Downtown Austin Vision: Shaping Our Future by Downtown Austin Alliance

THE DOWNTOWN YOU WILL ALWAYS LOVE

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE M AY 2 0 1 8

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS STEERING COMMITTEE Mike Kennedy, Avison Young (Committee Chair)

Christopher Kennedy, Leadership Austin

David Bodenman, Highland Resources Inc.

Tim LaFrey, Seton Healthcare Family

Barbary Brunner, Austin Technology Council

Teddy McDaniel III, Austin Area Urban League

Greg Canally, City of Austin

Carol Polumbo, McCall, Parkhurst & Horton L.L.P

Donna Carter, Carter Design Associates John-Michael Cortez, Office of Mayor Steve Adler Mario Flores, Mario Flores Attorney at Law Jerry Frey, CBRE Charles Heimsath, Capitol Market Research Todd Hemingson, Capital Metro

Belinda Powell, Community Volunteer Jim Ritts, Austin Theatre Alliance David Smith, United Way for Greater Austin Robert D. Thomas, Texas Facilities Commission Jennifer Wiebrand, Gables Residential

PROJECT ADVISOR

EDITOR

M. Crane & Associates, Inc.

Erica Hess, Plume

ENGAGEMENT PARTNERS Group Solutions RJW Public City P H O T O G R A P H Y Giulio Sciorio Michael Knox

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Tim Hendricks, Cousins Properties Inc.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE Dewitt Peart, President and CEO Melissa Barry, Vice President, Planning Vanessa Olson, Public Relations Manager Allyssa Hrynyk, Planning and Urban Design Manager

DOWNTOWNAUSTIN.COM 512.469.1766

@DOWNTOWNATXINFO

DEC 2018 VERSION

@DOWNTOWNAUSTIN

@DOWNTOWNAUSTINALLIANCE

CONTENTS

Letter from Steering Committee Chair

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION ..................................................1 Why a vision?

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ........................ 8.

VISION AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES . ... 22

4 5

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES ............... 41

Summary of Findings

Downtown Austin's Future

NEXT STEPS ..................................................... 42. Towards Successful Implementation

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

A LETTER FROM

THE STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIR “If we are to preserve what is special about Austin and make the growth work for the entire community, we need a vision and the leadership to make it happen.”

I am proud to live in our community with its culture of strong values and ideas. During the engagement process, we covered many topics with our participants, including art, music, parks, and of course traffic. What we heard the most was, “make downtown welcoming for everyone.” And “everyone” means those from all over the city, region, country and world; the artists and musicians that give Austin its unique charm; people from all different backgrounds, income levels and the most vulnerable individuals in our community. It is with great enthusiasm that we share with you the Downtown Austin Vision. This vision instills a broad sense of ownership and urgency around shaping the next era of downtown. It provides to one and all a clear and direct compass to point downtown in a continued positive direction so we can grow with intention. This vision will guide the work of the Downtown Alliance for years to come, and will ensure our downtown is one that you will always love. Welcome!

MIKE KENNEDY Chair, Downtown Austin Vision Steering Committee

GU IL IO SC IOR IO

t the Downtown Austin Alliance, we’re dedicated to creating, preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of downtown Austin. The unstoppable growth around us means the opportunities and challenges facing downtown are bigger than ever. If we are to preserve what is special about downtown and make Austin’s growth work for the entire community, we need a vision for our future and the perseverance of Downtown Alliance leadership to make it happen. With Austin’s bicentennial approaching in 2039, now is the time for that vision. This year, the Downtown Alliance took the lead on discovering the community’s collective vision of downtown Austin’s future and identifying long-term strategic priorities for making that vision a reality. This process was guided by a steering committee of dedicated community leaders who are advocates for downtown Austin. It was my great honor to chair this committee. Shaping the vision was a community-wide effort. We spent a year collecting input from community leaders, public and private organizations, residents and businesses. We engaged 3,000 people in 75 ZIP codes, using surveys, focus groups, interviews and events to learn their aspirations for downtown. We made a point to directly engage the diverse population that represents our city’s future.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

EXECUTIVE . SUMMARY

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION The Downtown Austin Vision is the north star to guide the future of downtown toward the community’s values and aspirations for a thriving, welcoming, vibrant and connected downtown.

MI C HAE L KN OX

n the fall of 2017, more than 3,000 Austin-area residents helped shape an ambitious vision for the future of downtown Austin. This extensive public engagement process was led by the Downtown Austin Alliance in partnership with an experienced group of Austin-based engagement consultants, with the goal of gaining insight into residents’ values and aspirations for their downtown. The visioning process was robust and inclusive, reaching a diverse population from all over Austin through workshops, events, interviews, focus groups and an online survey. The process elicited candid concerns and generated thousands of thoughts and ideas. Participants were passionate about sharing their ideas, recognizing that downtown Austin is at a crossroads. The majority of residents who participated in the visioning process said they love downtown and value the role it plays for our city. However, the process also revealed that downtown has a lot of room for improvement. Austin is one of the fastest-growing cities and most desirable places to live in the U.S. Downtown plays a critical role as the region’s economic, governmental and

cultural center. The area’s growth represents opportunities for innovation, collaboration, recreation, arts and culture— opportunities that can benefit the entire region. At the same time, growth has amplified affordability and mobility challenges. Much has already been accomplished to serve our growing population, transforming parts of downtown Austin into model places. Within the last few years, significant investments have been made downtown in new buildings, parks and green spaces, a new central library, a flood diversion tunnel, roadways and transit planning, and a state-of-the-art teaching hospital. Downtown must build on these efforts, anticipate trends and continue to evolve into a more thriving, welcoming, vibrant and connected place that improves the way we live. The Downtown Austin Vision is a guide for evolving in a way that supports our community’s values and aspirations. It is a catalyst for the Downtown Austin Alliance, along with other Austin leaders and citizens, to leverage downtown’s prosperity and enhance its value for the entire community.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

OVER 3,000 VOICES HELPED SHAPE THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION 16 FOCUS

14 WORKSHOPS AND

(141 Participants)

(300+ Participants)

2,200 ONLINE SURVEY RESPONSES

“A walkable city that sparks creativity and innovation.”

GROUPS

8 THE COMMUNITY'S TABLE EVENTS

(290+ Participants)

EVENTS

24 COMMUNITY LEADER INTERVIEWS

“I like Austin's focus on the arts, and its cultural diversity. People here love self-expression, and I think that should always be something Austin hangs its hat on. ”

“More green spaces with large trees to cool downtown.”

“I don't think that downtown can be everything to everyone, but it should be the most significant contributor to Austin's identity as a progressive civic, cultural and commercial center. ”

“A patchwork quilt of cultural assets at all scales.”

“A growing city is a healthy city.” Generating

10,000+

THOUGHTS & IDEAS DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

THE DOWNTOWN YOU WILL ALWAYS LOVE More than 3,000 Austinites helped shape this vision for downtown Austin, identifying four priorities that work together to create and sustain the downtown you will always love. By the year 2039 —Austin’s 200th birthday— downtown will be a place with vibrant neighborhoods and places that welcome everyone. It will be a place that is convenient to get to and enjoyable to get around. Because of this, downtown will thrive and prosper. And when downtown prospers, so does the entire region.

PRIORITIES THRIVING CENTER

WELCOMING PLACES

Downtown is the thriving center of business and community life, creating economic prosperity for the entire region.

Downtown is beloved for diverse and engaging parks, places and experiences that attract and welcome everyone.

1. Maintain and promote downtown as the region’s primary business and cultural center.

1. Deliver a consistently clean and safe downtown experience.

2. Continue to attract and grow new businesses, residents and visitors to foster downtown’s economy. 3. Foster a range of attainable creative office and start-up spaces. 4. Preserve and grow existing retail businesses, historic and cultural assets. Attract new ones. 5. Position downtown for a successful retail future. 6. Invest in and grow the local workforce downtown.

2. Broadly address the needs of people experiencing homelessness, and the associated impacts. 3. Transform public spaces into an integrated, walkable, vibrant experience of arts, greenspace, music, culture and creativity- for everyone. 4. Create new parks, places and connections where possible. 5. Maximize the green infrastructure benefits of the public realm. 6. Tell the varied stories of Austin and its people in downtown’s public places. 7. Leverage the waterfront as an integral part of the downtown experience.

