Q&A
We’d like to introduce you to one of our amazing clients — Cassie Hoeprich, Director of Planning & Economic Development for Downtown Houston+. Downtown Houston+ is committed to championing and enhancing downtown as a connected and thriving place for everyone. Here's what she had to say about the work Downtown Houston+ is doing and her experience working with Design Workshop.
Tell us about your role as the Director of Planning & Economic Development at Downtown Houston+.
In my role, I lead the department at Downtown Houston+ that develops and implements planning and economic development initiatives. Downtown Houston+ encompasses a staff and three organizations with distinct boards: Central Houston, Inc., the Downtown Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ#3, and the Houston Downtown Management District. For over 40 years, this alliance of organizations has collaborated with Houston stakeholders to achieve significant transformations in our urban core, from the creation of the Theater District and Discovery Green to attracting major sports league stadiums to Downtown.
Our current focus is on creating a more livable, connected, and vibrant Downtown through strategically aligned public realm and economic investments.
Tell us about the challenge/problem you are trying to solve in your latest project with Design Workshop.
Like many cities worldwide, the City of Houston, in partnership with our organization, launched a tactical urbanism program during the COVID-19 pandemic. This program, "More Space Main Street," allowed businesses along a restaurant-dense section of Main Street to expand outdoor dining through temporary street closures.
Throughout 2021, several small businesses participated in the program, revitalizing a seven-block stretch of Main Street in northern downtown. Building on this success, the City of Houston and our organization developed a plan to permanently close these seven blocks to vehicular traffic and transform the roadway into enhanced space for small businesses and pedestrians.
Over the past two years, we've collaborated with the City of Houston, Design Workshop, and engaged significant stakeholder input to design a new chapter for this section of Main Street. A key design challenge was building off of a pilot to create a much more substantial, and permanent, investment in design that also addressed safety, maintenance, and accessibility. The design, set to begin construction in June 2025, certainly addresses these challenges and incorporates lessons from the "More Space Main Street" pilot, the historical use of Main Street, and embraces a bold, small business-focused future for the corridor.
What makes the Main Street Promenade so exciting? How do you think this project will enhance Downtown Houston?
This is a big shift for this super-storied section of Houston’s Main Street, a corridor that has had many chapters since the city of Houston was founded. At the turn of the 20th century, this was the place where people would go to shop, do business and socialize. Houston misses that level of activity—we want that level of activity back. Design plays such an important role in bringing that level of energy.
Currently, the Main Street Promenade has limited shade, discouraging visitors, especially on hot days. Through increased native plantings, shade structures and a greater tree canopy proposed in the design, we will be able to bring down ambient temperatures and create unique, beautiful places of respite as they wander along the corridor. The design will also create substantial room for shaded outdoor cafe space for the many businesses along the corridor while addressing uneven grading and infrastructure issues, which will improve accessibility for people of all abilities.
This vision for this section of Main Street, and the irrefutable excitement and support that has made this project possible, is what’s so exciting: Main Street Promenade will become a destination in itself—a place Houstonians and visitors are drawn to for its beauty, accessibility, and vibrancy.
What has been one of your favorite pieces of the project that you’ve worked on with Design Workshop that has made you most proud? Why?
I love the design of the new Main Street, of course, but I’m most proud of the intentional community engagement process. We explored every possible way for people to influence the design and provided avenues for involvement. In my 15+ years in urban design and community development, I’ve never seen such a thoughtful and robust community engagement process. We involved our Downtown community and key civic partners at every stage. Because of this intentionality, the design meets the community's needs while being beautiful and functional. It’s been a special process to watch unfold.
Any additional thoughts you want to share?
A big shout-out to the Design Workshop team for their commitment to “boots on the ground.” They were right alongside us during community engagement, helping to understand the community’s desires. Moreover, the Design Workshop team was always enthusiastic about site visits—or “field trips,” as I called them — to comparable projects around Houston. This allowed us at Downtown Houston+ to fully grasp the nuances of proposed trees, plantings, and paver choices.