Houston visit presents new ideas

The intercity visit to Houston last week, organized by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, highlighted examples of Houston’s changing demographics, efforts to rebrand as a tourist destination, work to create a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation and the impact of nearly two decades of development and investment in the central core.

Despite its status as the fourth-largest city in the U.S., for many years Houston was not known as a draw for travelers. Leadership has worked to rebrand its visitor experience and change how visitors and residents view Houston as a destination. A shining example of that effort is their signature park, Discovery Green, a vibrant 12 acres in the heart of downtown Houston that opened to the public in April 2008. Since opening, the park has increased convention activity and served as a catalyst for $1.25 billion in office, hotel and residential development.

We heard about the history of the development, lessons learned, and how Discovery Green will be adapted in the future. There were so many parallels to our Scissortail Park and our Oklahoma City delegates were pleased to hear that our long-term development forecasts are likely conservative estimates.

Read the full article at The Journal Record