A look at one aspect of economic development in Texas' largest cities.
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Nearly $9 billion of convention centre design and construction is currently underway in Texas's five biggest cities. Local writer Kate Mazade asks experts about the phenomenon and dives into the plans for each city.
From tactical renovations and expansions to complete demolitions and rebuilds, the Lone Star State is exploring how once-hermetic buildings that disrupt the urban environment can look outward to create connections through it.
Michael Lockwood, senior principal at Populous, who is overseeing convention centre projects in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, called the resurgence of convention centre construction in Texas a "perfect storm of conditions" driven by changing state laws and a comeback for in-person business meetings.
Modifications of state legislation have allowed municipalities to tap into additional funding for renovations, expansions and rebuilds for convention centres.
In 2023, Texas Senate Bill 1057 paved the way for municipalities to allocate hotel occupancy tax revenue from a three-mile radius surrounding convention centres for maintenance and new building projects on those sites.
Teeming with business once again, Texas cities are looking for updated convention centre facilities that cater to programmatic flexibility and urban porosity.
- History for 88(R) SB 1057 by Whitmire.
- Houston First Corporation.
- What is Houston First Corporation?
