Great communities aren’t defined by a signature amenity or a single development. They’re the result of thousands of decisions made over decades.
For David O’Reilly, Howard Hughes Communities’ CEO and the 2026 Legends Award winner, successful communities are built through a combination of thoughtful planning, teamwork, long-term vision, and commitment to creating places that improve residents’ daily lives. He compares the process to baking a cake—one that takes decades to perfect.
“Great master plans have great quality of life when they are functional,” O’Reilly says. “It has to have functional completeness, economic completeness, social completeness, and aesthetically must be beautiful.”
Courtesy Howard Hughes Communities
The Paseos Park in Summerlin's The Paseos Village includes open grass areas, sports fields, courts, a playground, and more.
According to O’Reilly, the recipe includes:
Functional Completeness: Places where people can live, work, shop, dine, and access essential services without traveling far from home.
Economic Completeness: A strong employment base, diverse commercial opportunities, and the infrastructure needed to support long-term growth.
Social Completeness: Schools, gathering spaces, community events, and shared experiences that foster connection among residents.
Connection to Nature: Trails, parks, green space, and outdoor recreation that encourage people to experience their community on foot rather than through a car windshield.
Intentional Sequencing: Perhaps most importantly, O’Reilly believes success isn’t determined by what gets built but when it gets built. Schools, parks, retail, housing, and infrastructure must arrive at the right time and in the right order to create momentum and lasting value.
Future Place
September 28-30, 2026
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Las Colinas
Future Place is the premier gathering of the nation’s largest landowners, builders, and capital leaders. Discover the forces driving growth, value, and vision in master-planned communities.
“Everyone just thinks it’s the building that sets a master plan apart,” he says. “I think it is the sequence in which you build has a greater impact than what you build.”
The formula can be seen across Howard Hughes Communities’ portfolio, from The Woodlands’ extensive trail network and green space to Summerlin’s walkable downtown and Teravalis’ emphasis on open space and environmental stewardship.
Ultimately, O’Reilly says, quality of life is the measure that matters most and the residents are the ultimate judges in decades to come.
“You add all of those ingredients up, you throw it in a bowl and bake it at 350 [degrees], 50 years later, it comes out as a quality-of-life cake,” he says.