GROWING NEIGHBORHOODS

LEADING MOBILITY

Downtown is a growing and ever-evolving tapestry of complete, vibrant and walkable neighborhoods and districts that express Austin’s authentic character.

Downtown is the leader and champion of innovative urban transportation alternatives.

1. Grow downtown’s unique and vibrant mixed-use neighborhoods and districts. Preserve and leverage what is authentically Austin as we grow—history, nature, music, art, and culture.

2. Provide a variety of options for people to get to and from downtown, including a robust transit network in central Austin.

2. Foster the growth of a more diverse downtown residential population. 3. Make downtown a familyfriendly place to live and visit. 4. Create extremely vibrant and walkable streets. 5. Plan collaboratively for downtown’s evolving edges, connections and urban density.

1. Create compact centers and corridors in Austin’s central core.

3. Provide a variety of options for people to get around downtown. 4. Position downtown as the leader and hub of smart mobility technology. 5. Improve the experience and availability of parking in downtown while planning smartly for the future. 6. Maximize effective transportation options for downtown commuters, visitors and residents.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES AND NEXT STEPS

Transformative initiatives are cross-cutting, each helping to advance significantly two or more of the Downtown Austin Vision’s priorities.

1. A DVA N CE AUS TI N ’S I N N OVAT ION DIST RICT, S TA RTI N G WI TH A V I S I ON F OR T HE “PL ACE ” 2. DEV ELOP A N D I MP LEMENT A ST RAT E GY TO P RES ERV E A N D EN H A N CE DOWNTOWN’S CULTURA L A N D H I S TORI CAL ASSE TS 3. COMP LETE A N D P ROMOT E T HE URBAN GREEN BELT, A N ETWORK OF PARKS AND PL ACES TH AT EN CI RCLE DOWN TOWN 4. DEV ELOP A N D I MP LEMENT A COMPRE HE NSIVE V I S I ON A N D S TRATEGI C PL AN TO ADDRESS H OMELESS N ESS 5. RECON N ECT AUS TI N (LOWE R AND CAP I-3 5 AND RECON N ECT TH E S TREET GRID)

6. CRE AT E PL ACES OUT OF SPAC ES : . CONGRESS AVE NUE AND E AS T S I XT H S T R E E T 7. CHAMPION A CE NT RAL CIT Y . T RANSIT NE T WORK

MOVING FROM VISION TO ACTION

The Downtown Austin Vision provides a framework for thinking about the evolution of downtown over the next few decades. The vision is intended to facilitate a shared understanding and direction for downtown. It is also intended to be flexible. The vision will be revised as needed to endure and keep pace with the dynamic downtown environment. This vision is ambitious, and no one entity can bring it to fruition on its own. It will take the dedicated collaboration and commitment of many entities across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The Downtown Austin Alliance will develop a comprehensive work plan for implementing the vision over time; identify specific elements of the vision that it will step up to lead, advocate for, or partner with others to achieve; track, monitor and communicate progress; and celebrate success.

GUIL I O S CI ORI O

he Downtown Austin Vision is accompanied by a set of transformative initiatives that are intended to create positive, lasting change for downtown over the next few decades. Like the vision, these initiatives should be achievable by 2039 (Austin’s 200th anniversary), with sustained progress visible by 2030. This is a working list of initiatives and will likely evolve over time to adapt to downtown’s dynamic conditions and opportunities.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

“Downtown Austin has the capacity to double the amount of its built space by growing vertically. ”

INTRODUCTION WHY A VISION?

The Downtown Austin Vision is an expression of the community’s aspirations for the future of Austin’s downtown and is meant to help guide growth and change.

MI CHAE L KNOX

ustin has been one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country for over a decade and is continually rated among the most desirable places to live and do business. Fueled by rankings such as U.S. News and World Report’s “#1 Best Place to Live” in 2017 and CNBC’s “Best Place to Start a Business” in 2017, this growth trend shows no signs of slowing. Austin’s growth is especially evident downtown—the city’s geographic, economic and civic center. Here the evolving skyline reminds residents of the changes rippling throughout the urban core. Downtown Austin’s residential population has nearly doubled in the last seven years, growing from 7,500 people in 2010 to 14,000 in 20171. Approximately 5.2 million square feet of new office space has been added since 2000 alone2. By 2040, the number of residents is expected to double again to approximately 30,000, and the number of people working downtown is expected to reach 115,000, from approximately 91,000 in 20173.

Downtown attractions also anchor Austin’s strong tourism industry. In 2017, 26 million visitors added $1 billion to the city’s economy4. Music festivals and clubs draw visitors to downtown, as do the Texas State Capitol, sporting events, conventions, museums, outdoor activities, and our famous urban bat colony. Austin’s visitor count has grown by 1 million annually for the past few years, increasing demand for event space and hotel rooms. The number of hotel rooms downtown has more than doubled since 2010. As downtown continues to add mixed-use office buildings, condos, apartments and hotels, various public and private sector entities are investing in the infrastructure needed to support a larger population. Within the last few years alone, investments have been made in urban green spaces such as Republic Square, a new Central Library, MetroRail, the Waller Creek flood diversion tunnel, and Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin and its state-of-the-art teaching hospital, Dell Seton Medical Center. Transit organizations are investing in new roadways and reevaluating mass transit corridors. DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

“If you don't know where you are going - you might end up someplace else.”

—Yogi Berra

This growth potential represents many new opportunities for innovation, collaboration, recreation, arts and culture—opportunities that can benefit the city and the entire region. At the same time, it may amplify the affordability and accessibility challenges growth has already brought to Austin. Although Austin has been at the top of many “best of ” lists, the Martin Prosperity Institute ranked Austin the “#1 Most Economically Segregated City in the U.S.” in 2017, and Forbes ranked Austin the “#2 Most Overvalued Housing Market” in 2017. Downtown is at the epicenter of the opportunities and challenges brought by Austin’s growth. The Downtown Austin Alliance initiated the creation of the Downtown Austin Vision because it is critically important for our community to have a shared understanding of downtown’s challenges and opportunities, along with a set of plans for addressing them. There is no better time to do this than now, when there is still ample room to achieve the community’s aspirations and goals. With this in mind, in February 2017 we commenced a yearlong visioning process, engaging stakeholders from all over the community to help shape downtown’s future and define what would make it a better place for all.

ABOUT THE VISION: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

The Downtown Austin Vision is a forward-looking framework that outlines the community’s collective vision of downtown Austin’s future and identifies long-term strategic priorities for making that vision a reality. Downtown Austin is the region’s economic and cultural hub, and the vision will guide decisions that affect its ongoing transformation. Visioning helps area leaders and residents develop consensus about the type of place downtown should and can become. The Downtown Austin Vision builds upon decades of downtown initiatives, including the Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) program’s efforts to revitalize downtown in 1992, 1997 and 2000, the 2011 Downtown Austin Plan and Texas State Senator Kirk Watson’s 10 Goals in 10 Years, to name a few. The Downtown Alliance facilitated the yearlong visioning process, from February 2017 to February 2018. The Downtown Austin Vision serves as the basis for the Downtown Alliance’s five-year strategic plan, which maps out how the organization will deliver and steward a worldclass downtown for the community. The Downtown Austin Vision also integrates and bolsters the efforts of many other public and private entities working on a wide range of downtown issues such as parks, mobility, culture and homelessness. The Downtown Austin Vision provides a call to action, organizing community leaders, public and private organizations, residents and business towards a shared goal. It instills a broad sense of ownership and urgency around shaping the next era of downtown and provides everyone a clear and direct compass to point downtown in the right direction.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN The Downtown Austin Plan defines downtown as the area bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the north, Lady Bird Lake on the south, I-35 on the east and Lamar Boulevard on the west. This area is roughly 1,100 acres and represents 0.5% of the City of Austin's total land area. However, many Austinites who participated in the visioning process had different definitions of downtown’s boundaries, with some using the more confined boundaries of the traditional central business district and others viewing downtown as extending well beyond the area defined in the Downtown Austin Plan.

