On Exhibit

Houston 2020 Visions

HOUSTON, TEXAS, Monday, August 3, 2020 – In a first-ever collaboration between the City of Houston and the American Institute of Architects (AIA Houston), the Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) is proud to announce Houston 2020 Visions, an exhibition celebrating innovative, visionary project proposals that seek to place design and sustainability at the heart of the conversation about planning for a more resilient future.

Cities find themselves at a historic crossroads, with broad consensus that humanity must change the way it plans and builds for the future. Half of the global population already lives in cities, and by 2050 that proportion is expected to balloon to two-thirds. Cities are challenged with growing populations and associated needs for affordable housing, transportation, and food access, in addition to a changing climate, unpredictable weather patterns, and global health crises.

Inspired by Houston’s experience during Hurricane Harvey and other national disasters, Houston City Council Member David W. Robinson, FAIA, led the Houston 2020 Visions competition as a creative way to address some of these challenges with a focus on urban design and planning.

“Our city has been hit by four 500-year storms in the past five years. We know first-hand the devastating toll we will continue to pay if we fail to act swiftly and creatively to mitigate the effects of climate change,” said Council Member Robinson. “The projects selected for Houston 2020 Visions showcase proposals from around the world on how we can solve our most urgent challenges.”

From dozens of submissions, 26 projects were selected for the exhibition, which will examine themes including: Prairie-to-Bay Ecology, Green Corridors, Hubs, the Future of Buildings, and the Future of the Energy Economy through the visions of participating architects, engineers, environmental thinkers, city planners, educators and scholars.