BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
Project funding
The impact
Looking ahead
Funding for the projects along Brays Bayou is shared between HPB, Harris County Precinct 4 and the city of Houston. However, while Houston has a large share of private investments in parks, it lags behind other cities in public investment. As of 2025, the per capita spending was only $127 per resident, with 70% coming from private investments, accord- ing to a study by the Trust for Public Land. Public vs. private investment in Texas In 2025, Houston landed in the No. 7 spot among the top 14 Texas cities for park investment.
White and Rondot said they hope that all the projects will help enhance Houston’s connectivity and walkability. Houston only has a walkability score of 47, according to Walk Score, which analyzes walking routes to nearby amenities based on distance. For comparison, larger cities in the nation, such as New York City, San Francisco and Chicago, have walkability scores in the 80s and 90s. Meyerland resident Rumi Bautista said getting around by car shouldn’t be the city’s only form of transportation. For example, he uses the trails along Brays Bayou to take his two children to day care in the Med Center. “The better the network gets, the more people will be willing to use it,” he said. “And not to mention, a big part of the redevel- opment was also the ood management, and I know Houston can get behind that. I am really happy to have the [Brays] Bayou Greenway Trail in our community.”
The Houston Parks Board’s ve-year strategic plan focuses on four core priorities: Enhance, expand and connect the Bayou Greenways system “Our vision goes way beyond just making Brays better east to west, but also north to south,” Rondot said. The Houston Parks Board is aiming to complete $25 million worth of trails and pedestrian bridges by 2030—a goal that includes connecting the Brays Bayou to other existing bayous in Houston, including Bu alo Bayou and Sims Bayou.
Special purpose public Primary city agency
Other public agencies Private
Invest equitably in neighborhood parks
$285
Austin Garland Plano Dallas Frisco
$211 $205
Create or improve larger regional parks as destinations for Houston residents Ensure sustainable support for parks and Houston Parks Board
$198
$155
$140
San Antonio Houston Arlington Fort Worth
NOTE: DATA REFLECTS THE PRICE PER CAPITA IN 2024.
$127
$112
$102
SOURCES: TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND, HOUSTON PARKS BOARD COMMUNITY IMPACT
$90
Irving
SOURCE: HOUSTON PARKS BOARD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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BELLAIRE MEYERLAND WEST UNIVERSITY EDITION
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