In partnership with our region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), St George Place Redevelopment Authority and Uptown Development Authority applied for and was awarded funding to conduct a Livable Centers Study in the St George Place-Uptown area. The objectives of the Livable Centers Program are to reimagine auto-focused infrastructure, policies, and programs aiming to create mixed-use places that provide multi-modal transportation options, improve environmental quality, improve pedestrian safety, and promote economic development and housing diversity.
H-GAC’s Livable Centers Program teams work with local communities to identify context sensitive recommendations, a vision for the study area, and an implementation plan that will provide the community leaders with the resources they need to facilitate Livable Centers.
Livable Centers are places where people can live, work, and play with less reliance on their cars. They encourage a complementary mix of land uses that are designed to be walkable, connected, and accessible by multiple modes of transportation.
Project Background
The St. George Place-Uptown Livable Centers Study aims to address critical mobility infrastructure gaps in St. George Place and parts of Uptown in Houston, TX. St. George Place is home to many small businesses and working-class families, while Uptown Houston is a vibrant urban center with the Galleria Shopping Mall, hotels, upscale retail outlets, and a handful of residential areas. Despite efforts to enhance pedestrian and transit infrastructure, the area still lacks a reliable, safe, and efficient transportation network to support residents’ daily travel needs.
While Uptown hosts Post Oak Boulevard BRT/METRO’s Silver Line, connecting Westpark/Lower Uptown Transit Center and the Northwest Transit Center, many sections of the neighborhood lack safe and connected sidewalks linking first-and-last mile journey to the transit stations. METRO’s continued push to extend the Uptown Silver Line to Gulfton will make Westpark Drive a critical connection to the Lower Uptown/Westpark Transit Center in the study area. Similarly, existing bicycle facilities do not connect key community assets like parks, libraries, and schools, limiting their use. In events of high rainfall, streets are prone to flooding, affecting travel times for workers who commute into the study area.
The St. George Place and Uptown Livable Center Study will bridge these gaps to meet community needs, stimulate economic growth, and enhance livability for residents and visitors. The study’s goal is to create an integrated, resilient and connected area by building a walkable, transit-friendly community with enhanced access to employment opportunities, civic infrastructure, and amenities while reducing mobility barriers.
Study Area
The study area for the proposed Livable Centers Study includes St. George Place and parts of Uptown, situated about 6.2 miles west of Downtown Houston. This roughly 3-square-mile area is bounded by Westpark Drive to the south, Hillcroft Avenue to the west, Westheimer Road to the north, and I610 W Loop Freeway to the east. St. George Place is a mixed-use neighborhood with many small businesses and working-class families, while Uptown Houston is a vibrant urban center, home to the Galleria Shopping Mall, upscale retail outlets, and some residential areas. Collectively, this area forms a significant regional employment hub with a mix of commercial, retail, and residential uses for Houston.
