Reshaping Houston's stormwater management practices
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationCypress, Texas, Unites States
Client Bridgeland Management Development Company
Size3,640 acres

Located in the southwest quadrant of the Bridgeland master-planned community, which will house 70,000 residents upon completion, Prairieland Village comprises a variety of land uses adjacent to natural spaces that connect to the Cypress Creek boundary to the north and John Paul’s Landing to the south. At the heart of Prairieland’s design is the relationship between water and nature, best expressed through the project’s commitment to Low Impact Design. Strategies include a network of water capture and cleansing features, including streetside bioswales, detention lakes, and aquatic wetland shelves. Additionally, to promote pollinators within the community, Bridgeland selected native Texan butterflies as the mascot of Prairieland and incorporated them into their educational materials and signage. The related landscape treatment promotes a diversity of native host and nectar plants while minimizing the use of maintained turf.

A key feature of Bridgeland’s low-impact design is the 22-acre Chrysalis Lake, featuring a boardwalk, overlooks, and educational graphics to accompany activities including kayaking and canoeing. An iconic pavilion provides a gathering place for residents to enjoy sunsets and starry nights. Eight bioswale flumes in the neighborhood collect and clean approximately 29 million gallons of rainwater annually, removing up to 90% of pollutants before releasing into the lake, enhancing water quality and mitigating flood risk in Northwest Houston.

Phase one features 6.25 acres of bioswales, 5.3 acres of pollinator plants, a one-mile-long ‘green’ street, 7.5 acres of forestation, 7.3 acres of bottomland meadow, 2.25 miles of aquatic edge, and 1.3 acres of habitat islands.

Related Projects

Woodbury

SWA provided planning services related to entitlement and land use for 1,400 acres of land in the City of Irvine, representing the last “flat land” development within the Irvine Ranch. Fundamental to the planning of Woodbury was the concept of a village “commons” with a mix of retail, residential, and office uses, which also includes a recreation c...

Hensley Field Master Plan

Building upon a winning competition entry, SWA is developing a master plan to transform a former Naval Air Station into a premier mixed-use district in southern Dallas. Tasked with crafting an implementable plan that achieves environmental sustainability, economic recovery, and social equity objectives, SWA is working to address the unique challenges of a form...

Shady Canyon

Shady Canyon is a 1,070-acre residential community and land preservation project in the heart of bustling, master-planned Orange County. The project carefully integrates the natural environment into every aspect of the community which consists of 400 custom and builder homes, a golf course that preserves important biological resources, swim center, recreation ...

Tata Eco City

At the crossroads of ecology and community, this master plan synergizes a unique blend of spaces that support active lifestyles and foster innovation and creativity. Tata Eco City Master Plan was been developed layer by layer, using a set of strategic design interventions to help ensure that the delicate balance between nature and the built environment is prot...

Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point

Perched on the edge of San Francisco Bay, the Hunters Point Shipyard was an important naval manufacturing center for the WWI and WWII war efforts. The abandoned shipyard and Candlestick Point were combined into a new, mixed-use residential, retail and light industry development—the largest in San Francisco since WWII. Thomas Balsley Associates collaborated wit...

The Cannery

The Cannery is a new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in the City of Davis that exemplifies the most current and best practices of sustainable community design. Drawing from the agricultural roots of the adjacent landscape, the development emphasizes wellness through the establishment of a comprehensive open-space and recreational system and locally produced f...

Esencia

Esencia, a planned community in Rancho Mission Viejo, California, emphasizes health and well-being. This premium real estate development, which is integrated into a 17,000-acre open space preserve characterized by oak canyons, creeks and orchards, envisions wellness holistically. It offers residents extraordinary views, comprehensive access to nature, and a ra...

Santaluz

This planned community 30 minutes north of San Diego is a testament to the collaboration of a visionary client, talented land planner, and creative designers and marketers. Set gracefully on its rolling site and preserving over half its acreage as open space, Santaluz is both a model of environmental planning and a financial success, out-performing all its loc...