Flood mitigation
Greenways created with thoughtful hydrological study & design should provide better flood protection
The bayous are Houston’s natural drainage system and critical to addressing the risks
of catastrophic flooding.
Along Little White Oak Bayou, Independence Heights in particular has suffered from
repeated, terrible flooding driven in part by drainage issues caused by how the
Bayou’s watershed was altered by freeways and other infrastructure. A successful
Hollywood Trail should address these issues, and (per principle 4 above) pay particular
attention to ensuring that risks affecting diverse and/or historically disadvantaged
communities are addressed.
As the Greens Bayou Coalition has successfully demonstrated, a bayou greenways
initiative + coalition can play a major role in improving flood mitigation for a large and
diverse swath of Houston; GBC has now helped to catalyze over $120M in flood
mitigation efforts.