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TEXAS STATE CAPITOL

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WOOLDRIDGE SQUARE W 9TH ST

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SALTILLO

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BRUSH SQUARE

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DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

LEADERSHIP FROM DOWNTOWN ADVOCATES

The Downtown Austin Vision was initiated by the Downtown Austin Alliance and guided by a 20-member Steering Committee. The committee members provided leadership, guidance and a diversity of expertise throughout the yearlong visioning process. They actively reviewed research, engaged in thoughtful discussion, listened to the voice of the broader community, and eventually adopted a vision and strategic priorities for shaping the future of downtown Austin.

MIKE KENNEDY, Avison Young (Committee Chair) DAVID BODENMAN, Highland Resources Inc. BARBARY BRUNNER, Austin Technology Council GREG CANALLY, City of Austin DONNA CARTER, Carter Design Associates JOHN-MICHAEL CORTEZ, Office of Mayor Steve Adler

A VISION SHAPED BY THE COMMUNITY

To shape an ambitious but realistic vision for downtown Austin, the Steering Committee and the Downtown Alliance team developed a visioning process that was inclusive, balanced, collaborative and bold. We developed a robust community engagement campaign that invited thousands of community members to identify their values and priorities, describe what is special about downtown Austin, and develop a shared image for the future of downtown. The process was designed to ensure the Downtown Austin Vision would not only belong to those that live and work in downtown, but to all Austinites. The resulting Vision is one that everyone could be proud of and rally behind to make it happen. Section 2 of this report provides a summary of the community engagement campaign, along with key themes that emerged from the process. The resulting Downtown Austin Vision is presented in depth in Section 3, along with a strategic framework for working toward it. Chapter 4 outlines the next steps to successfully implement and achieve the vision.

MARIO FLORES, Mario Flores Attorney at Law JERRY FREY, CBRE CHARLES HEIMSATH, Capitol Market Research TODD HEMINGSON, Capital Metro TIM HENDRICKS, Cousins Properties Inc. CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY, Leadership Austin TIM LAFREY, Seton Healthcare Family TEDDY MCDANIEL III, Austin Area Urban League CAROL POLUMBO, McCall, Parkhurst & Horton L.L.P. BELINDA POWELL, Community Volunteer JIM RITTS, Austin Theatre Alliance DAVID SMITH, United Way for Greater Austin ROBERT D. THOMAS, Texas Facilities Commission

GUI LI O SCI ORI O

JENNIFER WIEBRAND, Gables Residential

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE The Downtown Austin Alliance is a nonprofit organization that works with property owners, residents, business owners, community organizations and government entities to create, preserve and enhance the value and vitality of downtown Austin. It was founded in 1993, through the creation of a downtown Public Improvement District to address downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique needs. The Downtown Austin Alliance is a leader and full-time advocate for downtown.

Youth from the Totally Cool Totally Art program at Dove Springs Recreation Center enjoyed drawing their vision for downtown at a visioning event.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

OUR AUSTIN STORY

DOWNTOWN: THE BIRTH PLACE OF AUSTIN Austin began with a bang. In 1838, Republic of Texas President-elect Mirabeau Lamar accepted an invitation from his friend, Jacob Harrell, to hunt in Central Texas. Harrell had established a trading post called Waterloo on the Colorado River near the mouth of Shoal Creek. During this trip, Lamar would remark that “this should be the seat of the future Empire.” With those words, Lamar ended President Sam Houston’s hope of the capital remaining in his namesake. Lamar took office several months after the hunt. The Texas Congress appointed a site-selection commission to locate a site for a new permanent capital. They chose a place on the western frontier, specifically Harrell’s Waterloo. Lamar chose Judge Edwin Waller to survey the site, sell lots, and erect public buildings for the new state capital. Waller narrowed his plan to 640 acres of land that fronted the Colorado River between two creeks that were eventually named Shoal and Waller. Waller designed a 14-block grid bisected by a broad thoroughfare called Congress Avenue, running up from the river to a new central square (Capitol Square), where he strategically positioned the new Texas State Capitol as a focal point in the center of the plan. In Waller’s plan, Congress Avenue was (and still is) the geographic and cultural center of the new capital city. Waller’s design also reserved four smaller city blocks for civic squares, which were originally named Bell (now Wooldridge), Hamilton (now the First Baptist Church), Hemphill (now Republic) and Brush5. Waller’s historic plan is still strongly visible today and grounds Austin in its past,

“During this period of extraordinary change, the Downtown Austin Vision is a catalyst for the Downtown Austin Alliance, along with other Austin leaders and citizens, to build on downtown’s growth and prosperity, enhancing its value to the entire community.” This birds eye view of Austin in 18736 illustrates how Waller placed Austin’s grid plan neatly between two creeks with Congress at the center axis heading from the Colorado River up to the Capitol.

AUGUSTUS KO C H, 1873

providing a strong launching pad for an even better future.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody. —Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961

and types of employment status. They included Spanish and English speakers, Austin newcomers and longtime residents, and people with and without children. Though each component of the community engagement had limitations, in combination they captured the input of a broad spectrum of area residents. The process elicited candid expression of concerns and generated thousands of thoughts and ideas—providing considerable insight into the community’s perceptions of and aspirations for downtown Austin.

Participants from the visioning process came out to celebrate the unveiling of The Community’s Table in Republic Square.

GU IL IO SC IOR IO

he Downtown Austin Vision reflects the values and opinions of more than 3,000 Austin-area residents. From August – October 2017, the Downtown Austin Alliance led an extensive public engagement campaign to solicit residents’ goals for shaping the future of downtown Austin. The campaign was robust and inclusive, reaching a diverse population through workshops, events, interviews, focus groups and an online survey. People from all over Austin participated in the visioning process. Events were purposefully held in a variety of locations across the region. Almost 90 percent of participants lived outside of downtown, hailing from more than 75 ZIP codes. Participants included women and men of all ages, from all education levels, income levels,

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

BY THE NUMBERS:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SCOPE

SUMMARY OF SCOPE AND REACH OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

OVER 3,000 PARTICIPANTS = 10,000+ THOUGHTS AND IDEAS

2,200 ONLINE SURVEY

8 THE COMMUNITY'S

RESPONSES

TABLE EVENTS

14 WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

16 FOCUS

(290+ Participants)

(300+ Participants)

GROUPS (141 Participants)

24 COMMUNITY LEADER INTERVIEWS

To gain the insights needed to shape the Downtown Austin Vision, the Downtown Austin Alliance oversaw a comprehensive community engagement process in partnership with an experienced group of Austin-based engagement consultants: M. Crane & Associates, Inc., Group Solutions RJW and Public City. Together we used a number of methods and tools, outlined below, to gather input from people around Austin. We invited anyone to participate, regardless of their knowledge of, experience with, or access to downtown. Separate reports for each engagement method, which detail approaches, methodologies and key findings, are also available.

ONLINE SURVEY Led by M. Crane & Associates, Inc.

A survey, accessible online on desktop or mobile, allowed area residents to quickly and conveniently participate in the community engagement process. The short survey included a mix of closed-ended and opened-ended questions and was available in English and Spanish. The survey was open for a 6-week period from September through October 2017 and was publicized widely through community events and a variety of media. More than 2,200 people responded to the survey. As is the case for all opt-in surveys, participants did not constitute a random sample of area residents.

THE COMMUNIT Y ’S TABLE Led by Public City

Austinites were invited to make their aspirations for downtown tangible at The Community’s Table events. At these intergenerational, family-friendly events, participants could write or draw their vision for downtown on a wooden board. Local artisans from Hatch Workshop joined these “vision boards” to form a 50-foot table called “The Community’s Table.” In November 2017, the table was unveiled in Republic Square as a temporary public art installation.

FOCUS GROUPS Led by Group Solutions RJW

Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted with a diverse array of people from August – October 2017. The focus groups were held in a variety of locations throughout Austin and were designed to specifically capture the unique sentiments of people generally underrepresented by an opt-in survey. Some focus groups specifically included Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and “creatives” (visual and performing artists). Other sessions were held with stakeholder groups such as Downtown Alliance members, downtown developers, downtown residents, downtown retailers, historic preservationists, people experiencing homelessness, those who patronize downtown at night, those who patronize downtown during the day, and those who work downtown. Some participants were contacted by phone in an effort to recruit people with particular profiles; others were reached by partnering with organizations like the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, Big Medium, Preservation Austin, Mexican American Cultural Center, Asian American Resource Center and the Austin Black Chamber of Commerce.

