Downtown Houston+ with Pres/Ceo Kris Larson

KRISTOPHER LARSON, AICP, LPM

President and CEO

Downtown Houston+

Kristopher Larson is President and CEO of Downtown Houston+ (DTH+) – the non-profit group responsible for providing the thought leadership, long-term planning and implementation of the redevelopment and revitalization of Downtown Houston for nearly 40 years – and its affiliate organizations, the Houston Downtown Management District (HDMD) and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (DRA).

The HDMD and DRA are special assessment and tax increment districts, respectively, and combine to form one of the largest place management organizations in North America, collectively raising and investing $50M annually in advancing and improving Downtown Houston.

Touting two decades of leadership experience in cities across the nation, Larson is an award-winning urbanist whose career has been defined through his positive impacts on making cityscapes more vibrant places to live, work and play. His vast experience in urban place management, urban design and economic development gives him a unique voice in describing how the confluence of marketplace dynamics, architecture and the public realm can translate into defining placemaking experiences.

Prior to joining DTH+, Larson held positions on both the public and private sides of community leadership across the country, serving as President & CEO for three comparable organizations in Los Angeles, CA, Raleigh, NC, and Grand Rapids, MI, where he led both business improvement and tax increment finance districts.

He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Downtown Association (IDA) – where has been the recipient of four Pinnacle Awards in the categories of Leadership, Planning, Advocacy and Marketing – and is a certified Leader in Place Management (LPM) and member of American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Larson was twice honored with the coveted “Top 40 Under 40” in Long Beach, CA and Grand Rapids, MI, and was named as one of 2023’s Top 100 Texas leaders by the Houston Business Journal.  He holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from North Carolina State University and was a Daniel Rose Fellow through the Rose Center for Public Leadership, a collaboration between the Urban Land Institute and the National League of Cities. Larson lives on Allen Parkway, adjacent to the Buffalo Bayou, where he enjoys long runs along the Bayou’s world class trails.