City of Houston Nature Preserve Ordinance

        City of Houston Nature Preserve Ordinance


          Article summary

          The City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) created a first-of-its-kind Nature Preserve Ordinance to protect existing natural habitat within 26 parks totaling 7,423 acres of land. The purpose of this ordinance is to preserve and protect, in perpetuity, city-owned natural areas by regulating public use and development of these lands. The policy protects threatened ecosystems, important water resources, and locally rare plant and wildlife populations.

          In a nutshell, this resource offers:

          • An overview of the City of Houston's nature Preserve Ordinance
          • Background of how the ordinance came about.
          • Results of the ordinance

          How to use this resource:

          • As inspiration for natural areas ordinances in other cities. 
          • An an explanation of the process of drafting and passing an ordinance.

          Author: Kelli Ondracek and Cassidy Kempt

          Date published: 2024

          Point of contact: Kelli Ondracek kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov

          Citation: Ondracek, Kelli and Kempt, Cassidy (2024) "City of Houston Nature Preserve Ordinance," Cities and the Environment (CATE): Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 36. DOI: 10.15365/cate.2020.1336

          Resource is available online here.

           

          Your browser does not support PDF.click here to download