Heritage Austin Report

Heritage Austin

A community-based vision

A Report to the City of Austin

Preface

Introduction

1. People

1.1 Respect Existing Residents In and Around Downtown

1.2 Foster Diversity and Interaction in

1.3 Use Downtown as a Community Gathering Place

2. Place

2.1 Nurture Downtown Austin’s Unique Character

2.2 Develop Useful and Inviting Public Spaces

2.3Insist on Thoughtful Planning and Design

3. Fabric

3.1 Emphasize Austin’s Natural Geography

3.2

4. Mobility

Preface

Launched at a time when Downtown Austin was poised to boom, the goal of“Heritage Austin” was to develop a community-based vision to help guide future development while preserving our rich past. While the City ofAustin wanted suggestions on moving forward with measured growth, the Heritage Society ofAustin wanted, as well, to help educate about the need for preserving history.

Under the initiative ofAustin architect Matt Kreisle, then president ofthe Heritage Society ofAustin, the project opened a storefront office along Congress Avenue to involve citizens' comments. Public hearings were held. A team oflocal architects was solicited for ideas. White papers were exchanged.

As the project advanced, so did development in Downtown Austin. By the time the report neared its completion, some recommendations already had come to pass. Others still needed to be explored.

Wanting to put the changes happening in downtown into their proper context, and to ensure that the final recommendations remained timely and useful, the decision was made last year to build

upon the hard work done previously and to reexamine the community-based vision proposed just a few years ago.

The result ofthat work is in your hands. As you read the report, consider that it is not intended as a final planning guide for Downtown Austin, but rather is focused to offer suggestions for thought and action as Austin plans for the future ofits central core.

Thanks go to Kreisle, Larry Speck, Sinclair Black, Juan Cotera, Hal Box, Sarah Meyer and Michael Knox and other city staffwho were involved in the first stage ofthis study, and to JeffChusid, Peter Ketter, Wayne Bell and city staffwho brought its findings to a most timely completion.

The future ofour downtown depends on our ability to set clear goals with a defined purpose, and on successfully knitting these various goals together. This report seeks to demonstrate how, by working proactively and collectively, we can better guide the future ofour downtown — and ofAustin as a whole.

— Heritage Society of Austin July 2002

Introduction

As the heart ofour community, Downtown Austin deserves special attention. Development in the central city has far reaching impacts on the entire region, and downtown should reflect and guide our community’s dynamic growth and change. Planning for our future requires that we understand the issues facing our city and that we address potential problems thoroughly, before they become mistakes to be corrected. This requires that we consider all ofour actions in relation to the overall goals ofour community. But what kind of

community do we want Austin to be? What follows is an attempt to answer that question, through the development ofa consistent and coherent, community-based vision for Downtown Austin.

The issues facing Central Austin have been, and must continue to be, the subject ofongoing discussions and planning efforts. Those efforts, however, are most often focused on specific problems and their possible solutions. In other words, the plans and discussions are “practical in that (they lay) out a series ofobjectives that the community realistically intends to accomplish over the coming years.” 1 Although many planning processes

include consultation with the communities that they affect, these practical projects are still mostly the realm ofplanners and other professionals, who have the tools and experience to conduct the necessary research and develop potential options.

A community’s “vision” is a different, but equally important, component ofa city’s comprehensive planning efforts. It is, “an integrated statement of the aspirations ofthe community (‘this is what we will ourselves to be’) illustrating how the various function-specific plans in the community file cabinet are tied together to achieve a broad array of community objectives.” 2 This vision is supposed to serve as a broader framework, both unifying and guiding the many varied efforts to improve specific aspects ofthe community. It provides a consistent collection ofgoals and principles against which to evaluate proposed actions.

The development ofa vision is also an attempt to bridge the gap between professional planners and the community at large. For any plan to be successfully implemented, it must be embraced by the communities involved. Most contemporary planners therefore recognize the need ofa collaborative process that “provides a more open, inclusive, and interactive way ofinvolving citizens in the total planning process.” 3 It is difficult for many citizens, however, to engage the endless details and specialized language that often accompany urban planning. By clearly and plainly outlining the principles and goals to be pursued, a vision acts as common ground, translating planning objectives into a form that the whole community can understand and comment on while consolidating citizens’ concerns and insights as a guide for planners.

Downtown Austin seems to suffer for its lack of such an inclusive, unified vision. Proposed projects,

even when following adopted plans, often divide segments ofthe population into combative positions. Healthy debate and discussion are essential to any democracy, but with no common ground as guidance, Austin’s citizens are frequently reduced to counter-productive arguments. Heritage Austin is an attempt to begin establishing that common ground by compiling our community’s goals for downtown into a comprehensive, and comprehensible, vision.

Heritage Austin is, in a few different ways, a “community-based” vision. First, it incorporates the ideas ofmany ofAustin’s citizens and community leaders. These ideas have been expressed in a number ofprevious planning processes and products, as well as meetings organized specifically around the

Heritage Austin project. In all ofthese efforts, community leaders and interested citizens have interacted with planning teams composed oflocal and outside professionals as well as other citizens ofAustin with special insight or knowledge ofthe city. Several common concerns and themes have emerged from these discussions, and this document attempts to consolidate the most significant and frequently recurring issues.

Heritage Austin is also a community-based vision in its guiding premise, which is that the goal ofa thriving and healthy downtown can best be realized through continuous and substantive investment in the community itself. Contemporary planners frequently cite the importance of“social capital” to

inner-city revitalization. Experience has shown that the most successful initiatives emerge from, and are based in, the community for which improvement is sought. The resources ofgovernment and private business are, therefore, best used to enable communities to help themselves. 4 Such investments in social capital, “simultaneously utilize and enhance the problem solving capacity ofinner-city residents and institutions.” 5

Investment in community-building is today, perhaps more than ever, a sound economic investment. As noted by the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development,

“For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, what now constitutes a good business climate has the same criteria as what constitutes a good quality oflife.”6 Businesses are drawn to locations that, more than anything, can produce and retain a steady supply ofcompetent, productive workers. This characteristic is justly related to the overall quality ofa community’s physical and social environments, its livability and its opportunities for education. In other words, a healthy downtown is wholly dependent upon a strong and supportive downtown community. This concept is a defining focus ofthe Heritage Austin vision.

Fortunately for Austin, many ofthe community

building blocks are already in place. Austin has a unique character and is home to many diverse and interesting groups ofpeople. It is Texas’s capital city, with five colleges and universities, including the state’s largest, within sight ofits center ofgovernment. With a well-established culture ofinnovative musicians and an emerging group ofequally innovative visual and performing artists (not the mention the buildings to house their work), Austin’s arts scene is only getting stronger. The city’s high-tech industry has brought a new influx ofresidents from around the nation and the world, adding yet more layers to Austin’s rich multi-culturalism. All ofthis is concentrated within and around downtown, which also benefits from its substantial natural resources and their inter-connection with the city itself.

