Vision Galveston

June 2019   Galveston, TX

Client

  • Vision Galveston (501c3)

Team

  • Huitt-Zollars (Prime)
  • Stoss

Category

Award/Recognition

  • 2020 Public Outreach Achievement Award - Gold, American Planning Association Texas Chapter
Key Points

Vision Galveston brought over 8,000 Galvestonians together to envision the future of their island. A community-based, equity-driven vision to enhance quality of life and create a resilient future for Galveston

Engagement

In addition to an active steering committee, the broad outreach engaged over 15% of the population- or 8,600 interactions with member of the public. We reached people online, through surveys, at schools, at social service organizations, at civic clubs, at parks, bars, and local events.

Housing

Providing a diversity of housing types will attract existing workforce and new residents to inhabit Galveston, rather than living in other communities. Local foundations and local, state, and federal programs were identified to help improve the existing housing gaps.

Resilience

Opportunities to build green infrastructure, enhance ecotourism, create connections to nature, and establish businesses focused on coastal resilience will address challenges such as sea level rise, severe storms, and nuisance flooding.

Vision Galveston was created so that the people of Galveston could shape their own future. A 9-month process, funded by local foundations and guided by an inclusive steering committee, asked Galvestonians what they valued about their city, what they feared, and what they wanted.

The plan is organized around five vision statements that describe Galvestonians’ vision for the future:

  1. A historic walkable gulf coast city embedded in nature;
  2. A knowledge center for coastal resilience action and innovation;
  3. A great place to visit – because it’s a great place to live;
  4. A place where residents can find quality jobs and where all workers can find quality places to live;
  5. A city that is valued for its contributions.

The City of Galveston and other public agencies will incorporate Vision Galveston’s action items in their adopted plans. A non-profit organization, also called Vision Galveston, has been created to convene, coordinate, and advocate for implementation of the plan. Immediate objectives include improvement of the island’s green spaces, addressing the availability of affordable housing, and establishing an incubator for resilience-oriented businesses. Read the full report here.

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