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What is Blueprint Houston?
A non-profit organization that serves as a resource
and catalyst for better long term planning for Houston’s
future growth and development: |
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• Building support
for a comprehensive planning process to implement
a vision of future growth that reflects the citizens’
values and goals.
• Serving as a non-partisan facilitator of
public dialogue about planning issues.
• Committed to principles of inclusiveness
and informed citizen participation in the planning
process on a timely basis. |
What Is Blueprint Houston’s
Mission & Strategy?
Blueprint Houston’s mission is to assure the
creation by the City of Houston. of a general plan
for the City based on citizens’ vision, values,
and goals. Blueprint Houston has built community
support for a long term planning process that makes
improvements to Houston’s quality of life
and place. We work with citizens and policy makers
to increase understanding of and support for comprehensive
planning by: |
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• Increasing civic
awareness and engagement
• Conducting research
• Organizing opportunities for citizens to
make their voice heard in the planning process.
• Building strategic partnerships with civic
associations, Super Neighborhoods, management districts,
and others. |
Who participates
in Blueprint Houston?
Houstonians interested in being involved in the
decision making process that affects their city’s
future quality of life. Participants are broadly
representative of the population, matching voting
patterns as measured by gender, level of income,
ethnic group, or place of residence. |
| What are Blueprint Houston’s
Plans for 2011? |
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• Management District
Study
• Urban Geography Project with HISD
• Sustainable Communities Regional Planning
Grant Steering Committee |
What do we want
to accomplish?
Blueprint Houston’s mission is to assure the
creation of a general plan for the City of Houston
based on citizens’ vision, values, and goals.
We have identified the vision, values, and goals
through the various public meetings and Congresses.
The document is now incorporated on the City Planning
Department web site. |
What have we done?
Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant,
2010 |
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Selected as a member
of the 25 organization consortium to apply for the
federal grant funded by HUD, DOT, and EPA. Participated
in preparing the successful proposal for the $3.75
million, three year grant. |
| Leader Conference, 2009 |
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Training session for
more than 100 individuals to serve as facilitators
for Citizens’ Congress III. |
| Citizens’ Congress III,
2009 |
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A gathering at the Brown
Convention Center of about 400 people to review
the history of planning in Houston and analyze the
application of the principles
of a general plan at the region, area, and neighborhood
scales. |
| Mayoral Candidate Forum, 2009 |
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Discussions with each
of the four major candidates for Mayor of Houston
to
determine their support for a general plan for Houston.
All supported the
concept. |
| Neartown Technical Advisory
Panel, 2009 |
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A structured analysis
of the needs of the area around the Westheimer/Montrose
Involving residents, business owners, and professionals
from the Urban Land
Institute |
| Leader Conference, 2008
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A gathering of more
than 50 community leaders to evaluate the City’s
general plan
website. |
| Leaders’ Conference,
2007 |
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A conference of more
than 100 people to refine and affirm citizens’
vision for Houston. |
| Publication of Citizens’
Vision, 2007 |
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In October the Houston
Chronicle published The Citizens’ Vision for
Houston
in a full page ad. |
| Citizens’ Congress II,
2006 |
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A public forum of 500
plus community leaders to consider the options generated
by Envision Houston Region and to discuss the trade-offs
implicit in the building blocks. |
| Envision Houston Region with
H-GAC, 2005 |
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A regional initiative
co-sponsored with H-GAC to engage the public in
examining
alternative scenarios of how Houston could grow
for the purpose of creating a vision
for the next Regional Transportation Plan. Over
700 citizens participated in five
workshops. |
| Leaders Conference: What’s
the best approach to planning?, 2004 |
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A conference of two
hundred and fifty leaders to review Blueprint Houston
studies of the current planning process in Houston
for the top ten goals approved at the Citizens Congress
and best planning practices in other cities. |
| Compendium of Plans, 2003 |
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A review and analysis
of 35 plans addressing the urban conditions and
growth of the City of Houston |
| Citizens Congress, 2003 |
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A public forum of 1,000
plus community leaders to prioritize the citizens
values and goals for creation of a vision for long
term planning purposes. |
Who Funds Us?
Blueprint Houston has been generously funded by
the Houston Endowment for four years. Other supporters
include:: |
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• Jacob and Terese
Hershey Foundation
• The Kinder Foundation
• The Larry and Katherine buck Fund of the
Houston Jewish Community Foundation
• An array of corporations and individuals
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Why is Blueprint
Houston Needed?
While other organizations such as the League of
Women Voters and Houston Tomorrow support the concept
of a general plan for Houston, Blueprint Houston
is the only one to focus its entire energies toward
the goal of a general plan by the City of Houston
based on citizens’ vision, values and goals. |
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