Stantec hosts resiliency workshop in Houston to further discussion on anticipated needs and innovative solutions

As the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey approaches, the importance of resilient thinking, planning, and actions are top-of-mind in Houston. Stantec brought together a group of more than 50 local and national experts, stakeholders, and community members to discuss, strategize, and brainstorm at the Houston Resiliency Innovation Workshop. The workshop focused on highlighting current issues in Houston, anticipating shocks and stresses of the future, and providing a platform for out-of-the-box thinking on building a more resilient future. It was both a platform for making connections across sectors and for generating ideas for action plans that address partnerships, advocacy, and funding.

Workshop participants came from a wide variety of sectors, including government officials; representatives from local school districts; resiliency, housing, funding, education, and infrastructure experts; and representatives from oil and gas, conservation, tunneling industries.

Resiliency is an ongoing issue for Houston and cities across the US. Designing and strategizing for a resilient city must be comprehensive and influence and change all facets of the city – from homes to major infrastructure, from systems to policy change. That’s why it was important for us to bring together a diverse group of experts to discuss these issues.

The workshop focused on hearing from a variety of speakers and elevating the collective knowledge of the group around resilience, Houston facts and drivers, and topics such as housing, education, funding, critical facilities, infrastructures and governance. Participants were also challenged to envision the future of Houston in 2050, and articulate projects and action plans that facilitated the change that would make that future possible. 

The Houston Resiliency Innovation Workshop was inspired by the Houston 2020 Visions – a collaboration between AIA Houston and Houston City Council Member David W. Robinson, FAIA – which is a year-long, open call for ideas that can help Houston move forward as a resilient and sustainable city. Houston 2020 Visions is challenging designers to think outside their professional silos to reimagine the environment at all scales and facets, thus creating a new vision for the future as a city. 

“As we approach the two-year anniversary of Harvey, Houston is facing a transformative opportunity to change the way we plan, build and grow as a resilient city,” said Council Member Robinson. “I’m grateful to Stantec for the exciting and innovative conversations they started through the resiliency workshop, and look forward to moving those dialogues forward through our Houston 2020 Visions program.”

The findings from the workshop can be found in the summary report available here.

Stantec has offices throughout Texas that include professionals providing services in architecture and interior design; civil, structural, and MEP engineering; surveying; land planning and landscape architecture; transportation; and water and wastewater engineering.

About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That's why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.

We care about the communities we serve—because they're our communities too. This allows us to assess what's needed and connect our expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what's never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so we can collaborate toward a shared success.

We're designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.

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Media Contact
Laura Krinke              
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: (612) 712-2072       
laura.krinke@stantec.com