It is important to recognize that Austin’s success thus far, and most likely our own reasons for want-

ing to live here, are tied to all ofthese unique assets. It is equally important that they not be taken for granted, because without careful planning, we stand to lose the same things that contribute so much to Austin’s quality oflife. In the coming years, Austinites will have to face tough issues regarding things like traffic congestion, air and water quality, public education and gentrification, just to name a few. While working toward needed improvements, we must also make a concerted effort to support, strengthen and build upon all ofthose aspects ofour community that we value. The Heritage Austin vision is therefore also a community-based vision in that it supports the retention ofour most important community assets, including both people and places.

This vision for Downtown Austin is divided into six sections, each ofwhich represents an essential component ofany healthy community: People,

Place, Fabric, Mobility, Livability and Economic Sustainability. Each section includes a discussion of the broader principles to be pursued with examples ofDowntown Austin’s specific strengths and areas ofneed. Although particular projects or sites are used to illustrate ideas and problems, this is not intended as a comprehensive plan ofaction or a step-by-step guide to downtown revitalization. It is supposed to supplement our practical planning efforts, not replace or override them.

Other documents, like the R/UDAT Austin reports and the Downtown Austin Design Guidelines, have begun to outline what we can do

to improve the quality ofour downtown. Heritage Austin instead addresses the questions ofwhy those steps are important and how they all fit together, providing a common base that can be used to facilitate and structure community interaction in downtown’s planning and development. In this sense it is more ofa tool than a finished product, and like any tool, it should be reworked routinely based on its successes and weaknesses. Revisions based on future input from community members and planners are recommended.

The particulars ofthe Heritage Austin vision are based on some general goals for downtown, again

developed from a combination ofAustin’s previous planning efforts and the Heritage Austin meetings. Downtown should have a 24-hour life, developed through a concentration ofmixed-uses including offices, retail establishments, housing and residential services, plus important amenities like parks, art, entertainment and opportunities for education and cultural enrichment. As the center ofa regional

economy, Downtown Austin should welcome and encourage visitors, but it should also be a diverse and livable local neighborhood and a comfortable place for any ofAustin’s residents to work, play or gather. These are not simple demands, and change will not happen overnight, but by consolidating our goals in a consistent vision we can firmly establish what it is that we’re working toward.

1 Larry Gerckens,“Comprehensive Plan,” Planners’ Web Planning ABC’s,http://www.plannersweb.com/planning-abcs/c.html.

2 Gerckens,“Comprehensive Plan.”

3 Michael Chandler,“The 21st Century Comprehensive Plan,” Planning Commissioners Journal 31 (Summer 1998):4.

4 Josh S.Weston,“Rethinking the Nation’s Urban Problems,” in Roger L.Kemp,ed.,The Inner City:A Handbook for Renewal (Jefferson,NC:McFarland and Company,2001):19-20.

5 Josh S.Weston,“Creating and Using Social Capital,” in Kemp,ed.,The Inner City,84.

6 quoted in,David B.Bowes,“Creating Globally Competitive Communities,” in Kemp,ed., The Inner City,42.

People

“People are a city’s most precious resource. Every structure built, every park cultivated, every landmark preserved is a reflection ofa desire to improve our quality oflife.”

— R/UDAT Austin,“A Call to Action”

This simple statement must be a guiding principle in any vision for Downtown Austin. A city is first and foremost about people, and all actions should on some level be directed at improvements to Austinites’ quality oflife. It is also important that those improvements be equitable, and we must respect all of our distinct cultures as integral components ofour city’s fabric.

As self-evident as the importance ofpeople may seem, it is a fact that often gets lost in the practice ofurban planning and development. As the 1992 R/UDAT Austin report also discusses, “in striving to advance, a city sometimes alienates and divides members ofits population. While people are a community’s most precious resource, they are also in danger ofbecoming its most neglected.” 7

There are certainly some Austin residents who can identify with this problem. While investment in downtown has, and will continue to, yielded a number ofpositive benefits — an increased tax base, more downtown living space, infrastructure improvements, etc. — the success ofthose investments also brings hardships to the people ofAustin, as higher rents and property taxes displace local residents and businesses.

Although these hardships affect everyone, Austin’s lower-income citizens are naturally more at risk. With less leverage in local politics, it is these citizens who have been, and are in the most danger of continuing to be, neglected. Unfortunately, these are often the same people who benefit most from inner-city amenities, with access to work, public transit and social services. In Austin and beyond, lowincome families and their advocates have therefore challenged many “Smart Growth” initiatives. 8 The focus ofAustin’s recent downtown development on high-end markets seems to justify their concerns.

Directing growth downtown makes sense, and it has the potential to benefit all Austinites. We must ensure, however, that we do not

lose our “most precious resource” in the process. As the heart of our city, downtown should be a place where any ofAustin’s citizens can choose to live, work and interact. Downtown diversity should not refer solely to mixed land uses. It must also mean that there are opportunities for citizens ofall incomes, cultures, and ages.

It is, after all, the whole variety ofpeople in Austin that collectively define the city’s unique character. It is also the concentration and interaction ofthose diverse populations that make downtown such an interesting and desirable place to be. Our vision for Downtown Austin must therefore always consider the people that inhabit and define the places we seek to alter or create. By respecting existing residents, fostering diversity and interaction and using downtown as a gathering place for the whole community, we can support a rich and unique cultural environment that will benefit us all.

1.1 Respect Existing Residents In and Around Downtown

The neighborhoods within and around Downtown Austin are home to a broad cross-section ofthe city’s population, who represent significant users ofand contributors to downtown’s resources.

Downtown neighborhoods are not all alike and development must respect the individual character of places like Rainey Street.

While downtown development should encourage visitors and new residents from the metropolitan area and beyond, it should not be at the expense ofpeople already living in the city’s central core.

1.1.1 Develop in Compatibility with Existing Neighborhoods

Downtown development should respect the boundaries and character ofexisting neighborhoods. Not every individual’s protests can be accommodated, but a demonstrated, collective concern ofa neighborhood’s residents should not be ignored. The City ofAustin’s recent efforts to assist and respect neighborhood planning initiatives are a positive step, and the local government must continue to develop a conscientious and inclusive planning process. Maintaining a consistent, open dialogue with neighborhood residents is he best way to ensure that their concerns are addressed.

While downtown development should encourage visitors and new residents from the metropolitan area and beyond, it should not be at the expense ofpeople already living in the city’s central core.

1.1.2 Control Gentrification

Although compatible design and land use are important, the City must also take steps to protect existing residents from the economic impacts ofdowntown development. Increasing property values can be positive, but with a tight central-city housing market and relatively inexpensive property still available just east ofdowntown, there is clearly a potential for the displacement oflower-income residents and businesses. “Ifdevelopment is to be equitable, ifrevitalization is to have the essential support ofthose living in the neighborhood targeted for assistance, ifthe outcome of these investments are to benefit more than those moving into the city, decision making in the public and private sectors must anticipate these potentially harmful effects and take effective and timely steps to mitigate them now and into the future.” 9

1.1.3 Ensure Adequate Social Services

Certain social ills — homelessness, drugs, crime, etc. — have historically been more concentrated, or at least more visible, in inner-cities. Downtown’s future will be wellserved by continued investment in a range ofsocial services that address these and other problems, and it need not be at the expense ofdowntown residents or businesses. As the 1997 R/UDAT report “A Call to Finish” states, “In Austin, as in many other communities, the problem ofpublic order has been confused with the problems ofthe less fortunate...The provision ofservices can take place in ways that do not create problems for the neighbors ofthose services.”

