AS IF WE NEEDED any more proof that Houston is the best city in the world.

Houston’s Midtown neighborhood received recognition from the Urban Land Institute Americas and World Landscape Architecture for its cutting-edge design.

The neighborhood received a merit award in the "Built Urban" category of the 2021 WLA Professional Awards, and Midtown Park was selected as one of 23 finalists (18 of those in the U.S.) for the ULI Americas Awards for Excellence, a highly acclaimed real estate award. 

When selecting its finalists, ULI Americas considered factors such as “marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation, and sustainability,” as per a press release. The winners will be announced in October and will go on to compete for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence. 

The 2021 Awards carry more importance this year than any other, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Against the backdrop of a pandemic and economic disruption, these projects are complete and thriving,” says jury chair Alex J. Rose (finalists were chosen by a ULI jury). “Not only am I inspired by the creativity and thoughtfulness that is reflected in the projects the jury reviews, I am personally pushed to be a better steward of land and community in my own work thanks to finalists like these.” 

In recent years, Houston has emerged as the “cultural capital of the South,” according to publications like Worth Magazine and Paper City, and it’s refreshing to see Houston’s flourishing real estate development (Houston’s New Hope Housing and Star of Hope’s Cornerstone Community and Sawyer Yards were also chosen) being held to the same prestige as America’s other major influential cities.