ENGAGING YOUTH Engaging young Austinites was a particular focus of the engagement process, as they are downtown’s future. The youngest participants used crayons and artist-designed coloring books to express their visions for the future of downtown. To capture insights from Millennials and Generation Z, we conducted outreach to groups such as the Austin Young Chamber, Totally Cool Totally Art (a teen art outreach program of the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department), A Tribe Called Brunch and Caminos (a teen leadership program of the Mexican American Cultural Center). The Community’s Table events received participation by people of all ages.

INTERVIEWS WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS

COLORING BOOK

Led by Group Solutions RJW

In August – October 2017, in-person interviews were conducted with community leaders in government, education, business and social services. These interviews provided important insight into the views and aspirations of community leaders with the capacity to directly influence important decisions that impact downtown.

A coloring book with iconic downtown Austin images was designed for this project and used as an engagement tool at community events around the city. The book asked people to visually think about and “color” their future downtown and then post their visions on social media. It was especially popular with kids.

WORKSHOPS

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT

Led by Downtown Austin Alliance

Visioning workshops were facilitated with more than a dozen community groups, including the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Austin Young Chamber and residents from Austin City Council District 6. These workshops allowed participants to discuss downtown Austin’s current opportunities and challenges, brainstorm new ideas, and collaborate to develop consensus about their vision for the area’s future.

A website was created to provide a consistent and convenient way for any interested person to learn about and participate in the visioning project. In addition to hosting the community survey, the site provided information about the community engagement process, schedule and events. The “Map your Ideas” feature enabled people to map downtown locations they thought were special or unique. The site attracted over 2,000 visitors from August – October 2017.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

PROMOTION AND OUTREACH

The online survey and The Community’s Table events were actively promoted to encourage widespread participation throughout the region. Our team contacted 31 residential buildings, 39 churches, and 80 diverse community and student groups and requested they share the survey with their constituencies. We placed advertisements in newspapers including the Austin American-Statesman, Austin Chronicle, and Ahora Si, and ran advertising campaigns with Capital Metro (transit ads) and Univision (television ads). Several local news outlets covered the engagement process, including Community Impact, Austin Chronicle, Austin AmericanStatesman, Spectrum News, KWKT-TV, KLBJ-AM and KXAN-TV. Additionally, social media posts and ads, in English and Spanish, played a large part in promoting the survey and events.

OVER 75 LOCAL ZIP CODES REPRESENTED 40,000 + IMPRESSIONS FROM TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM 150,000 SPANISH LANGUAGE TV . AND DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS 500 COLORING BOOKS DISTRIBUTED . DESIGNED BY A LOCAL ARTIST 2,000 + VISITORS TO WEBPAGE 7 LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS COVERED . THE CAMPAIGN

WHAT WAS ASKED

GU IL IO SC IOR IO

Throughout the visioning process, we asked participants questions tailored to each audience and engagement method. For example, the online survey captured residents’ assessments of downtown today, their usage patterns of the area, and their ideas for making downtown better in the future. Those recruited for the focus groups and community leader interviews were asked questions about what they value most about downtown, how they think downtown can become more welcoming to diverse groups, and what changes they would suggest to ensure Austin has the country’s best downtown in 10 to 15 years. At the visioning workshops and The Community’s Table events, we asked participants to envision the best downtown Austin and what that might include. Each engagement method had its strengths and limitations for soliciting feedback, but each was important to the total body of work and resulting vision. Taken as a whole, the community engagement process captured participants’ perceptions of downtown today—including current challenges and opportunities—and their hopes and aspirations for its future.

The Community's Table event at Saint Elmo’s Public Market was hosted in partnership with A Tribe Called Brunch.

DOWNTOWN

S H A P I N G T H E F U T U R E O F D OW N TOW N AU ST I N

PICTURE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN IN 10 YEARS. What would you like to see? The Downtown Austin Alliance is facilitating a community dialogue to envision the future of downtown, and we’re committing the leadership and action to make it happen.

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In addition to traditional and social media pushes, postcards were handed out at numerous events and on various occasions around the city directing Austinites to complete the survey.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

“If Austin is not careful, we will lose our cultural identity and it will become cost-prohibitive for artists and musicians and bars and music venues, and we will no longer be the Live Music Capital of the World.”

WHAT PARTICIPANTS VALUE MOST ABOUT DOWNTOWN

These are the current assets and strengths of downtown— the characteristics, people and places we should strive to preserve and elevate as we grow. Most of the feedback in this category came from community survey respondents.

2. PARTICIPANTS’ ASPIRATIONS FOR DOWNTOWN On the contrary, participants’ aspirations for downtown point to current weaknesses and shortcomings—the characteristics, issues or places that need attention or new approaches as we grow and strive to become our best future downtown.

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Participants proudly display their vision boards from The Community’s Table event at Kenny Dorham’s backyard.

The community engagement process captured both quantitative and qualitative feedback about downtown Austin. The results of each engagement component were initially analyzed independently, but as there was enormous convergence in the findings, they are presented here in aggregate. We summarized key findings into the following two categories:

WHAT PARTICIPANTS VALUE MOST ABOUT DOWNTOWN

The majority of survey respondents (70%) stated they either “love” downtown (23%) or “like it a lot” (48%). Focus group participants and those attending The Community’s Table events expressed a similar level of enthusiasm about the future of downtown. To the extent that there were differences, younger people were generally more optimistic than older people, and newcomers were more optimistic than long-time residents. Overall, participants identified downtown’s strengths and assets as follows:

DOWNTOWN IS A GOOD PLACE FOR LIVE MUSIC Austin has long promoted itself as “The Live Music Capital of the World” and downtown is—or should be— the hub of Austin’s live music scene. Participants value the presence of live music venues, shows and fans downtown, and many expressed concern that downtown’s live music scene is threatened.

“Live music venues need to be protected . They are the essence of this city.”

DOWNTOWN DEFINES THE CITY AND THE REGION Downtown’s role as the geographic, civic and cultural center of the city is prominent. Survey respondents characterized downtown as “the community’s hub” and “essential to Austin’s character.” They also described downtown as “a source of pride” and “an essential destination to take their out-of-town visitors.”

“Downtown is what Austin is all about.”

DOWNTOWN IS THE PLACE TO . EXPERIENCE AUSTIN’S HISTORY Many participants value the historic buildings and places that can only be found downtown. Austin’s history is intrinsically linked to downtown, and this is a source of pride and distinctiveness participants love.

“The historical, unique characters and assets need to be maintained and promoted.”

D O W N TO W N I S L I V E LY A N D G R O W I N G Survey respondents generally agreed downtown is “thriving,” citing that the downtown skyline has become emblematic of the region’s vitality and large numbers of visitors and events add to that energy.

“The upbeat atmosphere and thriving social mix.”

DOWNTOWN'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS BELOVED Austin is an outdoor city, and participants said they cherish the natural environments that define downtown and provide a central source of recreation and access to nature.

“I love that I can walk from downtown to the trail and be close to nature and the lake.”

DOWNTOWN OFFERS VARIET Y Survey respondents gave downtown good marks for “offering lots of places to go and things to do.” Likewise, many focus groups, workshop and The Community’s Table participants spoke positively about the growing variety of events, food choices, parks and cultural attractions within downtown.

“I like Austin's focus on the arts, and its culturally diversity. People here love selfexpression, and I think that should always be something Austin hangs its hat on.”

DISTINCTIVENESS AND AUTHENTICITY . M AT T E R E N O R M O U S LY TO A R E A R E S I D E N TS Participants in all types of engagement expressed admiration for Austin’s unique vibe and character; it is what sets us apart from other places and is why many people choose to live here.

“One thing I really like about Austin is we’re not following a model and I like that. Austin is not pretentious; it has a certain vibe we don’t want to lose.” DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

PARTICIPANTS’ ASPIRATIONS FOR DOWNTOWN

Although there were some minor differences across the engagement methods, a holistic analysis of all participants’ feedback uncovered a clear set of downtown’s perceived weaknesses and issues. Generally, participants expressed their aspirations for a future downtown that addresses the problems of today, preserves or expands upon what people love about downtown (especially things that are threatened by growth and change), and manifests widely held community values.

