Advisory Services
Gibbs Planning Group
RETAIL ANALYSIS & PLAN, Houston , TX
Urban intelligence
2010 During its recovery from the 2008 recession, the Downtown Houston-DDA retained GPG to lead its visioning and long-range strategy to expand its downtown retail commerce. Although Houston is the fourth largest city in the US with a seven million MSA, by 1970, its downtown had seeded its role as the region ’ s primary shopping destination to its suburbs. Houston is a can-do city and in the 1970 ’ s, it built extensive underground and skywalk shopping networks throughout the downtown. By 2010, these centers were largely vacant and street level shopping was minimal. Over an intensive ten-month period, GPG analyzed the region and the downtown ’ s Convention, Courthouse, Financial, Historic, Main Street, Market Square and Theatre Districts and completed a retail market analysis, merchandising and circulation plans for each of them. GPG also proposed an overall retail master plan featuring a focused shopping ‘ main street ’ to link the various districts together. Additionally, GPG developed a detailed Shopability plan, illustrating over 100 action items for lighting, marketing, parking, signage, streetscape and storefront design standards, including extending on-street parking meter times from 5:00 pm to 10:00 to improve restaurant customer parking convenience. GPG ’ s proposals resulted in the city modifying its branding as well as dozens of management, parking and policy practices to enhance its street level shopping.
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resulted in recommendations for policy, design, and physical enhancements in “Focused Shopping Zones” along Dallas, Main and Texas Streets, and to create a
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