Next C Water City is a new, fully self-contained sustainable city planned for 500,000 residents. Water was central to the Next C planning concept, supplied by two adjacent rivers and monsoon rains. The city is a system of wetlands, rivers, lakes, and canals, cleansing the water from up-river communities and managing floods during the monsoon season. Working with SOM’s urban design team, Thomas Balsley Associates strategized an open space plan that consisted of seven primary landscape typologies: Central Parks, Civic Squares, Urban Promenades, Water Edge Parks, Canal Parks, Neighborhood Parks, and Wetland Parks filtering and polishing poor quality water from the Chaobai River prior to discharging into the new city’s extensive waterways and eventually into the Yongding River. Each open space typology collectively provides green links throughout the city, and open space programming relates directly to adjacent land uses. Parks along waterways were designed with each season’s environmental extremes in mind, from dry to flooded, creating unique parks for every season.
Harvest Green
Harvest Green is unique among master-planned communities in the Houston area. Resident lifestyles at Harvest Green are activated through community farming, wellness programming and generous amounts of community green space. A community recreation center, village farm, parks, and entry monumentation will be completed during the first phase of construction. Coll...
The Summit
Offering iconic views of the East River and Chrysler Building, residents can find serenity without sacrificing convenience in East Midtown’s The Summit. The tower’s “public face” is set back from the street, where a circular motor court establishes an elevated and elegant tone as residents arrive at the project. The ground level includes a reflecti...
Esencia
Esencia, a planned community in Rancho Mission Viejo, California, emphasizes health and well-being. This premium real estate development, which is integrated into a 17,000-acre open space preserve characterized by oak canyons, creeks and orchards, envisions wellness holistically. It offers residents extraordinary views, comprehensive access to nature, and a ra...
Cross Creek Ranch
As urban areas expand, degraded lands robbed of natural resilience and biodiversity often lie in development’s path—presenting both challenges and opportunities. The Flewellen Creek Restoration project transforms a derelict 130-acre ranching ditch into a vibrant 3-mile ecosystem, anchoring the new 3,200-acre Cross Creek Ranch community.
Rooted in ...