When the Midway Development Group purchased a struggling shopping mall at the intersection of two major Houston highways, it turned to OJB to envision and replan an expanded group of land parcels into a complete, walkable urban destination. The resulting 47-acre mixed-use development accommodates cars at the perimeter and brings together exceptional public spaces and streetscapes to connect offices, residences, hotels, restaurants, retail, conference, fitness, cinema, and structured parking into a cohesive whole.

A public plaza at the center of the site is bounded by a 13-story Hotel Sorella to the west, by low-scale restaurant and retail buildings to the north and south, and a five-story office building to the east. An intimate event lawn, water and fire features, and outdoor seating extend the hospitality atmosphere of the hotel out into the landscape, making it ideal for a variety of programmed and spontaneous activities. Plaza paving patterns flow across the site and connect distinct areas. Hailed for its beauty and utility, City Centre was featured in an Urban Land Institute case study as a blueprint for humane and sustainable development.