1.2 Foster Diversity and Interaction in Downtown

Austin’s diverse citizenry must be recognized as a unique and valuable resource. We should foster that diversity by ensuring opportunities for people ofall cultures and income-levels. The

value ofdiversity is lost with segregation, and downtown must also provide opportunities for those various people to interact. Communication across boundaries can connect the divided parts of our community toward their common goal ofa healthy and prosperous city, and downtown is the logical place for those interactions to take place.

1.2.1 Reduce Barriers to East Austin

The physical and psychological barriers that isolate East Austin are by far the most divisive elements ofour community, and any attempt to diversify downtown must start with connections across I-35. Central Austin is already a multicultural community, but we must better establish the unity and interdependence ofthose cultures ifwe are to truly accept and benefit from our diversity.

1.2.2 Support Diversity in Downtown Business

We should support a diverse business climate that accepts entrepreneurs and business owners ofall cultures, as well as businesses that appeal to varied markets and interests.

We should support a diverse business climate that accepts entrepreneurs and business owners ofall cultures

Downtown businesses should provide a showcase ofthe many unique and interesting aspects ofour community.

1.2.3 Develop Mixed-Income Housing and Neighborhoods

People ofdifferent backgrounds and cultures are given the most opportunity for interaction when they live in common buildings and neighborhoods, and the central city is the most appropriate location to develop such places. Focusing downtown residential development solely on higher-income markets is not a sustainable long-term approach, either socially or economically. A healthy, successful downtown community must include housing for people ofvarious cultures, incomes and ages.

Rebecca McEntee/Austin American-Statesman

Gatherings like this biker rally showcase particular aspects of our area’s culture.

1.3 Use Downtown as a Community Gathering Place

Downtown should be a place that invites people to gather, whether it be a few close friends or the entire Austin community.

Events and festivals bring people from around the region into downtown, where they can experience new and interesting developments first-hand, and more informal gathering places like sidewalks, parks, squares and museums encourage consistent community activity and interaction. A healthy downtown requires a combination of all these things.

1.3.1 Promote Community Events in Downtown

Downtown Austin already accommodates a number of community events, and it should continue to be the forum for our city’s wide range ofcelebrations and gatherings. From local traditions like Eeyore’s Birthday Party to the international draw ofSouth by Southwest, these events both bring our own community together and showcase our interests and resources to others.

Larry Kolvoord/Austin American-Statesman

In the summer,people of all ages appreciate an opportunity to cool off while having fun.

1.3.2 Continue to Develop Downtown Cultural Amenities

The concentration ofcultural amenities in the central city draws many people to downtowns across the country, and Austin will benefit from the continued development ofits own. The emerging cultural park just south ofTown Lake represents a unique integration ofregional events and performances with a pleasant setting and an already popular local amenity. Other large projects like the new Austin Museum ofArt downtown and the new Blanton Museum on UT’s campus are also important, but the city’s many smaller galleries and performance spaces make valuable contributions as well, adding to our varied and interesting collection ofcultural gathering places.

A rowing crew uses Town Lake for practice.

1.3.3 Maintain and Enhance Downtown’s Recreational Amenities

Recreation places like parks, hike and bike trails, swimming pools, etc. also serve an important role in gathering the community. People need places to relax and enjoy themselves, and this common human interest brings people together from all walks oflife. Downtown’s existing recreational amenities must be maintained, and we should try to improve on underutilized opportunities.

7 R/UDAT Austin Implementation Committee,“A Call to Action” (1992):4-5.

8 Leah Kalinosky,“Does Smart Growth = Equitable Growth?,” Planning Commissioners Journal 45 (Winter 2002).

9 Maureen Kennedy and Paul Leonard,“Dealing with Neighborhood Change:A Primer on Gentrification and Policy Choices,” A Discussion Paper prepared for the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy (April 2001).

10 Austin R/UDAT Revisited Committee,“A Call to Finish” (1997):28.

Place

The Stevie Ray Vaughan memorial inconspicuously blends commemoration with an active existing environment.

“It is the story ofhow places are planned, designed, built, inhabited, appropriated, celebrated, despoiled, and discarded. Cultural identity, social history, and urban design are here intertwined.”

—Dolores Hayden,The Power of Place

People are certainly a defining component ofAustin’s unique character, but residents and visitors alike surely also identify the city with its significant places. Congress Avenue, the Capitol, Barton Springs, 6th Street, the University ofTexas Campus, Town Lake, and any number ofmore personal places are likely to come to mind when one thinks ofAustin. Austin’s environment reflects a combination ofnatural and social forces, as well as various peoples’ values and choices over time, all ofwhich have interacted and evolved to develop a distinct sense ofplace.

While this sense ofplace may be slightly different for each Austinite or visitor, together we can identify, and must protect, the most significant and defining features ofAustin’s natural and built environments. New development in downtown should be woven into the city’s existing fabric to preserve and capitalize on its important and beloved qualities. We can thus add new “layers” to the city that reflect our contemporary needs and values but also respect and build on the work that has already been done.

This approach does not by any means rule out growth and change. In fact, we should strive to create and adapt places that we will all use and benefit from. Creative, but practical, solutions can accommodate change without sacrificing a place’s unique characteristics. In Austin, designs proposed for the Rainey Street neighborhood have illustrated how to incorporate new uses and increased density without destroying its character. Other cities from Denver to Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh have incorporated, and even relied on, their historic character and unique sense ofplace in successful downtown revitalization programs. 11 With careful design and planning, all of Austin’s defining places can be successfully and sensitively adapted to our changing needs, and new places can be created that still reflect the continuity ofour city’s physical and cultural evolution.

By respecting downtown’s sense ofplace while continuing to add our own layers to it, we can provide all ofAustin’s citizens, whether rooted in its past or recent newcomers, with some sense ofconnection to the city’s environment, as well as its other inhabitants. Ifwe nurture downtown’s unique character, develop useful and inviting public spaces and insist on thoughtful planning and design, we can continue to enjoy and further develop Austin’s great places.

2.1 Nurture Downtown Austin’s Unique Character

Development in Downtown Austin should always focus on the central city’s unique characteristics. Downtown cannot directly compete with suburbia’s quantity ofavailable space, lower costs, or plentiful parking. In other words, “Downtown can’t out-mall the mall AND it can’t out-discount the discounters. However, the malls and discounters can’t out-downtown downtown.” 12 Development must therefore make use ofDowntown Austin’s special qualities, including its natural setting, its historic and cultural resources, and its diverse mix of local and regional businesses.

2.1.1 Capitalize More Fully on Downtown’s Natural Setting

Downtown Austin benefits greatly from its natural resources, including not only the river, creeks and springs but also its abundant trees and inner-city parks. The incorporation ofnatural elements into downtown development generates inviting and comfortable places, and further emphasis and development ofthis important strength will continue to do so.