KEY FINDINGS Seven aspirations emerged broadly and consistently throughout the visioning process. 1. Downtown Austin should be for everyone, and everyone should feel welcome. 2. Downtown Austin is getting too expensive and needs to be more affordable. 3. Getting to and around downtown Austin should be easy and affordable. 4. Downtown Austin should be extremely walkable and have vibrant street life. 5. Downtown should stay uniquely Austin (history, live music, local retail, the vibe). 6. Downtown Austin should have more parks and public spaces that provide a variety of environmental and societal benefits.

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7. Solutions for the homeless population are much needed—in downtown Austin and elsewhere.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE, . AND EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL WELCOME. Community engagement participants said they strongly valued a downtown that is inclusive and welcoming to people of all ethnic backgrounds, ages and income levels. Survey respondents gave downtown only fair marks in terms of being “welcoming” and lower marks for being “family friendly.” Participants in public events and focus groups likewise said they felt there should be an intentional focus on creating an environment that is hospitable for people of color. Throughout our engagement campaign, concern about diversity and inclusivity was a pervasive theme. Participants voiced a desire to embrace and celebrate the community’s diversity, including the historic and current contributions and culture of Hispanics, African Americans and Asian Americans. Participants also felt that downtown should be more welcoming for children and seniors. They called for a downtown where families could easily, conveniently and affordably live and play. They called for a downtown that is accessible for people throughout the region—people with or without cars, with or without vast amounts of time or money. Participants expressed pride in downtown and a desire to maintain an authentic, distinctive local vibe. They felt that downtown should contribute to Austin being one of the most welcoming cities in the country.

“If downtown doesn't become a place for everyone, a place with the elements of everyday life, for everyday people, it will continue to trend towards a more exclusive, more expensive place, where the primary experience may be contrary to the values that shaped this city for generations.”

Visioning participants offered heartfelt ideas and aspirations for downtown Austin, artistically sharing them on vision boards.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN IS BECOMING TOO EXPENSIVE AND NEEDS TO BE MORE AFFORDABLE. Participants expressed concern that downtown is becoming expensive—and is cost-prohibitive for some people. Survey respondents gave downtown low marks in terms of “the availability of affordable places to go and things to do.” While many community engagement participants were positive about downtown’s growth, many also felt that the related prosperity isn’t being widely experienced among the population. There was pervasive concern that the local and small businesses that made Austin famous—especially restaurants and music venues—are being priced out of the area. Participants think downtown should offer affordable (and sometimes free) transit, recreation and entertainment, as well as economical housing, food, and everyday shopping and services. Participants would like to see downtown add more affordable attractions and activities for families. Some participants expressed the need for subsidies (housing, transit, food, or otherwise) for those with lower incomes.

“I'd sure love to see more affordable housing and restaurants so everybody can be a part of downtown. Vintage businesses and restaurants shouldn't be priced out of the central city.”

“We cannot have the best downtown in the country until we can move people around.”

GETTING TO AND AROUND DOWNTOWN . SHOULD BE CONVENIENT AND AFFORDABLE Traffic and congestion were top of mind for participants as they thought about downtown’s future. They expressed concern about commute times, unsafe biking and walking environments, wayfinding difficulties and various shortcomings of public transit. In addition, many were frustrated by the experience of parking downtown—they said there isn’t enough parking, they don’t know where to find it, and it’s inconvenient and too expensive. Participants want to be able to get into and around downtown easily and safely by a variety of means, at a variety of price points. Many want a convenient, affordable and comfortable rapid transit system (light rail, subway, bullet trains, etc.) that connects the heart of downtown to all parts of the Central Texas region. This was coupled with the wish for balanced, multi-modal options for traveling within downtown, including walkable streets, connected pedestrian routes, robust bicycle amenities, and car sharing or vanpooling. There was also a call for a local downtown circulator, with some participants asking for a return of Capital Metro’s ‘Dillo shuttle. Some, especially younger people, talked about the need to plan for emerging technologies like electric and driverless cars. While participants consistently cited the need for mobility improvements, they had divergent opinions about the best overall strategies. While some called for expanded vehicular access and more affordable and convenient parking, others called for reducing or removing cars from downtown, creating more pedestrian-only streets and reducing the space allocated for on-street parking and/ or increasing parking prices to disincentivize people’s reliance on cars.

D O W N TO W N A U S T I N S H O U L D B E E X T R E M E LY . WALKABLE AND HAVE VIBRANT STREET LIFE Across the board, participants envisioned a downtown where they could get around primarily by walking, and where walking is an enjoyable, convenient means of travel. Participants characterized a walkable downtown as one that is vibrant and human-scaled, featuring tree-lined streets with large sidewalks, ample shade, lush green spaces, and engaged storefronts and cafes. They want a downtown that is full of distinct, connected, multi-use neighborhoods where everything people need for daily life—including food, retail, transit, parks, schools and daycare—is within easy walking distance. Survey respondents gave downtown low marks in terms of being a desirable place to shop. Downtown streets also need to be clean and safe. Participants noted that families, women and people of color should feel safe anywhere and anytime. Some acknowledged that the growing number of aggressive panhandlers make them feel unsafe. Participants also called for public amenities including proper lighting, drinking fountains and restrooms. Many called for better wayfinding signage that would help people navigate through downtown and would also point out the area’s natural and cultural amenities.

“Bring back the ‘dillo!”

“Downtown needs to be more vibrant, interesting, full of services, and walkable, with connected streets (not just one or two here or there).” D O W N TO W N S H O U L D S TAY U N I Q U E LY A U S T I N . One pervasive theme of participants’ input was that we must preserve and protect all aspects of downtown that reflect Austin’s unique culture, ensuring that downtown is a place like no other. Participants observed that retaining downtown’s distinctive vibe and home-grown charm requires supporting local businesses, artists, creatives, musicians, live music venues, cultural activities and stories. They cited the importance of preserving and celebrating Austin’s history, iconic buildings, landscapes, events and traditions. There was a call for more museums and galleries, art studios and exhibition spaces, and art-enriched public spaces. Participants want downtown to become increasingly colorful, stimulating and authentic. They want it to inspire them and invite them to explore. Some participants thought downtown’s growth is almost invariably at the expense of Austin’s authentic character and vibe. Others felt passionately that growth can and must respect and enhance downtown’s distinctive sense of place, and that Austin’s growing global recognition and appeal depend on maintaining its local vibe.

“Music!!! Save our music.” DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

“The great cities in the world have central green spaces – plazas – that draw people into downtown.” SOLUTIONS FOR THE HOMELESS POPULATION . ARE NEEDED- IN DOWNTOWN AND ELSEWHERE

Participants expressed strong, positive sentiments for local parks and public spaces such as Lady Bird Lake and the Capitol grounds. For many, the natural environment is a core aspect of downtown Austin’s character and appeal. They want to enhance existing urban parkland, especially surrounding Shoal Creek, Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake, with some participants calling for better access to and use of waterfront resources. There was a call for more open space of every kind—parks, trails, greenbelts, plazas, squares and more. Participants cited many values of public spaces: they are “town greens” or centers of civic gathering, places for children to play, places to be physically active, places for enjoying nature and places of respite from the increasingly dense built environment. Participants also talked about environmental stewardship and the importance of downtown parks to livability and sustainability. Some also observed that parks and public spaces are essential to ensuring that downtown is appealing and welcoming to everyone, regardless of social or economic status. Participants cited parks as places where uniquely Austin activities take place and said these should include diverse opportunities for learning, playing and socializing. They also expressed the need for low- and no-cost activities to ensure inclusivity. One community member recommended reframing downtown—not as a place of streets and buildings with parks in it but instead as a green space or parkland with buildings and streets in it.

