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October 2022
City Council Approves Redistricting Plan
Houston City Council voted October 12 to approve and adopt a redistricting plan that will establish new boundaries of single-member City Council districts effective January 2024.

The redistricting plan was developed based on 2020 Census data, redistricting criteria approved by City Council, public input as well as analysis by the Planning and Development Department, the City's Demographer, and the City’s legal counsel.

Census 2020 data showed that the distribution of population among current City Council districts is materially imbalanced, thus requiring redistricting to comply with the "one-person, one-vote" equal population principle established by the U.S. Constitution.

City Council undertook the process of redistricting in 2022 to establish new boundaries more than a year before the November 2023 General Election. This will allow prospective City Council candidates to verify residency eligibility to run in a single-member district before the November 2023 General Election filing period.

The new district boundaries will be used for the purpose of electing District Council Members at the City General Election to be held on November 7, 2023, and will go into effect for terms of office beginning on January 2, 2024.
“Representation matters, and redistricting requires tough decisions that will affect our Council districts for the next 10 years. The law requires us to balance the populations of our Council districts and that is what we accomplished after much thoughtful discussion,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.

“This is a complicated process with many moving parts, and I fully appreciate all the feedback we received from residents and civic groups, as well as the hard work from of our redistricting experts and Planning Department employees," Turner said.

Within the Planning Department, redistricting was a collective effort of multiple divisions including Geographic Information Systems, the Director's Office, Community and Regional Planning, Council Liaison and Communications.

APA Recognizes ADU | HOU with 2 Gold Awards
Our team returned from the 2022 American Planning Association Texas Conference with another award for the ADU | HOU Accessory Dwelling Units - Houston project. Funded by a 2021 AARP Community Challenge grant, the Accessory Dwelling Unit project earned a Gold award for Best Practices from American Planning Association Texas Chapter. This comes on the heels of our recent Gold Award for Best Practices from the APA Houston Section. The award was accepted by Lynn Henson and Lindsey Williams. The ADU |HOU design competition and ADU workshops are related to ongoing discussions of the Livable Places Action Committee. Download a free PDF of the design competition book or purchase a hard copy of the book.
City of Houston Earns Scenic City Silver Award
The City of Houston was awarded the Silver Award by Scenic City for 2022-2027 through the Scenic City Certification Program (SCCP). For the next five years the City of Houston will be recognized for high-quality scenic standards for public spaces.

SCCP aims to elevate communities, enhance civic beautification, promote environmental sustainability and improve the well-being of all Texans. The evaluation reviews the City’s existing ordinance and code language in areas of streetscape, parks, trails, open space, lighting standards, sign control, and many other areas.

The program provides third-party evaluation of existing standards, forming a basis for continual review and analysis of development plans. It also serves as a platform to educate residents on the
Bennie Chambers III, a planner with Community and Regional Planning division, coordinated the application and accepted the award on Oct. 6.
importance of local regulations, and supporting economic development efforts related to the harmony between nature and the built environment.
Staff Present at APA Texas & PSEFI Platting Workshop
Planning Department staff highlighted several programs to our statewide colleagues in their presentation, "Effective Tools to Promote and Implement Walkable Urbanism," at the American Planning Association Texas Chapter Conference in
El Paso. The presentation gives an overview of programs including Walkable Places, Houston Bike Plan, Vision Zero, the proposed Sidewalk Ordinance, mobility studies, Complete Communities and legal considerations. View the presentation.
In early October, the Development Services team collaborated with the Professional Surveyors Education Foundation, Inc. to emcee and give a morning of presentations at the PSEFI 2022 Houston Platting Workshop. Staff presented to a full house of about 170 surveying professionals. Presentation topics included platting basics, research tools, the proposed Sidewalk Ordinance, shared driveway detention, Chapter 42 & Livable Places. Proceeds from the conference benefit University of Houston education programs.
City Council Approves 10 MTFP Amendments
The Planning & Development Department administers an annual public review process for amending the City's Major Thoroughfare and Freeway Plan (MTFP). The process includes multiple opportunities for soliciting and incorporating public comments.

This year, the Department reviewed 11 proposed amendments. Planning Commission considered 10 of the amendments; one amendment was withdrawn by the applicant. After working with the applicants to ensure the amendments meet the City's goals and the applicant's needs, all 10 amendments were
recommended by Planning Commission and approved by City Council. For more information visit the MTFP website.
Take the Residential Buffering Survey by October 30
After extensive discussions and community feedback, Livable Places is proposing changes to the City's Code of Ordinances to address the effects of abutting high-density developments on existing single family residential homes. Proposed amendments cover topics including residential buffering, garage screening and lighting standards, and dumpster screening standards.

Review the Draft Ordinance Amendments and complete the Survey by Oct. 30. The next Livable Places virtual meeting will be held from 3–5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Vision Zero Enhances Outreach to Hispanic Communities
The Vision Zero Houston team has been busy in October educating Houstonians of all ages about safety for travelers walking, biking, riding, and driving. Sofia Font, Vision Zero Coordinator, recently gave a live interview about Vision Zero in Spanish with Jose Irizarry on Univision. She gave a presentation and handed out Vision Zero traffic safety materials at the Consulate of Mexico. Font also attended National Night Out events in the Gulfton area, where she distributed 100 coloring books, traffic safety tip pamphlets, and 50 helmets and bike lights, which were donated by TxDOT.
City Savvy Features Neighborhood Resilience Article
City Savvy, the City of Houston employee newsletter, recently featured a story about the Neighborhood Resilience Planning efforts underway in Independence Heights, Edgebrook and East Houston.

“It is important for readers to understand that Neighborhood Resilience Planning is not just about planning and engineering for the future," said Marcus Tucker, Planner and NRP program coordinator. "This planning effort recognizes the existing inherent resiliency of these communities
and strengthens them with strategies that will reduce the impact of future climate related threats.” Read the full article.
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