MORTGAGES, NOTES AND LOANS PAYABLE (Details 2) (USD $)			0 Months Ended			3 Months Ended									3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended															3 Months Ended								3 Months Ended											3 Months Ended						3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended			3 Months Ended			0 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended								0 Months Ended			0 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Oct. 02, 2013 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2021	Mar. 31, 2014 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2021	Dec. 31, 2013 6.875% Senior Notes Due 2021	Mar. 31, 2014 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Aug. 15, 2012 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Mar. 31, 2014 Columbia Regional Building	May 31, 2012 Millennium Waterway Apartments	Mar. 31, 2014 One Hughes Landing	Mar. 31, 2014 Other Corporate Financing Arrangements	Dec. 31, 2013 Other Corporate Financing Arrangements	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland	Jun. 30, 2012 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Minimum	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Land Loan	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Land Loan	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Bridgeland Development Loan	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin West S808/810	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin West S808/810	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S151	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S151	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128C	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128C	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S132	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S132	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S108	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S108	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S128	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S124	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities Summerlin South S124	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility item	Dec. 31, 2013 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands TWL Facility	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands Term loan	Mar. 31, 2014 Master Planned Communities The Woodlands Revolving credit line	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Capital lease obligations	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets Capital lease obligations	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 110 N. Wacker	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 110 N. Wacker	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway Avenue	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway Avenue	Apr. 26, 2012 Operating Assets 20/25 Waterway Avenue	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square	Aug. 02, 2013 Operating Assets 3 Waterway Square item sqft	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 4 Waterway Square	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 4 Waterway Square	Dec. 05, 2011 Operating Assets 4 Waterway Square	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Aug. 15, 2012 Operating Assets 70 Columbia Corporate Center	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Dec. 05, 2011 Operating Assets 9303 New Trails	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Columbia Regional Building item	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets Columbia Regional Building	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	May 31, 2012 Operating Assets Millennium Waterway Apartments	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets One Hughes Landing item	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets One Hughes Landing	Nov. 14, 2012 Operating Assets One Hughes Landing sqft item	Oct. 24, 2013 Operating Assets Outlet Collection at Riverwalk item	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Outlet Collection at Riverwalk	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets Outlet Collection at Riverwalk	Feb. 08, 2013 Operating Assets The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center item acre	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Ward Village	Dec. 31, 2013 Operating Assets Ward Village	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Ward Village Minimum	Mar. 31, 2014 Operating Assets Ward Village Maximum	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments	Dec. 31, 2013 Strategic Developments	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S108	Dec. 31, 2013 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S108	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S128	Dec. 31, 2013 Strategic Developments The Shops at Summerlin S128	Dec. 20, 2013 Strategic Developments Hughes Landing Retail item sqft	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments Hughes Landing Retail	Dec. 31, 2013 Strategic Developments Hughes Landing Retail	Nov. 25, 2013 Strategic Developments One Lake's Edge item sqft acre	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments One Lake's Edge	Sep. 11, 2013 Strategic Developments Two Hughes Landing item acre sqft	Mar. 31, 2014 Strategic Developments Two Hughes Landing item	Dec. 31, 2013 Strategic Developments Two Hughes Landing	Sep. 11, 2013 Strategic Developments Hughes Landing Maximum item
Mortgages, notes and loans payable
Interest rate (as a percent)				6.88%	6.88%						3.00%	3.00%						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%	2.90%	2.90%					3.60%	3.60%	5.21%	5.21%	4.79%	4.79%		3.94%	3.94%	3.94%	4.88%	4.88%		4.25%	4.25%		4.88%	4.88%		2.15%	2.15%	3.75%	3.75%		2.80%	2.80%			2.90%	2.90%		3.65%	3.65%	3.35%	3.35%					5.95%	5.95%	6.05%	6.05%		2.10%	2.10%		2.65%		2.80%	2.80%