2.1.2 Preserve Historic Buildings and Cultural Resources

Downtown contains an interesting mix ofhistoric districts and modern development, which together illustrate the city’s continuous evolution. We should, by all means, make our own contributions to Austin’s built environment, but we can do so without erasing all previous efforts. Historic buildings contribute significantly to Downtown Austin’s sense ofplace, and they should be reused whenever possible. We should also recognize the city’s other significant cultural landmarks, including important local establishments and landscapes.

Historic commercial buildings along Congress Avenue (above) and close-in residentiail neighborhoods,like the Bremond block (below),remain as evidence of Austin’s once compact vertical and horizontal scale.

With little pedestrian traffic to support them,downtown’s public green spaces,like Wooldridge Square,Brush Square and Republic Square,often go unused.

2.1.3 Encourage Local Businesses

Local businesses are not only economically beneficial to the community. By illustrating the unique ideas and interests ofour residents, they also help define Austin’s sense of place. We should support unique local businesses and encourage new local entrepreneurs.

2.2 Develop Useful and Inviting Public Spaces

Accessible to everyone, public spaces play an especially important role in defining Austin’s character. These places, including streets, sidewalks, creeks and bridges, as well as parks and squares, must be considered as central components ofour vision for downtown.

2.2.1 Continue to Develop Great Streets and Sidewalks

Austin’s Great Streets Program has developed designs for several distinct street types in downtown. In each case, the designs include wider sidewalks, with additional trees and furniture, in an attempt to make Austin’s downtown streets more hospitable to pedestrians. Continued implementation ofthe Great Streets proposals could help develop the sidewalks into inviting public places oftheir own.

2.2.2 Enliven Public Parks and Squares

Austin’s downtown parks and squares could make a significant contribution to the city, providing public spaces that gather people together and allow them a temporary separation from the over-stimulation that sometimes accompanies urban life. Unfortunately, many ofdowntown’s public places — Brush Square, Duncan Park, Wooldridge Square, Waterloo Park, Palm Park, Republic Square — are often empty and lifeless. While a more inviting pedestrian environment is essential to drawing people to these places, we

should further emphasize their importance by better integrating them with sidewalks and surrounding development.

2.3 Insist on Thoughtful Planning and Design

The development ofgreat places in downtown depends largely on a generally thoughtful process ofplanning and design. Careless decisions and actions lead, more often than not, to destructive effects. The City should maintain oversight ofdesign and planning in downtown and ensure an appropriate level ofcommunity input and scrutiny.

2.3.1 Maintain a Consistent but Flexible Vision

Austin’s local government should not be afraid to regulate downtown design and development, but to avoid confusion and resentment, those regulations must clearly follow consistent standards and vision. A certain amount offlexibility is positive and helpful, but exceptions and waivers should be reserved for creative projects that conform to the ideals and goals ofthe community without necessarily meeting all development regulations.

2.3.2 Address All Issues and Stakeholders

The best way to ensure a project’s success is to address all the parties that will potentially be affected by it. Not every point ofopposition can be resolved, but discussion and compromise are essential elements ofany design or planning process. Open and inclusive dialogue about proposed projects should always be encouraged.

11 Lisa Burcham,“Urban Revitalization:When Rehab Grows Up,” Preservation Forum 14:3 (Spring 2000).

12 Dolores P.Palma,“Myths About Downtown Revitalization,” in Kemp,ed.,The Inner City, 340.

Discussion and compromise are essential elements of any design or planning process.

“Careful planning and organization around the realities ofdowntown’s nodes — with the aim ofbuilding upon strong nodes, nurturing weak nodes, or minimizing barriers between nodes and maximizing synergy between them — is the most appropriate framework for downtown revitalization.”

— The Inner City: A Handbook for Renewal

Concerns for our sense ofplace are centered on the emotional and cultural connections embodied in particular places. Attention to the physical characteristics ofour city and their more practical purposes is, however, equally important. A city’s fabric, including its geography, its spatial organization and its infrastructure, necessarily influences all efforts to plan and act within it. Ideally, Austin’s fabric should provide a clearly organized and cohesive framework that facilitates and guides the city’s operations and activities.

The fabric ofDowntown Austin has several characteristics that should help to create such a framework, not the least ofwhich is its natural geography. The Colorado River and Shoal and Waller Creeks define the first level ofthe city’s organization and provide natural linear connections within downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. Thanks to the substantial hills on which they sit, two ofthe city’s most prominent cultural landmarks, the Capitol and the University Tower, are also physical landmarks that people can use for orientation from almost anywhere in the central city.

Fabric

Austin’s urban geography is defined both by natural elements and an ordered rectilinear overlay.

Downtown Austin’s spatial arrangement is equally important to one’s experience ofthe city. The relatively small blocks ofthe

Downtown’s gridded streets simplify navigation

Downtown Austin has the potential to be a very “legible” city, with several clearly defined, distinct places and easily navigable connections between them.

“Waller Grid” (from the 1839 plan) facilitate navigation, and interspersed public squares and parks provide a respite from the harsher conditions ofurban development. Downtown also benefits from having its Central Business District, the Capitol complex, the University ofTexas Campus, Austin Community College, and several diverse residential neighborhoods all within a relatively small geographic area.

With all ofthese elements already in place, Downtown Austin has the potential to be a very “legible” city, with several clearly defined, distinct places and easily navigable connections between them. Instead ofarticulating and connecting our existing “nodes,” however, development in Austin has tended to devalue and fracture the fabric ofdowntown, leaving only a collection ofself-enclosed and isolated places. Even with the recent resurgence ofdowntown growth, we have continued to neglect this most important issue. As noted in the 2000 R/UDAT Review, “All kinds ofwonderful projects are in the pipeline, but the fabric weaving those projects into a total experience is lacking.” 13

Improvements to Austin’s fabric should center on the unification of downtown’s many separated pieces, transforming isolated nodes into distinct, connected districts within a diverse but integrated whole. This type oforganization can be a useful tool for both a city’s managers and its daily users.14 In Austin, many ofdowntown’s districts are already established, but they need better definition and inter-connection.15 Taking steps to emphasize Austin’s natural geography, develop and clarify the city’s physical organization and ensure compatible and equitable infrastructure improvements could dramatically improve the downtown environment for everyone.

3.1 Emphasize Austin’s Natural Geography

We must make better use ofthe natural nodes and links that connect and unite downtown. The most important ofthese are Austin’s waterways, and many plans for the city have sought a more prominent role for the river and creeks. The challenge ofimplementing these proposals will be to maintain the waterways’ parklike qualities and facilitate their use as public, pedestrian corridors while encouraging development that will better integrate them into downtown.

3.1.1 Capitalize on the Network of Downtown Creeks

In addition to generating scenic and inviting public spaces, Austin’s downtown creeks serve an important practical role, providing linkages between different parts of downtown and into surrounding neighborhoods. Better use ofthe creeks and their existing trails could begin with relatively minor efforts. As stated in “A Call to Finish,” the 1997 R/UDAT Revisited report, “Future emphasis in these areas should be on clean-up, repair, refinement, and access improvements that enhance an already established amenity.”

Improved pedestrian connections should be developed between downtown and the river and among the various riverfront parks.

3.1.2 Incorporate Town Lake in Downtown

The Colorado River is one ofdowntown’s most valuable natural assets. Town Lake Park and its hike and bike trail are already frequented by many in the community. And yet, Town Lake remains somewhat separated from downtown. Improved pedestrian connections should be developed between downtown and the river and among the various riverfront parks.

