Research & Reports

Our research team provides the business community and other key decision makers with ready access to resources that support economic development activities, public policy, education advocacy and other Central Houston initiatives.

Downtown Office Story

Central Houston, Inc.’s 2022 Downtown Office Story measures the 12-month Downtown competitive leasing cycle.

  • A unique Downtown Houston survey that includes all space currently being marketed, large available blocks, full floors and tenant industries
  • Sublease space on the market and by which tenant
  • Multi-floor tenants, large transactions and tenants new to Downtown – including all lease activity by type and by size
  • Operating expenses and property taxes by building
  • Downtown’s largest tenants by industry and total amount of office space
  • Surveyed buildings organized into three distinct Tiers to better understand patterns in Downtown’s top office towers including renovation and new construction
  • Proprietary and longitudinal: Central Houston’s 2021 Office Story in its 37th year of compiliation and publication
Economic Recovery

Our monthly Downtown Economic Recovery Update includes a collection of statistics and updates on commercial real estate, residential, retail, leisure and hospitality sectors.  

Central Houston’s December 2021 special report on employers’ plans and policies around returning to the workplace.

 

Key Facts & Demographics

Downtown at a Glance provides an annual descriptive and statistical overview of all aspects of Downtown, including living, the office market and employment, hospitality, tourism, culture and entertainment, restaurants, retail and transit. The overview showcases the key features and amenities that make Downtown unique as an urban core.

Downtown at a Glance 2020
Downtown at a Glance 2019
Downtown at a Glance 2018
Downtown at a Glance 2017
Downtown at a Glance 2016

Fast facts! Why Downtown Houston? 

Downtown Development Project List details all public and private sector construction projects Downtown since 1983.
 

Largest employers in Downtown and Fortune 500 Companies. 
 

Downtown office lease activity by tenant and building.
Recent Lease Activity

Planning

What’s next? Plan Downtown: Converging Culture, Lifestyle & Commerce is the product of an 18-month planning process led by Downtown partner organizations and city, county and community leaders. The leadership group and steering committee, in addition to robust public input, have provided big ideas from 30,000 feet in the air to thoughtful observations from a street level point of view, culminating in both large and small projects that will continue the Downtown transformation for the next five, ten, twenty years.

Plan Downtown: Converging Culture, Lifestyle & Commerce 2017
Downtown Framework 2004 [pdf]

 

North Houston Highway Improvement Project 
The North Houston Highway Improvement Project (NHHIP) is a more than $7 billion, 24-mile, 3-segment TxDOT project to rebuild IH-45 from Beltway 8 through Downtown. The project includes rebuilding IH-10 across northern Downtown and IH-69 from the Montrose bridge to the IH-10 interchange. NHHIP is a priority infrastructure and transportation planning initiative for Central Houston, Downtown District and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority. These organizations are collaborating with TxDOT, the City of Houston, and other entities on project implementation, including civic opportunities for public space and private redevelopment in proximity to the highway project.

Civic Opportunties Master Plan Presentation [pdf]

Retail

Downtown's trade area is diverse with a population of more than 360,000 residents within five miles, plus, business travelers and conventioneers totalling over one million, sports attendees, event goers and, of couse, a large and dynamic office core. 


Market Analysis Report for Proposed Traditional Retail in Downtown Houston, July 24, 2014
Downtown Retail Task Force Report, Sept 12, 2013

Transportation

A network of integrated multi-modal transit systems provides convenient travel options for several hundred thousand employees and visitors commuting in and out of Downtown daily.

METRO Bus
METRORail
Zipcar
BCycle
Houston Airport System

2018 Downtown Houston Commute Survey

Central Houston is committed to enhancing excellent access to and within Downtown Houston for employees, visitors, tourists, and residents. The organization surveys Downtown stakeholders approximately every five years to better understand travel behavior.

2018 Commute Survey Executive Summary
2018 Commute Survey Report