Facility Amount								$ 23,000,000		$ 38,000,000	$ 22,700,000									$ 140,000,000															$ 250,000,000		$ 125,000,000	$ 125,000,000					$ 29,000,000																	$ 23,008,000					$ 38,000,000				$ 64,400,000			$ 95,000,000		$ 250,000,000											$ 36,575,000			$ 73,525,000		$ 41,230,000
Maximum outstanding balance																				30,000,000
Unamortized underwriting fees	(8,406,000)	(8,750,000)
Total mortgages, notes and loans payable	1,559,381,000	1,514,623,000		750,000,000	750,000,000						21,052,000	21,309,000	221,567,000	223,808,000		18,100,000		18,084,000	18,066,000		8,974,000	11,168,000	6,625,000	6,623,000	5,511,000	5,511,000	3,895,000	3,962,000	823,000	823,000	707,000	707,000	285,000	285,000	176,663,000	176,663,000			560,833,000	523,312,000	186,000	205,000	29,000,000	29,000,000	14,450,000	14,450,000		52,000,000	52,000,000	52,000,000	39,004,000	39,237,000		16,287,000	16,287,000		13,318,000	13,398,000		14,926,000	9,207,000	55,584,000	55,584,000	55,600,000	27,593,000	19,128,000			14,733,000			45,036,000	36,100,000	238,716,000	238,716,000			14,335,000	4,944,000	452,000	452,000	3,569,000	3,569,000		918,000	913,000				9,396,000	10,000
Corporate recourse guarantee amount																																											7,000,000																										14,700,000
Variable rate basis																		three-month LIBOR		LIBOR															one-month LIBOR								one-month LIBOR																									one-month 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					one-month LIBOR
Interest rate margin (as a percent)																		2.75%		3.25%															2.75%								2.25%																						2.65%			2.75%				3.50%		2.50%										1.95%			2.50%			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																																										29,000,000																															143,000,000
Specified limit of draws																																																												500,000
Fixed interest rate per swap (as a percent)																																											5.21%																															3.80%
Term of debt instrument															10 years					3 years															3 years
Fixed interest rate (as a percent)			6.875%			4.25%			3.75%									5.50%																													4.79%							4.25%								3.75%
Minimum interest rate (as a percent)																				5.00%
Amount utilized																				39,200,000
Lender participation right (as a percent)																																																						30.00%
Percentage of cumulative preferred return on the property						10.00%																																																10.00%
Estimated decrease in the value of the participation right recorded in interest expense																																																						2,100,000
Periodic payments																																																														257,418
Annual principal payments as a percentage of outstanding principal balance																		5.00%
Number of stories of building to be constructed with loan proceeds																																																		11																	8																				8		8
Area of office building to be constructed using proceeds from loan																																																		232,000																	197,000																						197,000
Weighted average interest rate (as a percent)	5.18%	5.25%
Land, buildings and equipment and developments in progress pledged as collateral	1,700,000,000
Extension period at borrower's option																																			1 year																									1 year												1 year
Undrawn and available borrowing capacity																																			73,300,000
Amount of a non-recourse construction financing which repaid existing debt																																																																							95,000,000
Number of extension options																																			2																									2					2			2				3												2			2			2
Option to extend, term																																																																	1 year			1 year																1 year			1 year			1 year
Number of rooms in property securing debt (in rooms)																																																																								440
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																																																																										11,300,000
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
Amount to which debt will amortize ratably through maturity following an interest-only period																																											12,000,000
Area of site (in acres)																																																																								40															2.92		66
Maximum facility amount at first extension option																																			220,000,000
Maximum facility amount at second extension option																																			185,000,000
Number of spaces in parking garage																																																																																							750		630
Number of office buildings																																																																																												11
Amount of debt issued			750,000,000				16,000,000																																								14,500,000						41,000,000			16,000,000			14,000,000
Period for which interest rate is fixed															5 years
Period for which interest rate is floating															5 years
Area of real estate property to be constructed (in square feet)																																																																																				123,000			22,289
Number of multi-family units to be constructed																																																																																							390
Area of real estate property (in square foot)																																																																																							984
Maximum percentage of Notes that can be redeemed using proceeds from equity offerings at any time prior to October 1, 2016			35.00%
Percentage of principal amount at which Notes can be redeemed			106.875%
Net proceeds			$ 741,300,000