3.2 Develop and Clarify City’s Physical Organization

Downtown has an advantage in being relatively easy to navigate, a trait that facilitates access to, and visibility of, high concentrations of businesses. Downtown development should capitalize on this quality, emphasizing and complimenting the city’s organization and patterns. As noted in the Downtown Austin Design Guidelines, we must “Promote an intuitive understanding ofthe layout ofDowntown Austin,” to facilitate and encourage movement from place to place. The guidelines also recognize the interrelated need to “Foster physical continuity,” which ensures the consistency ofthose intuited paths.

3.2.1 Define and Integrate Disconnected Places

The proximity ofsome ofdowntown’s most important assets - the state government, UT, the Central Business District, ACC, surrounding residential neighborhoods - has little value when each one remains an isolated entity. There is little unification of, or distinguishment between, downtown’s sub-districts. Perhaps more importantly, linkages between those significant places are seriously lacking. Our city’s fabric should build on existing districts and neighborhoods to create consistent but distinct places with usable pedestrian connections between them.

3.2.2 Establish and Strengthen Commercial Corridors

Commercial corridors help stimulate and direct movement within the city. They also enliven streets and sidewalks, adding to downtown’s sense ofvitality. Some ofAustin’s commercial corridors that should be supported and strengthened include: East 11th Street, Congress Avenue, West 6th Street, South Congress and East 7th Street

3.2.3 Emphasize Downtown Gateways

“Gateways” leading into downtown serve to draw people in and make them aware ofa transition. They are also helpful within downtown to identify different districts, as well as access to public places and transit trails. Gateways are not just created with literal structures that mark transitions. More important are the more subtle “gateways” created by transitions in the character ofbuildings and infrastructure.16

would allow for more pleasant and effective gateways into down-

3.3 Ensure Compatible and Equitable Infrastructure Improvements

In many cases, Austin’s connections are limited by a generally inhospitable pedestrian environment, with high-traffic streets and poorly designed, ill-maintained infrastructure. Consistent infrastructure improvements are essential to sustaining a healthy downtown, and we must make sure to keep pace with the city’s growth. As longterm investments, however, the character ofthose improvements should be considered carefully and thoroughly to ensure that they are well-conceived and incorporated appropriately into the city’s existing fabric. Infrastructure improvements must also be fairly distributed, with traditionally low-income neighborhoods receiving equitable investment. When unavoidable, all unsightly, loud or otherwise annoying public facilities should be carefully designed and sensitively sited, away from incompatible uses (especially residential).

3.3.1 Give Appropriateness Equal Weight with Efficiency

When dealing with practical improvements to city infrastructure, Austin’s local government typically, and understandably, favors the most efficient and cost-effective solu-

tions. Without being careful, however, we can end up with short-sighted, “band-aid” solutions that fix an immediate problem but cause long-range and unforeseen damage to the fabric ofdowntown. We must recognize the long-term investment that infrastructure represents and give equal consideration to the character and appropriateness ofthose improvements, especially in downtown.

3.3.2 Differentiate Downtown Infrastructure

As noted by the Citizens’ Planning Committee, “The Austin Urban Core, as the heart ofour region, must receive special attention to maintain and enhance attractiveness and encourage redevelopment as a vital, unique multi-use community.” 17 The City’s standard designs for infrastructure may be adequate in many parts ofAustin, but improvements in downtown deserve special consideration.

13R/UDAT Review,“Creating a Great Downtown” (2000).

14see Maureen Atkinson and John Williams,“Managing Downtown Revitalization by District,” in The Inner City,79-83;and Moulton,“Living Downtown.”

15Donna Carter and Associates,“Downtown Pedestrian Gateways,” Issue Paper No.8 (November 1997) ,Downtown Austin Alliance.

16see,for example,Carter and Associates,“Downtown Austin Gateways.”

17Citizens’ Planning Committee Report,19 January 1995,3.

Mobility

“Would you prefer to live in a town where you have to drive everywhere for everything or would you prefer to live in a town where you could walk, ride a bicycle, take public transportation, or drive to where you want to go?”

Edward McMahon,Bicycles and Pedestrians Belong

Freedom ofmovement within downtown is key to its success, and mobility should be addressed in all discussions ofthe city’s development. We must ensure, however, that we do not focus to narrowly on the “efficiency” ofthat movement. “Using traditional transportation measures based on travel speed and delay, urban area transportation plans and corridor studies emphasize building new or wider roads, or increasing the efficiency (read: increasing speed) ofexisting roads.” 18 In planning for downtown, we must also consider transportation needs in relation to our desired land uses and community character.

Through our city’s many planning efforts, we have established a common desire to make Downtown Austin an active commercial hub, an inviting residential neighborhood, and a destination place for both locals and visitors. With the diverse, and sometimes conflicting, transportation needs ofeach these varied uses, Austin faces a number of challenges. The challenges are not insurmountable, however, and with thoughtful planning and creative solutions, Downtown Austin can comfortably accommodate the movement ofall its users.

Downtown Austin today clearly favors automobile traffic, and that is certainly no accident. Cars are the preferred mode oftransportation across America, and Austin is no exception. Commuters by and large travel by car, and our downtown streets reflect the need to move workers efficiently into and out ofthe central city. As Tom Petrie, a Downtown Austin Alliance board member, recently stated, “. . .you can’t ignore the fact that the basic life ofdowntown is the office space. And ifpeople who work downtown, ifthey can’t get in and out of downtown in a proper manner, downtown is not going to succeed.” 19

The preference ofcars, however, should not override all other means ofmovement within the city. What we can, and must, seek in

As we continue to encourage mixed uses and 24-hour activity, we must give the nonautomobile traffic that enables and supports those uses a better share ofthe public right-of-way.

With their own spaces distinguished and separated,as on Congress Avenue,pedestrians and automobiles can co-exist comfortably.

Downtown Austin are more transportation choices and a better balance between cars and other modes, including pedestrians, bicycles and public transit. An unwavering focus on automobile traffic may be appropriate for a downtown dedicated solely to the convenience of its daily commuters, but as we continue to encourage mixed uses and 24-hour activity, we must give the non-automobile traffic that enables and supports those uses a better share ofthe public right-of-way.

To be clear, transportation choices do already exist. Downtown Austin has sidewalks, specified “bike routes” and buses, but these choices currently face significant obstacles. With few barriers and little separation to protect them from automobile traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists often face perceived and real dangers, and the infrequency ofdowntown buses must discourage potential riders. The mere presence ofchoice is clearly not enough. We must work to make each of those choices plausible and effective.

Our planning for mobility must reflect the varied needs and desires ofdifferent segments ofthe downtown community. Our encouragement ofdiverse uses must be accompanied by development ofthe

Although most come by car,all of downtown’s users eventually become pedestrians.

mechanisms to support them, and transportation plays a key role. We must support and develop multiple options for movement in the city and make better use ofour transportation infrastructure ifwe hope to realize our vision ofa vibrant, mixed-use and livable downtown.