“We need a compassionate and effective solution to the homeless problem.” GU IL IO SC IOR IO

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN SHOULD HAVE MORE PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES THAT PROVIDE A VARIET Y OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS

Many participants expressed concern for the homeless population and the effect of homelessness on the downtown Austin experience. Many participants, especially younger people, conveyed compassion for the homeless. They pointed to solutions, such as Community First! Village, that not only provide downtown’s growing homeless populations with meals or a place to sleep but also a sense of connection and community. At the same time, some participants said they experience guilt and uncertainty about how to engage with homeless people. Some feared the potential of aggressive behavior. Many of the people experiencing homelessness who offered input during a targeted focus group also said they don’t feel safe downtown. Recommended solutions were varied and generally hard to come by, as participants recognized that the issue of homelessness is multifaceted and complex.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

VISION AND STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR DOWNTOWN AUSTIN'S FUTURE

When they fall in love with a city it is for forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn't love it. —Toni Morrison, Jazz, 1992

he Downtown Austin Vision is a guide to help shape how downtown Austin grows and changes over the next 20 years. It reflects the thoughtful participation of more than 3,000 Austinites over the course of 2017 and early 2018 (described further in Section 2). It will be used to guide downtown stakeholders—including government entities, community organizations, developers, business leaders and residents—in planning, investing and decisionmaking for the next phase in downtown’s evolution. This vision for downtown is especially important now because when it comes to the making of a place, rapid growth can foster a sense of urgency. We are at a time when momentum is high, and change happens rapidly. Shortterm factors can influence decisions that have enduring and important impacts on the community’s long-term quality of life, and we have thoughtfully considered this set of priorities for downtown.

This section of the report introduces the components of the Downtown Austin Vision: a vision statement for downtown; core values to guide our work; and goals and strategies within four priority areas for achieving the vision. The end of this chapter then introduces a number of transformative initiatives that will help advance multiple dimensions of the vision. The goals and strategies are numbered for reference purposes, not as a ranking of their importance. The four goals are presented independently; however, they are interconnected and designed to work together to achieve the vision. The success of each—and ultimately of the vision—depends on the adoption and implementation of all four goals. The strategies are intended to be illustrative; the Downtown Alliance will further refine them by working with partners and stakeholders to develop a more robust implementation plan.

In order for downtown to be a place that is loved by everyone, it is imperative that it remains a desirable place to live, work and visit—by offering welcoming places and experiences, growing great neighborhoods, and by being connected and accessible to everyone. Downtown will grow and thrive by leveraging what makes it special and unique. The dense clustering of people, talent, places and activities downtown create the interactions that help spark and sustain art and music, technology and innovation. And if downtown is loved by Austinites, it will be loved by people from all over the region, country and well beyond.

CORE VALUES

Through the community engagement process for the Downtown Vision, five core values were identified. These values were expressed over and over again by Austinites participating in the process. Moving forward, the core values will guide all of the work that is done to achieve the vision. With each project, program, initiative or key decision, the core values should be consulted and integrated into the thought process to ensure that the values of the community are always expressed in downtown.

People come first. We are a welcoming and diverse community.

VISION:

THE DOWNTOWN YOU WILL ALWAYS LOVE PRIORITIES

Four priority areas help to define the goals and more detailed strategies that together will work to create and sustain the Downtown Austin Vision. Details regarding the strategies that will help achieve each of the four priorities and goals follow.

THRIVING CENTER:

Downtown is the thriving center of business and community life, creating economic prosperity for the entire region.

WELCOMING PLACES:

2. We create prosperity that is shared by the entire region.

Downtown is beloved for diverse and engaging parks, places and experiences that attract and welcome everyone.

3. We grow with shared intention.

GROWING NEIGHBORHOODS:

4. We celebrate, leverage and develop what is unique and authentic. 5. We cultivate and foster innovation and sustainability in everything we do.

Downtown is a growing and ever-evolving tapestry of complete, vibrant and walkable neighborhoods and districts that express Austin’s authentic character— history, art, music, nature and culture.

LEADING MOBILIT Y:

Downtown is the leader and champion of innovative urban transportation alternatives. DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

THRIVING CENTER DOWNTOWN IS THE THRIVING CENTER OF BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LIFE, CREATING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY FOR THE ENTIRE REGION.

WHY IT MATTERS

Every great city needs a thriving downtown. Downtown Austin is an economic engine that serves the entire region. As the densest hub in the Central Texas region, downtown generates taxes, jobs and investment that help pay for necessary city services, such as parks and public safety, throughout Austin. This allows all residents, including those who do not live or work downtown, to benefit from the area’s growth. Downtown’s residential population, tourism industry, and business community are all anticipated to grow at a rapid pace, further adding to the tax revenue and economic prosperity. Downtown attractions anchor Austin’s strong tourism industry. In 2017, 26 million visitors added $1 billion to the city’s economy. Music and clubs draw visitors to downtown, as do sporting events, conventions, museums, festivals, history, outdoor activities, and our famous urban bat colony. Austin’s visitor count has grown by 1 million annually for the past few years, increasing demand for event space and hotel rooms. The number of hotel rooms downtown has more than doubled since 2010. With $12 billion in taxable value, downtown Austin generated $267 million in property taxes in 20177. Downtown also has the largest concentration of office space in the Central Texas region, with 9 million square feet and growing. Downtown is home to approximately 91,000 jobs, which is 13 percent of the Austin’s job supply. And as the seat of government for the city, county and state, downtown will always be an important civic and cultural center and a place where people of different backgrounds and interests come together to interact.

STRATEGIES 1.1: MAINTAIN AND PROMOTE DOWNTOWN AS THE REGION’S PRIMARY BUSINESS AND CULTURAL CENTER. A healthy city has many centers of activity, large and small, but only one downtown. As Austin continues to grow, it is essential to maintain and promote downtown’s critical, one-of-a-kind role as the region’s primary center of business and culture. • Continue to update and implement the Downtown Austin Plan and the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan to support downtown’s continued growth. • Develop an engaged downtown businesses community that is active in civic life. • Expand and coordinate efforts to promote downtown’s offerings locally, regionally, nationally and globally. • Document and tell the story of downtown’s significance in the region to help cultivate a shared understanding and appreciation of the area.

“Maintain and promote downtown’s role as the primary business district in the region and expand the presence of global finance and trade.”

—Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan

1.2: CONTINUE TO ATTRACT AND GROW . NEW BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND . V I S I T O R S T O F O S T E R D O W N T O W N ’ S E C O N O M Y. Downtown Austin’s economy has grown greatly in the past few decades, fostering a globally attractive and rapidly diversifying office market, tourism market and retail and entertainment sector. This variety is critical to downtown’s long-term economic resiliency. It also makes downtown active, safe and appealing both day and night, adding to its success as a world-class city. • Actively participate in existing city, regional and state business retention, expansion, and recruitment programs. • Create space for new and existing knowledge-based economic drivers. • Support the continued growth of the tourism economy and promote heritage tourism offerings. • Actively monitor trends to ensure downtown remains ahead of the curve when it comes to changing workplace needs.

1.3: FOSTER A RANGE OF ATTAINABLE CREATIVE OFFICE . A N D S T A R T- U P S P A C E S . With an occupancy rate of 93 percent in 2016 and a rental rate of $48/square foot for office space in downtown ($13 higher than the city average)8, Austin’s downtown office market is one of the most desirable and valuable in the Central Texas region. However, having a range of attainable, flexible and creative workspaces throughout downtown is critical to attracting and maintaining local businesses and talent—two assets inherent to Austin’s character and appeal. • Strategically capture opportunities to develop new attainable creative office and start-up spaces in downtown, such as with constrained and/or publicly owned properties.

“Our authenticity is driven by the historic buildings downtown. We must incentivize and make it financially attractive for property owners to preserve these buildings before it’s too late.” 1.4: PRESERVE EXISTING RETAIL BUSINESSES, HISTORIC AND CULTURAL ASSETS, AND ATTRACT NEW ONES. Downtown’s music and cultural venues, along with its iconic local retailers, are a big part of Austin’s vibe and appeal. Imagine downtown without venues such as Antone’s, Stubb’s, and the Paramount Theatre or restaurants and bars like Hut’s Hamburgers, Scholz Garten, Texas Chili Parlor and the Hoffbrau Steakhouse. Preserving cherished local institutions, especially those struggling with affordability and other growth-related challenges, is essential to retaining a sense of community ownership and pride. • Maximize the use of existing economic development funds and programs designed to preserve and create retail, entertainment and cultural assets. • Develop and deploy new tools and funds, such as cultural trusts, to creatively preserve existing assets and create new ones.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

1.5: POSITION DOWNTOWN FOR . A SUCCESSFUL RETAIL FUTURE.

