before we know if larger trees survive. During these colder months, you will see us planting new trees in several park areas. We would like to thank the team at Trees for Houston for its support in our tree planting efforts. Next month, the Redbuds and Bayou Buddies, Trees For Houston’s and BBP’s respective young professional groups, will hold their annual Planting on the Parkway event north of the Police Memorial in Buffalo Bayou Park. More than 150 native trees will be planted.

East Sector
As we highlighted in previous communications, hydrologists on our East Sector master plan consultant team have been hard at work looking at erosion along the bayou’s East Sector. We hope to have this work completed in time for a series of public meetings in the East End and Fifth Ward that we will be holding in February. We’d also like to point out that we are working with the Texas Department of Transportation and CenterPoint to break ground on trail segments east of downtown. You will be hearing more about our East Sector planning and trail work in the near future.

Volunteering
We have had more than 1,000 Houstonians volunteer their time at our post-Harvey cleanup events. We are extremely grateful for the many school groups, corporations andfamilies who have taken the time to help us shovel sediment, remove debris and trim trees. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We will continue needing volunteers as we plant trees and restore Buffalo Bayou Park’s wildflower and prairie areas this spring. To volunteer, please contact Leticia Sierras at volunteer@buffalobayou.org.

Support
In closing, we would like to express our gratitude to all of the generous individuals, corporations and foundations that have made gifts to our Buffalo Bayou restoration efforts. We have had an outpouring of support from new donors as well as longtime BBP friends and for that, we are truly grateful. A very special thanks goes to the Kinder Foundation and Elkins Foundation for their major gifts. We also sincerely thank the many guests at our November gala that made additional commitments to assist with Buffalo Bayou Park’s recovery. Please know our financial needs continue. If you would like to contribute, please contact Leigh McBurnett at lmcburnett@buffalobayou.org or visit buffalobayou.org.

Hard-working BBP Staff
In closing, I would like to sincerely thank the entire BBP staff. Our maintenance crew has worked tirelessly over many months. Needless to say, the conditions have been very challenging. My thanks also goes out to our administrative team who have worked with volunteers, the media and funders. They too have contributed greatly. And thank you to all of you who have lent a hand and encouraging words. It has meant a great deal to us!! Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anne Olson
President

Dec 11

East Sector Exhibitions at the Sunset Coffee Building on view through January 29, 2018

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Explore exhibitions by architectural designer Jae Boggess and students of the UH School of Art. Both of these exhibits feature buildings and landmarks located east of downtown Houston along Buffalo Bayou, which is relevant to Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s newly launched East Sector master plan. This major planning effort along Buffalo Bayou going east will incorporate East Sector neighborhoods and existing structures to establish a pioneering precedent where green space can be a catalyst for inclusive growth and community development.

This East Sector-focused exhibition will appropriately on view at Sunset Coffee Building, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s administrative offices now through January 29th. (Closed from 12/25 – 1/1 and reopens 1/2.)

For more about the Buffalo Bayou East Sector Master Plan here.

Eastside as Found by Jae Boggess
Funded by a grant from The Rice Design Alliance, this photography exhibit documents industrial and commercial buildings east of downtown. In danger of demolition, these neglected and largely vacant buildings help tell the story of Houston as a repeated boomtown and have the potential to define a unique sense of place as these neighborhoods change. Architectural designer Jae Boggess hopes that the exhibit will prompt a dialogue about what will become of our city’s built history.

Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou
Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou is a collaboration between students from the University of Houston Graphic Design and Creative Writing programs with funding support from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. The exhibit features proposals for site-based installations and engagement events to be held on sites along Buffalo Bayou’s East Sector in spring 2018. The installations express an interpretation of the history, economy, resilience, culture and community values of the East End and Fifth Ward communities as they relate to the bayou and green spaces.

Nov 14

Buffalo Bayou Park Selected as a Winner of the Urban Land Institute’s 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence

For more information, contact: Trish Riggs, 202-624-7086; trisha.riggs@uli.org

WASHINGTON (November 14, 2017)—Thirteen real estate development projects from around the globe have been selected as winners of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence, which is widely recognized as one of the land use industry’s most prestigious awards programs.

The winners, each of which demonstrates an innovative, forward-looking approach to design and development, include eight projects in the United States, two in Canada, one in Europe, and two in Asia:

Azkuna Zentroa, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain (Developers: Bilbao City Council, Alhóndiga, Center of Ocio y Cultura, Bilbao Ría 2000; Designer: Philippe Starck)
Buffalo Bayou Park, Houston, Texas, United States (Developer: Buffalo Bayou Partnership; Designers: SWA Group, Page)
Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, Illinois, United States (Developers: City of Chicago, Department of Transportation; Designers: Ross Barney Architects [All Phases], Sasaki [Phases 2, 3] Alfred Benesch & Company [Phases 2, 3], Jacobs/Ryan Associates [All Phases] and Collins Engineers [Phase 1])
Downtown Allentown Revitalization District, (including PPL Center Arena Block & City Center Lehigh Valley), Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States (Owners/developers: Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority, Hammes Company, City Center Investment Corp. et al.; Designers: Sink Combs Dethlefs Architects (now Perkins+Will), Elkus – Manfredi Architects, et al.)
Emeryville Center of Community Life, Emeryville, California, United States (Developers: Turner Construction Company, Swinerton Management & Consulting; Designers: Nexus Partners, DSK Architects, Mark Seiberlich Concordia, Steven Bingler, MKThink, Steve Kelley)
Half Moon Village, Half Moon Bay, California, United States (Developer: MidPen Housing Corp.; Designer: Herman Coliver Locus Architecture)
Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan (Developer: Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd.; Master planner and coordinator: Urban Design Center Kashiwa-no-ha (UDCK); Designer: ZGF, Nikken Sekkei Ltd., Jun Mitsui & Associates Inc. Architects, Studio on Site (landscape architect)
Marine Gateway, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Developer: PCI Developments; Designer: Perkins+Will)
Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States (Developers: The Milwaukee RiverWalk District, Inc., The Mandel Group, Business Improvement District No. 2, The Brewery Works, Inc. et al; Designers: KenKay Associates, Mary Miss, Engberg Anderson Architects, et al)
Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore, Singapore (Developer: Far East Organization; Designer: WOHA)
Pearl, San Antonio, Texas, United States (Developer: Silver Ventures, Inc.; Designers: Lake Flato Architects, Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors, Don McDonald Architects, Sprinkle & Co. Architects, Ford Powell & Carson Architects, Jim Kissling Architecture, Dado Group, Clayton & Little Architecture)
University Center- The New School, New York, New York, United States (Developer: The Durst Organization; Designer: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP)
West Don Lands, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Master Developer: Waterfront Toronto; Precinct Plan: Urban Design Associates; Developers: Urban Capital [River City], DREAM Unlimited, Kilmer Group [Canary District], Toronto Community Housing; Public Realm & Urban Designers: The Planning Partnership with PFS Studio with &Co., Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.; Landscape Designers: Claude Cormier & Associates, NAK Design Strategies; Architectural Design – River City: Saucier & Perrotte, ZAS Architects; Architectural Design – Canary District: architectsAlliance, KPMB Architects, Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects, Daoust Lestage, MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, Design/Builder – Canary District: EllisDon Inc., Ledcor Group; Retail Designer: Live Work Learn Play)

The winners were selected by an international jury made up of ULI members representing a multidisciplinary collection of real estate development expertise, including finance, land planning, development, public affairs, design, and other professional services.

“Each of these winners demonstrates a thoughtful, innovative approach to urban development that is adding to the sustainability and livability of the communities in which they are located,” said 2017-2018 Global Awards Jury Chairman Wendy Rowden, president of 42nd Street Development Corp. in New York City. “The attention paid to project detail, flexible design, and neighborhood context were among the factors making these entries stand out. They represent the type of development that will withstand the tests of time and change.”

“Cities are about people—the way we interact, get around, and go about our daily routines. Great cities are made of great places that make the urban experience easy and enjoyable,” said ULI Global Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “These projects reflect the highest standards of design, construction, economics, planning, and management. But most important, they are improving people’s quality of life.”

The Awards for Excellence program, established in 1979 and subsequently expanded to a global program, recognizes real estate projects that achieve the highest standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management. Widely considered the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to promote best practices in real estate development, the program recognizes the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design. The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnerships, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability. Throughout the program’s history, all types of projects have been recognized for their excellence, including office, residential, recreational, urban/mixed use, industrial/office park, commercial/retail, new community, rehabilitation, and public projects and programs.

In addition to Jury Chairman Rowden, the 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence Jury members were Stuart Ackerberg, chief executive officer, Ackerberg, Minneapolis; Toni Alexander, president and creative director, InterCommunications, Inc., Newport Beach, California; Jeff Barber, principal and managing director, Gensler, Washington, D.C.; Ame M. Engelhart, director, Hong Kong Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Hong Kong; Michael Grove, principal, Sasaki, Shanghai; Sophie Henley-Price, managing director, STUDIOS Architecture, Paris; Lynn Hoffman Carlton, regional director of planning, HOK, Kansas City, Missouri; Lance K. Josal, chief executive officer, Callison RTKL, Dallas; Roger G. Orf, partner, Apollo Management LLP, London; Alex J. Rose, senior vice president, Continental Development Corporation, El Segundo, California; and Rebecca Stone, managing principal, OZ Architecture, Denver.

NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: Upon request, high-resolution images of the 2017-2018 ULI Global Awards for Excellence winners are available to the media. More information about ULI’s Awards for Excellence program and previous winners is available here.

About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the institute has more than 40,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information, visit uli.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Buffalo Bayou Hurricane Harvey Update – Spring 2018

Carlos Cruz-Diez at the Cistern: Spatial Chromointerference

Encounter: Meeting Points on Buffalo Bayou

Welcome to the Buffalo Bayou Blog!

Discovery Green® Hosts Kick Off of Bayou City Music Series on March 1 and Wraps Up at Buffalo Bayou Park on May 19

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Welcomes Eight New Board Members

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Hosts Community Gatherings

Buffalo Bayou Hurricane Harvey Update – January 2018

East Sector Exhibitions at the Sunset Coffee Building on view through January 29, 2018

Buffalo Bayou Park Selected as a Winner of the Urban Land Institute’s 2017-2018 Global Awards for Excellence

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