4.1 Support Multiple Transportation Options in Downtown

Transportation choices are key to the success ofa mixed-use downtown. As different uses and users prefer or require different means of movement, downtown should offer residents and visitors a number of viable options.

4.1.1 Improve Streets for All Users

Cars, pedestrians, bicycles and public transit can all coexist in downtown. As illustrated in the Great Streets plan, the existing right-of-way could, in most cases, accommodate all users relatively comfortably. The plan also outlines

As illustrated in the Great Streets plan, the existing right-of-way could, in most cases, accommodate all users relatively comfortably.

how differences in design can give more or less weight to particular modes oftransportation, based on the uses and needs ofeach street. This approach ensures that anyone can move comfortably through downtown, whether walking, driving or riding.

4.1.2 Distinguish Access To/Through Downtown from Movement Within

Distinct transportation solutions are required for addressing access to or through downtown and movement within it. We should clearly distinguish between these two goals and decide where and when each one is appropriate. A street’s design should then reflect the particular needs ofits uses and users. Through traffic should be consolidated and channeled in or out ofdowntown, while interior streets should support slower movement and pedestrian modes. After all, once entering downtown, “drivers eventually become pedestrians, an important but often overlooked component offunctional streets.”20

4.2 Optimize Use ofTransportation Infrastructure

In many cases, it is the mismanagement and not the lack oftransportation infrastructure that causes mobility problems, and we should always ensure that we’re making the most ofwhat we already have. Improvements should focus first on better use ofexisting transportation resources, which will in turn help us identify where and why new infrastructure development is most needed.

4.2.1 Develop More Efficient Parking Strategies

In Austin, as well as many other cities, a lack ofpublic parking in downtown is frequently cited as something that discourages development. Increasing the parking supply therefore seems a logical response. “Unfortunately, commu-

nities that have gone to great lengths in creating downtown parking lots and decks, without making other needed improvements in their downtowns, have learned the fallacy ofthis myth...In fact, in the vast majority ofdowntowns where there is a parking problem, it is one ofparking management rather than one ofparking supply.” 21 We should therefore focus on improved management ofexisting parking before encouraging more lots and garages. Improvements could include encouraging access for different users at different times as well as developing better pedestrian and transit connections between parking and destinations.

4.2.2 Improve and Expand Public Transit

Only 8% ofAustin’s commuters currently use public transit, a low number even in relative terms. Houston, for instance, manages to get 20% ofits commuters on transit, and Portland, Oregon captures 40%.22 The lack ofpublic transportation use has been a consistent problem in Austin. No single or simple solution will remedy this problem, but a need for improvement clearly exists. We should strive to improve the usefulness ofour transit services and make sure that we develop and market all ofits varied benefits.23

Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman

The importance of effective mass transit will only increase with Austin’s growth.

18 Whit Blanton,“Integrating Land Use and Transportation,” Planning Commissioners Journal #40 (Fall 2000).

19Kelly Daniel,“Street plan could change downtown’s direction,” Austin AmericanStatesman,7 April 2002.

20Richard Untermann,“Taming the Automobile,” Planners’ Web Transportation Planning Topics,<http://www.plannersweb.com/wfiles/w579.html>.

21Dolores P.Palma,“Myths About Downtown Revitalization,” in The Inner-City,339.

22R/UDAT Review,“Creating a Great Downtown” (2000).

23For instance,because the costs of car ownership and use are much higher than using public transit,lenders in some cities have begun factoring in those savings and offering “Location Efficient Mortgages” to those that would not otherwise qualify.see, <http://www.locationefficiency.com.html>.

Livability

“Livability is more than a matter ofphysical design, more than a matter ofamenities. It is a matter of essentials — safety, health, jobs, justice, and environmental concerns — that build a sense of community and ofindividual worth within the community.”

— The Livable City:Revitalizing Urban Communities

In Austin, we often cite our quality oflife as one ofour most important community assets. Still, what constitutes “livability,” or a good “quality oflife,” is never easy to define in precise terms. This is mainly because it represents a combination ofso many qualities, not to mention the ways in which they interact. In general, livability requires healthy social, economic and physical environments, which combine to provide the “essential” support structure ofurban life and create a comfortable and desirable community in which to live.

Downtown development must be supported by, and integrated with, a diverse community ofcentral-city residents. A livable city geographically unites its economic development with the people necessary to support and maintain it, an underlying principle of“Smart

Growth” and an important reason for supporting downtown residential development. It is also an important reason for supporting affordable housing in Central Austin, as the varied aspects ofa downtown economy require people with equally varied skills and income-levels.

A livable downtown cannot be generated, however, simply by adding residential units. Downtown must be a neighborhood in its own right, with “places to play, direct access to food shopping and services, and neighbors.” 24 Although downtown may never be as pristine or protected as some suburban enclaves, it should feel safe and clean. A livable city must also support the development ofits citizens, with access to good schools at all levels and opportunities for work. Livability also depends, and not least ofall, on maintaining a healthy and comfortable physical environment.

The issue oflivability is compounded somewhat in downtown because it must accommodate such a range ofuses and users, all of whom “live” a part oftheir lives in downtown. A livable downtown

must therefore also incorporate the needs ofnon-resident users. We want to encourage people from around the region and elsewhere to enjoy downtown’s special qualities, to visit its parks and cultural amenities and to work, shop and play there. So, we must be careful to address the sometimes conflicting interests ofresidents and visitors. By sensitively integrating all ofdowntown’s various uses, we can develop a truly livable city for everyone.

5.1 Support Downtown Living

Downtown residents are an especially important presence, creating steady markets and resources for services and businesses and adding more constant activity and vitality to the city. Their consistent presence helps counteract the city’s inhuman scale and encourages others to visit and live in downtown.

5.1.1

Continue to Encourage Downtown Residential Development

With high occupancy rates in downtown’s existing residential developments and even more projects under construction, there is already a clear interest in downtown living. 25 The downtown core is also surrounded by several

successful and vital residential neighborhoods, which represent “substantive assets to a city’s downtown housing and revitalization strategies.” 26 We must continue to encourage the development ofhousing in both downtown and its immediate surroundings.

5.1.2 Ensure the Availability of Affordable Housing

Austin faces a significant shortage ofaffordable housing, especially in and around downtown, and the problem is not at all limited to the poor. Across America, “Firefighters, schoolteachers, administrative assistants, indeed, people from all walks oflife, often have to pay well beyond their means for their home. . . Nearly 15 percent ofAmerican families — 13.7 million households — pay more than 50 percent of their income for rent or live in a slum, even though some of these families earn up to 120 percent ofthe median income for the county in which they live.”27 In Austin, there seems to be a common misconception that the development ofaffordable housing is impossible in the central city, due to the high price ofland. Innumerable American cities, however, have overcome similar odds and developed successful affordable housing projects. It is true that we cannot rely on traditional, market-driven development to produce affordable housing, but creative solutions that unite public, private and non-profit support and leadership can succeed.

5.1.3 Develop Resident-Oriented Services and Amenities

Downtown residents require a support structure ofservices and amenities that allow them to conduct their daily business. Markets, dry cleaners, pharmacies and the like are essential to establishing a functioning downtown residential community. To be truly livable, downtown’s services must also extend beyond these basic amenities to include access to work, good schools and health care.

