Master Plan

The Master Plan focuses on connectivity and access, protecting and enhancing the Park’s green infrastructure, preserving natural resources, revealing Houston’s history, and improving recreational assets and amenities for all Park visitors.

Creation of the Master Plan

The 2011 drought catalyzed what was to become a renewed future for Memorial Park. In close collaboration, Memorial Park Conservancy, Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Uptown Development Authority developed a bold, visionary Master Plan for Memorial Park that includes capital improvements, long-term conservation, and an operations and maintenance plan for the Park. Nelson Byrd Woltz served as the lead designer for the Master Plan, which was informed by an extensive public engagement process. The input of over 3,000 Houstonians informed the Master Plan process, including 25 ecological scientists, and 50 additional informants ranging from storm water management experts to historians to Park stakeholder groups.

View the Master Plan

This Master Plan was unanimously approved by Houston City Council in 2015. Guiding principles of the Memorial Park Master Plan include:

Restoring the Park’s ecological systems and creating greater resiliency
Reconnecting the Park’s land, waterways, trails, and people
Consolidating compatible uses together in appropriate areas
Tending to the land and the Park’s cultural history, maintaining balance through responsible management
Enhancing the overall Park experience and amenities

In 2018, the Ten-Year Plan for Memorial Park was created thanks to a catalyst gift from the Kinder Foundation and support from other generous donors, enabling the Conservancy to accelerate significant components of the Memorial Park Master Plan.

The Ten-Year Plan, 2018-2028