IN THE MIDST OF A NATIONAL HOUSING CRISIS, WE NEED NEW STRATEGIES TO EXPAND AFFORDABILITY

OFFICE TO HOUSING: research to action

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Office districts across the U.S. are struggling with soaring vacancy rates. It is increasingly projected that office utilization will not return to pre-pandemic levels and that this provides an opportunity for office to housing conversion. Further, because the need for housing is high across the country, proponents of conversion have identified the need for public intervention and subsidy. 

The Office to Housing: Research to Action project is a comprehensive study of the potential for office to housing conversion in North Houston. The study area is inclusive of the North Houston District and the Greenspoint Super Neighborhood. The study includes a feasibility analysis for all office buildings in the study area, as well as more detailed explorations of office to housing conversion for a series of buildings. 

The North Houston area is the focus of this analysis as there are a significant number of vacant and low occupancy office buildings, a high need for affordable housing, emerging employment opportunities, and a growing population. 

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Project Team: Susan Rogers, Natalie Armstrong, Kai Wen Chua, Pooja Desai, Valeria Gonzalez, Roberto Medrano 

2025 

In Collaboration with: North Houston Management District 

Supported by: Verizon 

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