5.2 Foster a Healthy and Comfortable Physical Environment

A livable physical environment is important to everyone who spends time in downtown. Clean air and water are essential to the health ofall ofAustin’s citizens, and efforts to protect those resources should focus on downtown, where pollutants are most concentrated. The built environment must also be comfortable. Well-kept streets and sidewalks that are shaded from the summer sun invite both residents and visitors into the city’s public spaces, creating an active and vital downtown environment that everyone can enjoy.

5.2.1 Protect Downtown’s Natural Resources

A healthy downtown environment depends on the protection ofits natural resources. Any Austinite can attest to the cooling value ofAustin’s trees and creeks during the summer months, but those resources also help filter pollutants, contributing to the maintenance ofthe city’s air and water quality. For downtown development to be environmentally sustainable, we must always consider the extent ofour impact on Austin’s urban ecology and strive to minimize negative impacts to important natural resources.

5.2.2 Maintain and Enhance Downtown’s Built Environment

The built environment ofDowntown Austin is also an important component ofits livability. The design of downtown’s buildings, streets and sidewalks should always consider the comfort oftheir users and address their contribution to one’s experience ofthe city. Elements that contribute to an inviting and livable exterior environment, such as shade trees, awnings and street furniture, must be incorporated. Maintenance is also an important issue. People’s “first impressions” will always influence their general outlook on downtown and will also affect the likelihood of their wanting to live there or visit. Like a house in need of paint, poorly maintained streets and sidewalks often look much worse than they actually are, making downtown seem unsafe and uninviting. Even minimal maintenance efforts help to generate a more positive impression and a more livable environment.

5.3 Foster an Inclusive and Supportive Social Environment

The active and lively environment that we seek for downtown also brings a diverse collection ofpeople together. This social interaction is an important and positive aspect ofdowntown life, but it must be facilitated by a supportive environment. Encounters with different kinds of people often include an element ofuncertainty and fear, and we must ensure that everyone feels safe and unthreatened in downtown. With all the varied interests and habits ofdowntown’s users, conflicts have, and will continue to arise. To ensure a comfortable and mutually beneficial social environment, we must take active steps to anticipate problems and work out solutions that allow for everyone’s co-habitation.

5.3.1 Ensure a Feeling of Safety

A mutual feeling ofsafety is essential to encouraging diverse groups ofpeople to live in and visit downtown.

People’s perceptions are equally, ifnot more, important than the city’s actual risks. Creating places that are well-lit, well-maintained, relatively clean and, perhaps most importantly, full ofpeople is therefore the best strategy for generating a safe environment.

5.3.2 Separate Incompatible Users

Conflicts among downtown’s users are most frequently related to the proximity ofincompatible users. For instance, the late-night noise ofAustin’s live-music establishments has consistently conflicted with the needs of downtown residents.

28 Although we must learn to compromise in downtown ifwe want to support multiple and 24hour uses, we should also attempt to steer obviously incompatible users away from each other. Note that the conflicts relate more to users than to uses. For instance, housing for families or the elderly may not mix well with bars and music venues, but affordable housing marketed to service industry workers and musicians most likely would.

24 Moulton,“A Living Downtown.”

25 Shonda Novak,“Downtown residences rising:New apartment projects pick up after slowdown,” Austin American Statesman,23 April 2002,D-1.

26 Moulton,“A Living Downtown.”

27 Michael Bodaken and Anne Heitlinger,“Providing Affordable Housing,” Planning Commissioners Journal 45 (Winter 2002).

28 Stephen Scheibal,“Noise edict is not yet ready,” Austin American-Statesman,25 April 2002.

Housing for families or the elderly may not mix well with bars and music venues, but affordable housing marketed to service industry workers and musicians most likely would.

Economic Sustainability

“No individual plant or store or business can guarantee long-term economic success to a community. Only by investing in the economic infrastructure - its people, its places, and its networks - can the American community hope to remain competitive during the twenty-first century.”

— The Livable City:Revitalizing Urban Communities

There is no clear or simple path to economic sustainability. Whereas in the past a city may have built its economy around a single, large employer or business sector, that strategy is no longer viable. In the new global economy, where “factories, companies, and even industrial sectors will come and go, often in the space ofa few years,” economic diversity is clearly the key. 29 Economic diversity cannot be accomplished, however, solely by applying traditional economic development measures, such as subsidies and incentives, to a wider array ofbusiness interests. Sustainable economic development requires a much broader and somewhat indirect approach that “depends on a balance between a strong business community, a healthy environment and a good quality oflife.” 30

When it comes to attracting and retaining businesses, “Competitive advantage is now found solely in the combination of people and place and the networking among people and institutions within proximity ofone another.” 31 It takes a unique combination ofassets, consolidated within a region, to sustain investments. A sound economic base depends on that region’s ability to connect and integrate those resources to compete collectively in global markets. In this model, downtown serves a crucial role as the region’s “capital,” a common hub that connects the area’s varied assets and provides networks ofsupport.

The development and maintenance ofdowntown’s support networks requires several things. Downtown must have a diverse economic base ofits own, with businesses and workers that can contribute a variety ofskills and resources. To attract investors, downtown must also exhibit a stable and consistent economic environment. Downtown must also be a center for ideas and ingenuity,

making use ofits “human capital” to develop creative and effective ways ofuniting the region’s assets.

6.1 Encourage Economic Diversity

Economic diversity is key to sustaining downtown. A diverse local economy not only protects the city from downturns in a particular market, it also provides a broad range ofthe many smaller pieces that must be assembled for global competitiveness. By supporting the full range ofAustin’s businesses and markets, we ensure ourselves a variety ofestablished economic tools that can be drawn from in present and future endeavors.

6.1.1 Support Small Business Development

Small businesses are a vital component ofa sustainable economy. They develop from within the community, filling identified gaps and solidifying our economic base. They can also often become “seed” projects or “incubators” that spur additional investment and new businesses. “A globally competitive community levels the playing field for existing smaller companies and start-ups, declaring them as eligible as large companies for expansion incentives consistent with their potential for creating new jobs over time.”32

6.1.2 Support Mixed-Use Development

Mixing uses in downtown serves several important purposes. It ensures a distribution ofdowntown investment among diverse markets, but it also consolidates a broader group ofpeople and businesses, offering more opportunities to pool resources and develop creative partnerships.

6.2 Favor Steady Growth over Booms and Busts

Economic booms and busts take a serious toll on investors’ and citizens’ confidence in a city. The local government must take a leadership role, investing consistently and wisely toward long-term goals. Market forces are often beyond anyone’s control, and hindsight is always 20/20, but Austin’s local government must be careful not to encourage or support hasty development based on a booming market. Regardless ofeconomic conditions, the City must examine projects carefully and make decisions that support downtown’s success well into the future.

6.2.1 Maintain a Consistent, Long-Term Public Investment

Public investment in downtown should not depend solely on market conditions. An important role ofthe local government is to temper fluctuations in the private market by investing consistently in the long-term economic health of the community. Those investments eventually demonstrate the community’s well-being to private interests. Every successful program for downtown economic development cited in a 1990 study by the National Center for the Revitalization ofCentral Cities involved the use ofpublic investment as a catalyst to spur private development. 33

6.2.2 Don’t Sacrifice Quality for Expediency

The development process should be clarified and simplified for everyone. “Streamlining” a project without appropriate scrutiny, however, is not an acceptable solution. Expediting a project must not allow its quality to be compromised.