1.6: INVEST IN AND GROW THE . LOCAL WORKFORCE DOWNTOWN.

The vibrancy that comes from a street-level experience full of shops, eateries, and entertainment options is critical to downtown’s success. Once primarily a destination for restaurants and entertainment venues, downtown Austin has seen tremendous growth in retail over the past decade. It is home to the 2nd Street District and the 80,000-squarefoot, flagship Whole Foods Market. It has successfully recruited local, regional and national retailers including the rapidly growing, homegrown Royal Blue Grocery chain, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at the Ritz, and Patagonia’s only Texas outpost. Despite this success, dense and curated retail destinations such as the Domain and Mueller present competitive challenges. • Cultivate a variety of opportunities for local and emerging operators to participate in the downtown retail market, including street markets, pop-up experiences and small- footprint stores. This will enable them to affordably test, incubate and scale concepts. • Encourage the growth of “uniquely Austin” experiential districts downtown, where retail offerings complement parks, history, music and culture.

Downtown offers jobs in a healthy balance of industries including public administration (37%); professional, technology and science (16%); business services (13%); food and accommodation services (13%); health and social assistance (8%); and other services (13%). As downtown continues to grow and diversify its employment base, it is important to ensure that existing residents are able to participate in the growth. • Continue to retain and attract a diverse mix of jobs across all sectors. • Support existing community workforce development programs that improve residents’ access to the growing number of middle-skill jobs in Austin. • Create new jobs in the emerging innovation economy. This should be a key focus area in the development of Austin’s Innovation District. • Make downtown more accessible to service workers by increasing the availability of and access to affordable parking and mobility options. • Develop quality workforce housing in the central city, with strong transit connections to downtown.

“Continue to be a global innovation hub with an educated workforce that draws high tech industries to locate to our city.”

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES

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• ADVANCE AUSTIN’S INNOVATION DISTRICT, STARTING WITH . A VISION FOR THE “PLACE” • DEVELOP A DOWNTOWN CULTURAL TRUST TO PRESERVE CULTURAL/ HISTORICAL ASSETS

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

WELCOMING PLACES DOWNTOWN IS BELOVED FOR DIVERSE AND ENGAGING PARKS,

PLACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT ATTRACT AND WELCOME EVERYONE. Jane Jacobs made a brave and rather controversial assertion in the 1950s and 1960s, during a period of intense rebuilding of New York City. As the city’s power brokers planned new highways and buildings, she pronounced, “downtowns are for people.” And if downtowns are for people, then the parks, squares, streets and places where people meet and interact (the public realm) are downtown’s front porch. Downtown’s public realm must be welcoming and inviting to everyone. The public realm represents half of downtown Austin’s land area. Transforming today’s underutilized spaces into engaging, welcoming places is one of downtown’s biggest opportunities. The public realm is the perfect venue for showcasing what is authentic to Austin—specifically, our history, culture, creativity and natural treasures. The public realm makes downtown livable and enjoyable. Austin’s public realm is in the midst of a major revival, with many parks and public spaces being planned and designed throughout downtown. In the next decade or so, a Waller Creek chain of parks will occupy 35 acres on the east side of downtown. And a public-private partnership to transform Republic Square has created a new model for the funding and management of Austin’s public spaces. Most new projects are following this model, and momentum must be sustained and coordinated to take public realm initiatives to the next level.

STRATEGIES 2 . 1 : D E L I V E R A C O N S I S T E N T LY C L E A N . AND SAFE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE. A consistently clean and safe environment is the foundation of a vibrant downtown experience. The Downtown Ambassadors, managed by the Downtown Austin Alliance, keep downtown Austin clean and act as the area’s “eyes and ears,” making sure everyone feels safe and welcome. Amenities such as adequate lighting and public restrooms are also important to downtown’s safety and cleanliness. • Invest in the continued and enhanced cleanliness and safety of downtown. • Implement comprehensive solutions for public restrooms, drinking fountains, and consistent and adequate lighting within downtown.

2 . 2 : B R O A D LY A D D R E SS T H E N E E D S O F P E O P L E EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. REDUCE CONCERNS . ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AMONG PEOPLE WHO LIVE, . WORK AND VISIT DOWNTOWN. Homelessness is one of the most critical issues Austin faces. Panhandling is also a concern across the city and especially downtown, as it creates both real and perceived safety issues for people who live, work and visit the area.

“Downtown Austin is everyone’s neighborhood. It is the place where people gather for special events and celebrations, the place where we exercise our most basic American freedom of public speech, and the place we come to meet one another - both by plan and by chance.” -Downtown Austin Plan

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WHY IT MATTERS

Solutions to homelessness are complex and costly and, as a result, take considerable time to implement. They require cooperation and partnership between private organizations, mental health providers, Austin Police Department, EMS and others. Continued advocacy for improved policies is imperative. This issue must be addressed in a comprehensive, thoughtful manner, so our most vulnerable populations are provided with needed services and everyone, including those experiencing homelessness, feels safe downtown.

2.3: TRANSFORM DOWNTOWN’S PUBLIC SPACES . INTO AN INTEGRATED, WALKABLE, VIBRANT . EXPERIENCE OF ARTS, GREENSPACE, MUSIC, . CULTURE AND CREATIVIT Y—FOR EVERYONE. Downtown is Austin’s densest place with the greatest mix of uses. Because of this, downtown streets and public spaces are ripe for an arts-rich, creative public realm experience. Temporary art programs along Waller Creek,

Shoal Creek, and Lady Bird Lake have proven the public demand. Activating downtown’s public spaces will engage a diverse array of Austinites in our city’s culture. • Develop an integrated approach to activating downtown’s public spaces, with the goals of stimulating economic development, fostering cultural diversity, promoting health and well-being and showcasing Austin’s unique creative talent. • Create a strategy for completing, unifying and promoting the urban greenbelt, a continuous loop around downtown that includes Waller Creek, Shoal Creek, Lady Bird Lake and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. • Explore opportunities to leverage and coordinate ongoing public and private investment in arts and culture in the public realm.

“We need increased and improved parkland, including Waller Creek and Shoal Creek trails. Even small things can make a big difference.”

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

“The Town Lake Trail is this city’s jewel. Continue to improve and take care of it.” 2.4: CREATE NEW PARKS, PLACES . AND CONNECTIONS WHERE POSSIBLE. Downtown’s growth offers many opportunities to increase the area’s public space and establish more inspiring places, such as public markets, co-creation spaces, public gathering areas or learning spaces. Streets and sidewalks make up over 30 percent of downtown Austin’s public realm, offering ample spaces to be reimagined and retrofitted as places for people. Both the public and private sectors can play an important role in new development. • Develop and manage high quality transit-oriented public spaces, starting with the highest-frequency transit hubs: Republic Square and Downtown Station. • Identify opportunities to create new parks and eastwest connections through the lowering and capping of I-35 in downtown. Work collaboratively with neighborhoods and stakeholders in east Austin. • Establish temporary and/or permanent community public market spaces downtown. • Seize opportunities to establish “parklets,” plazas and other small public spaces. • Explore options for reestablishing Austin’s fourth historic square, in downtown’s northeast quadrant.

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES • COMPLETE AND PROMOTE THE URBAN GREENBELT, A NETWORK OF PARKS AND PLACES THAT ENCIRCLE DOWNTOWN • DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE VISION AND STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HOMELESSNESS

2.5: MAXIMIZE THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE . BENEFITS OF THE PUBLIC REALM. Austin has long been a leader in sustainability and green infrastructure innovation. Using that innovation to create a connected, green infrastructure system of parks, creeks, trees and green spaces can make downtown more beautiful, sustainable and resilient. It can boost the health of its people and places. And it can also raise our national profile. • Seize opportunities to create green streets and parks within downtown. • Inventory the street tree canopy in downtown’s public realm and plan for maintaining and expanding it. • Retrofit unnecessary hardscaped areas to both enhance green infrastructure benefits and beautify downtown – especially at its key entry points.

