MORTGAGES, NOTES AND LOANS PAYABLE (Details 2) (USD $)			6 Months Ended										1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended					6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended																			1 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended					0 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	6 Months Ended		0 Months Ended			0 Months Ended			6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2013 Loan to acquire company airplane	Jul. 26, 2013 Loan to acquire company airplane	Jun. 30, 2013 The Woodlands TWL Facility March 29, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013 The Woodlands TWL Facility June 29, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013 The Woodlands TWL Facility September 29, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013 The Woodlands TWL Facility December 29, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013 Other Financing Arrangements	Dec. 31, 2012 Other Financing Arrangements	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities	Jul. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility item	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility Maximum	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands Term loan	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands Revolving credit line	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland	Jun. 30, 2012 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Minimum	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Land Loan	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Land Loan	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Development Loan	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S808/810	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S808/810	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S151	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S151	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128C	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128C	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S132	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S132	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S108	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S108	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128	Jun. 30, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S124	Dec. 31, 2012 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S124	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Capital lease obligation	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets Capital lease obligation	Sep. 30, 2011 Operating Assets Victoria Ward	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Victoria Ward	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets Victoria Ward	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Victoria Ward Minimum	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Victoria Ward Maximum	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	May 31, 2012 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	Dec. 31, 2011 Operating Assets 4 Waterway	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 4 Waterway	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 4 Waterway	Feb. 08, 2013 Operating Assets Resort and Conference Center	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Resort and Conference Center item acre	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets Resort and Conference Center	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 110 N. Wacker	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 110 N. Wacker	Feb. 02, 2012 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square item sqft	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square item	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square	Aug. 02, 2013 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square Loan maturing in August 2028	Aug. 15, 2012 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Apr. 26, 2012 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway	Dec. 31, 2011 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Dec. 31, 2012 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Jun. 30, 2013 Operating Assets Columbia Regional Building item	Jun. 30, 2013 Strategic Developments	Dec. 31, 2012 Strategic Developments	Jun. 30, 2013 Strategic Developments One Hughes Landing item	Dec. 31, 2012 Strategic Developments One Hughes Landing	Nov. 14, 2012 Strategic Developments One Hughes Landing item sqft	Jun. 30, 2013 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S108	Dec. 31, 2012 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S108	Jun. 30, 2013 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S128	Dec. 31, 2012 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S128
Mortgages, notes and loans payable
Interest rate (as a percent)														5.00%	5.00%							5.50%	5.50%	5.00%	7.13%	7.13%	6.00%	6.00%	6.05%	6.05%	6.00%	6.00%	5.95%	5.95%	7.30%	7.30%	5.95%	5.95%			3.82%	3.82%		3.39%	3.39%			3.75%	3.75%			4.88%	4.88%		3.69%	3.69%	5.21%	5.21%		2.84%	2.84%			4.25%	4.25%		4.79%	4.79%		4.88%	4.88%	2.25%			2.84%	2.84%		5.95%	5.95%	6.05%	6.05%
Land, buildings and equipment and developments in progress pledged as collateral	$ 1,600,000,000
Maximum Facility Amount				22,500,000										270,000,000			170,000,000	100,000,000						140,000,000																				250,000,000											95,000,000					43,295,000												23,008,000			38,000,000
Maximum Facility Amount																								30,000,000
Total mortgages, notes and loans payable	715,530,000	688,312,000							661,000	612,000	242,685,000	240,195,000		176,663,000	176,704,000					18,100,000		18,066,000	18,066,000	10,388,000	18,432,000	22,185,000	7,034,000	10,501,000	5,625,000	5,739,000	4,478,000	4,822,000	947,000	1,067,000	747,000	787,000	305,000	324,000	461,662,000	443,208,000	13,000	41,000		229,000,000	229,000,000			55,584,000	55,584,000	55,600,000		39,695,000	40,140,000		36,100,000	36,100,000	29,000,000	29,000,000		26,713,000	9,150,000	52,000,000		16,287,000	16,037,000		14,450,000	14,450,000		13,554,000	13,706,000	1,266,000	10,522,000	4,297,000	6,367,000	10,000		520,000	586,000	3,635,000	3,701,000
Variable rate basis														one-month LIBOR								three-month LIBOR		LIBOR																				one-month LIBOR											one-month LIBOR		one-month LIBOR			one-month LIBOR															one-month LIBOR
Variable rate basis below specified limit																																																																								prime rate
Variable rate basis above specified limit																																																																								one-month LIBOR
Interest rate margin (as a percent)														4.00%								2.75%		3.25%																				2.50%											3.50%		2.25%			2.65%															2.65%
Interest rate margin above specified limit (as a percent)																																																																								2.00%
Outstanding principal balance of debt that is swapped to fixed rate through maturity	172,000,000																																											143,000,000													29,000,000
Specified limit of draws																																																																								500,000
Fixed interest rate per swap (as a percent)																																												3.80%													5.21%
Term of debt instrument																						10 years		3 years																																										10 years
Period for which interest rate is fixed																						5 years
Period for which interest rate is floating																						5 years
Fixed interest rate (as a percent)				3.00%																		5.50%																										3.75%		3.75%												3.94%		4.25%		4.79%
Minimum interest rate (as a percent)														5.00%										5.00%
Amount of borrowings																																											250,000,000								41,000,000								43,300,000				16,000,000						14,000,000
Amount utilized																								39,200,000
Lender participation right (as a percent)																																																																30.00%
Percentage of cumulative preferred return on the property																																																																10.00%
Increase in value of the participation obligation																																																																2,700,000
Periodic payments			1,000,000																																													257,418
Annual principal payments as a percentage of outstanding principal balance																						5.00%
Proceeds from the loan																																																																		13,600,000
Number of stories of building to be constructed with loan proceeds																																																											11																		8
Area of office building to be constructed using proceeds from loan																																																											232,000																		197,000
Weighted average interest rate (as a percent)	4.25%	4.49%																																										3.39%
Corporate recourse guarantee amount																																																									7,000,000
Extension period at borrower's option													1 year																																										1 year					1 year												1 year			1 year
Percentage of loan to value ratio at which debt will not be amortized on dollar for dollar basis for distributions made from The Woodlands																40.00%
Leverage expressed as loan to value ratio (as a percent)														25.50%
Undrawn and available borrowing capacity														58,300,000
Amount of future required repayments					30,000,000	10,000,000	10,000,000	10,000,000
Amount of loan repaid from proceeds of a non-recourse construction financing to redevelop the property																																																						95,000,000
Number of extension options													2																																										3					2												2			2
Number of rooms in property securing debt (in rooms)																																																							440
Area of land securing debt (in acres)																																																							40
Loan to value ratio to draw additional loan proceeds (as a percent)																																															65.00%
Percentage of debt yield to draw additional loan proceeds																																														10.00%
Unused portion of the debt instrument																																												21,000,000
Cash balance required to be maintained																					3,000,000
Net worth required to be maintained																					$ 250,000,000
Period of real estate taxes and debt service required to be escrowed with the lender																			1 year
Rate of LIBOR floor (as a percent)														5.00%