Many cities have benefited from uniting the varied resources ofpublic, private and not-for-profit entities in single projects and overall development strategies.

6.3 Encourage Economic Linkages

As discussed above, a city’s competitiveness depends on its being able to unite and support its economic resources. We should encourage people and businesses to establish those linkages in downtown, and to use their pooled resources toward the betterment ofour community.

6.3.1 Form Public/Private Partnerships

According to the 1990 study cited above, public-private partnerships are essential to successful downtown revitalization strategies. In fact, “Perhaps no other single strategy has been as critical to the success ofredevelopment projects.” Public/private partnerships are not limited to city incentives and subsidies for private developers. Many cities have benefited from uniting the varied resources ofpublic, private and not-for-profit entities in single projects and overall development strategies.

6.3.2 Encourage Multi-Source Funding

Many projects will have trouble securing all the necessary funding from a single source. In cities across the country, however, creative individuals and groups have assembled the necessary funds to complete their projects. This, again, requires the involvement and cooperation ofall ofthe city’s resources in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

29 Partners for Livable Communities,The Livable City:Revitalizing Urban Communities (New York:McGraw-Hill,2000):81.

30 David B.Bowes,"Creating Globally Competitive Communities," in The Inner City,43.

31 Livable Communities,The Livable City,81.

32 Bowes,"Globally Competitive Communities," 51.

33 Fritz W.Wagner,Timothy E.Joder and Anthony J.Mumphrey,Jr.,eds,Urban Revitalization: Policies and Programs (Thousand Oaks,CA:Sage Publications,1995):xii.

34 Wagner,Joder and Mumphrey,Jr.,eds.,Urban Revitalization.

Conclusion

Cranes,like the the famous Congress Avenue bats,are a familiar

When considered together, the six elements ofthe Heritage Austin vision — People, Place, Fabric, Mobility, Livability and Economic Sustainability — provide a more complete and unified context for discussions ofdowntown development. Contrary to how planning and development are often approached and perceived in Austin, no single action or plan ofaction can succeed independently. We must understand all ofour choices as related and interdependent components ofour broader goals and ensure that decisions are guided by a clear and consistent vision ofwhat we want our city to be.

Heritage Austin is intended to serve as such a vision, illustrating how Austinites’ varied goals for downtown can be integrated to create a community that meets everyone’s needs. It would be ridiculous to suppose that all ofAustin’s residents have the same needs or desires, and not every aspect ofthe preceding vision will appeal to everyone. What is important is that no aspect ofHeritage Austin necessarily precludes any other goal contained within it. Support ofone aim does not

negate the possibility ofalso realizing many others, even when they may seem to conflict. We can have a downtown that encourages economic growth and physical improvement without alienating our own citizens or sacrificing the qualities ofour city that kept or brought us here in the first place.

Although the vision is admittedly hopeful and optimistic, we must understand that these goals are not impossible or even unrealistic. Successful projects in Austin and cities across the country have shown that, with clear goals and a defined purpose, dedicated citizens can accomplish almost anything, often with far more meager resources than are available to us in Austin. Without planning, however, our citizens’ energy and will are consumed by negative action and protest. Rather than waiting for incongruous, haphazard proposals that inevitably divide us, we must work proactively and collectively to guide the future of Austin as a whole.

Perhaps the most important aspect ofthe Heritage Austin vision, then, is that it allows us to step back and see how all of our goals can fit together. The negative effects ofdevelopment are rarely tied to a single, specific action. More often, it is too heavy a focus, over time, on one aspect ofour community’s

development. The Heritage Austin vision is therefore one of balanced and complimentary development — market-rate housing balanced with affordable housing, new construction balanced with historic preservation, automobile traffic balanced with pedestrians and transit, residential development complemented by services and amenities, large investments complemented by more consistent, smaller investments, etc.

We have learned many times over that we cannot stop people from moving here, we cannot stop the rising costs ofour city’s success and we cannot stop change. Instead ofwaiting until the things that we value are threatened by these changes, we must use planning to anticipate future development and actively shape and balance it according to our community’s vision. By compiling our goals, illustrating their interrelation and demonstrating the possibility oftheir integration, Heritage Austin represents the first step in that process. The ultimate success ofdowntown and all ofAustin, however, requires that we all accept a more active, positive role in moving our community toward the realization ofour vision.

Austin Planning Documents

Bibliography

Citizens’ Planning Committee Report. January 1995.

Downtown Austin Comprehensive Parking Study (Draft). 2000.

Downtown Austin Design Guidelines. 2000.

Downtown Great Streets Master Plan (Draft). 2002

R/UDAT Austin. 1991.

R/UDAT Austin Implementation Committee. “A Call to Action.” 1992.

R/UDAT Austin Revisited Committee. “A Call to Finish.” 1997.

R/UDAT Review. “Creating a Great Downtown.” 2000.

Seaholm District Master Plan (Draft). 2002.

Town Lake Park Comprehensive Plan. 1987.

Additional Sources

Blanton, Whit. “Integrating Land Use and Transportation.” Planning Commissioners Journal 40 (Fall 2000).

Bodaken, Michael and Anne Heitlinger. “Providing Affordable Housing,” Planning Commissioners Journal 45 (Winter 2002).

Burcham, Lisa. “Urban Revitalization: When Rehab Grows Up.” Preservation Forum 14:3 (Spring 2000). Carter, Donna and Associates. “Downtown Pedestrian Gateways.” Downtown Austin Alliance Issue Paper No. 8 (November 1997).

Chandler, Michael. “The 21st Century Comprehensive Plan.” Planning Commissioners Journal 31 (Summer 1998).

Daniel, Kelly. “Street plan could change downtown’s direction.” Austin American-Statesman. 7 April 2002.

Gerkens, Larry. “Comprehensive Plan.” Planners’ Web Planning ABC’s, <http://www.plannersweb.com/ planning-abcs/c.html>.

Kalinosky, Leah. “Does Smart Growth = Equitable Growth?” Planning Commissioners Journal 45 (Winter 2002). Kemp, Roger L., ed. The Inner City: A Handbook for Renewal (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2001).

Kennedy, Maureen and Paul Leonard. “Dealing with Neighborhood Change: A Primer on Gentrification and Policy Choices.” A Discussion Paper prepared for the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy (April 2001).

Novak, Shonda. “Downtown residences rising: New apartment projects pick up after slowdown.” Austin American- Statesman. 23 April 2002. Partners for Livable Communities. The Livable City: Revitalizing Urban Communities (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000).

Scheibal, Stephen. “Noise edict is not yet ready,” Austin American-Statesman. 25 April 2002.

Untermann, Richard. “Taming the Automobile.” Planners’ Web Transportation Planning Topics. <http://www.plannersweb.com/wfiles/w579.html>.

Wagner, Fritz W., Timothy E. Joder and Anthony J. Mumphrey, Jr., eds. Urban Revitalization: Policies and Programs (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995).