One city.
One cycle.
One water.

The Gessner Center: A Living Model for Coastal Resilience

Galveston Bay Foundation is transforming its 30-acre headquarters in Kemah into a living example of how nature-based solutions can strengthen and protect coastal communities. Through the restoration of native coastal prairie, freshwater wetlands, saltmarsh habitat, and a living shoreline, the Foundation is improving water quality, reducing flooding, and increasing resilience to erosion, storm surge, and coastal impacts. These restored habitats also provide critical wildlife habitat, support carbon sequestration, and create opportunities for the community to connect with nature.

At the center of the property is The Gessner Center, Galveston Bay Foundation's new headquarters and event center designed to inspire environmental stewardship through hands-on learning and immersive experiences. The surrounding restored habitats serve as outdoor classrooms where visitors of all ages can experience the importance of healthy ecosystems firsthand.

Designed with sustainability at its core, The Gessner Center captures 100% of the rainwater from the roof in cisterns and uses it to flush the toilets in the building. This, along with efficient plumbing fixtures, greywater reuse, and minimal irrigation, reduces potable water use by more than 70%. Across the property, bioswales, permeable paving, wetlands, and ponds naturally manage stormwater while demonstrating innovative green infrastructure solutions that benefit both people and the environment.

Prairie / wetlands

Located on the west side of Houston, the nearly 20,000-acre Katy Prairie Preserve demonstrates how land conservation and restoration serve as critical, cost-effective green infrastructure. The preserve contains the headwaters of Cypress Creek, one of the largest watersheds in the Houston region, and helps protect downstream communities by slowing, storing, and filtering stormwater before it reaches developed areas. Through prairie restoration, wetland reconstruction, and sustainable management of working lands, the Coastal Prairie Conservancy is restoring ecological function across a landscape that improves water quality, reduces runoff, and supports regional flood resilience.

Research conducted on the Katy Prairie Preserve by Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center has documented the ability of native prairies and wetlands to absorb and store significantly more stormwater than developed land. By permanently conserving and restoring these landscapes, the Katy Prairie Preserve showcases how nature-based solutions to flooding can benefit both people and wildlife while strengthening the resilience of the Houston region.

Community Justice and Community Led

In April 2025, Harris County became the first county in the United States to adopt a comprehensive, community-driven Climate Justice Plan covering its entire population to fundamentally shift the region's approach from reactive disaster response to proactive prevention. Developed in deep partnership with the Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience (CEER) who led the engagement of more than 340 local residents, this historic plan addresses deep-seated environmental disparities by centering frontline communities in the fight against climate change. Across its core themes of Ecology and Infrastructure, the plan establishes a values-based roadmap to secure clean water, advance nature-based flood mitigation, and build resilient local systems that help neighborhoods thrive through future climate disruptions.