2.6: TELL THE VARIED STORIES OF AUSTIN AND ITS PEOPLE IN DOWNTOWN’S PUBLIC PLACES. Downtown is steeped in the history of Austin’s diverse people and places, yet this history is little known to the public. Downtown’s public spaces offer an ideal setting for learning about our unique heritage. • Our Austin Story—the interpretive strategy for downtown’s historic squares—and Congress Avenue should be implemented and expanded throughout downtown and nearby neighborhoods. • Develop interpretive signage and digital content that illuminates both the well-known and little-known stories of Austin’s people and places. • Integrate the stories of Austin’s people and places into public realm planning, programming, activation, heritage tourism, wayfinding and public art programs.

2.7: LEVERAGE AUSTIN’S WATERFRONT AS AN INTEGRAL P A R T O F T H E D O W N T O W N E X P E R I E N C E , W I D E LY A C C E S S I B L E AND ENJOYED BY A DIVERSITY OF AUSTINITES. Austin’s waterfront is one of the city’s most cherished and iconic assets—and one of the most widely photographed places downtown. However, the waterfront experience is not optimally integrated into the downtown experience. And for some people, the area is not easily accessed. There is great opportunity to improve connections and expand enjoyment of the waterfront. • Develop a vision to position downtown’s waterfront, and its many assets, as a more integral part of the downtown experience, widely accessible and enjoyed by everyone in the region.

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DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

GROWING NEIGHBORHOODS DOWNTOWN IS A GROWING AND EVER-EVOLVING TAPESTRY OF COMPLETE,

VIBRANT AND WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS THAT EXPRESS AUSTIN’S AUTHENTIC CHARACTER – HISTORY, ART, MUSIC, NATURE AND CULTURE. WHY IT MATTERS

Though we often refer to “downtown Austin” as a singular place, it is a complex assembly of ever-evolving neighborhoods and districts, each with its own unique character. These include Sixth Street, Seaholm, Congress, Warehouse, Rainey, Second, Original Austin and Red River. A downtown with vibrant, authentic, mixed-use neighborhoods and districts is attractive to residents, employees and visitors. Helping neighborhoods evolve while preserving and accentuating their unique features is therefore vital to downtown’s success. Increasing neighborhoods’ population size and density is also critical to making downtown a safer, more vibrant place for everyone.

STRATEGIES/GOALS 3.1: GROW DOWNTOWN’S UNIQUE AND VIBRANT MIXEDUSE NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS. PRESERVE AND L E V E R A G E W H A T I S A U T H E N T I C T O A U S T I N A S W E G R O W. It is important to plan for growth while intentionally preserving, celebrating and leveraging downtown’s unique assets including arts, culture, nature, historic sites, music venues, theaters and local business. They also include local events and traditions such as bat viewing, parades and cultural festivals. • Develop a “district planning” framework to further plan for the growth of downtown while preserving and building upon Austin assets and values. This framework should account for the unique context of downtown’s neighborhoods and places.

3.2: FOSTER THE GROWTH OF A MORE . DIVERSE DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL POPULATION. A diverse and sizeable residential population is a key element of a thriving and healthy downtown. Downtown residents fuel the success of retail establishments and service providers. They put “eyes on the street,” making downtown safer. They also become champions and advocates for improving their neighborhoods. To be more appealing to a wider array of residents, downtown needs a more diverse range of housing, services and amenities. • Create complete neighborhoods, offering the amenities and services that are needed for residents of all ages and backgrounds to live downtown. These include groceries and healthy food options at a variety of price points; services such as dry cleaning and daycare; quality public services such as schools, parks, transportation and public spaces; and innovative, high-quality health, wellness and social services. • Increase the quantity and variety of housing options downtown to appeal to a wider range of ages and incomes. • Strategically develop workforce housing for people who work downtown, potentially on publiclyowned lands or properties that are constrained for other purposes.

“Much of downtown has become financially exclusive. That is counter to Austin's culture and identity."

“Downtown needs more cultural activities, like museums, for families with young children. There are no good activities for teenagers. When they go downtown, they end up in areas that you don't want them to go.” 3 . 3 : M A K E D O W N T O W N A F A M I L Y- F R I E N D L Y P L A C E .

MI C HAE L KN OX

Downtown should support both family living and a wider range of offerings for families who visit downtown. With the new Central Library, Pease Elementary School, and existing and planned parks, downtown is becoming more welcoming to families. Many of downtown’s parks, places of worship, and cultural and historic venues offer familyfriendly programming, events and summer camps. These can be expanded and promoted as downtown grows. • Introduce family-friendly play and learning features throughout downtown’s public spaces. • Promote existing family-friendly activities, attractions and events while creating new ones. • Identify and plan for needed family services such as child care, education and health care.

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

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3 . 5 : P L A N C O L L A B O R A T I V E L Y F O R D O W N T O W N ’ S E V O LV I N G E D G E S , C O N N E C T I O N S A N D U R B A N D E N S I T Y.

“Downtown needs more vibrant, interesting, full of services, walkable, connected streets (not just one or two, here or there).”

The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan lays out a vision for a compact and connected city. As Austin’s core grows, planning for downtown’s edges and connections becomes increasingly important to supporting the central city’s affordability and mobility needs. Neighborhoods adjacent to downtown provide an increased variety of homes and price points, amenities and services that support urban core living. Without dedicated planning and collaboration with adjacent neighborhoods and stakeholders, downtown’s edges and connections will be developed in a piecemeal, suboptimal manner. • Continue to advance and implement the South Central Waterfront Vision Framework Plan, which guides redevelopment of the area along Lady Bird Lake’s southern shore. • Plan for the potential lowering of I-35 through downtown, and the subsequent surface improvements and east-west connections. • Plan for enhanced connections (and other mutual opportunities) between downtown and adjacent neighborhoods, such as South Congress, The University of Texas of Austin campus and Saltillo Plaza.

3 . 4 : C R E AT E E X T R E M E LY V I B R A N T, WA L K A B L E S T R E E TS . All downtown streets should offer a compelling walking experience. Safety, comfort, shade, and basic amenities such as water and public restrooms are essential. The private sector can help bring streets to life through active, engaging storefronts, along with events and activities. The downtown community has made great progress toward the Great Streets Master Plan, and sustaining the momentum to complete it will greatly advance downtown’s walkability. • Update and complete the implementation of the Great Streets Master Plan. • Manage the public spaces and amenities of Congress Avenue, East Sixth Street and other high-use downtown streets to their best potential. • Activate vacant storefronts.

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES • RECONNECT AUSTIN . (LOWER AND CAP I-35 AND RECONNECT THE STREET GRID) • CREATE PLACES OUT OF SPACES: CONGRESS AVENUE AND EAST SIXTH STREET

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

LEADING MOBILITY DOWNTOWN IS THE LEADER AND CHAMPION OF

INNOVATIVE URBAN TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES.

WHY IT MATTERS

Downtown's ability to grow and its continued success hinges on moving an ever-increasing number of Austin-area residents into and around downtown. About 80 percent of downtown employees drive alone to work, a rate higher than that of all City of Austin and Travis County employees. According to a 2016 survey conducted as part of the Downtown Austin Parking Strategy, almost 75 percent of downtown employees receive free or subsidized parking. And few downtown employers offer comprehensive mobility programs or incentives to encourage travel by other modes. Central Austin has reached a point where no additional roads or road capacity can be built to accommodate the increasing numbers of singleoccupancy vehicles and growth projections. However, the current road system can be made more efficient. We can also provide and promote alternative modes of transportation. These must be compelling, safe, convenient, reliable, smart and affordable if they are to be widely adopted. Options for all travel modes, including vehicles, pedestrians, bikes, mass transit and shared trips (autonomous and other), must be carefully optimized to support the highest and best use of our limited downtown street space.

STRATEGIES 4.1: CREATE DOWNTOWN AS THE MOST COMPACT CENTER BY CONNECTING IT TO ACTIVITY AND TRANSIT CORRIDORS IN AUSTIN’S CENTRAL CORE. The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan provides a vision for Austin that is based on compact and complete communities: identifying growth centers as the places to accommodate the majority of jobs, housing, services, schools, and other basic services, as they can be well-connected by major corridors. As the largest and most visited regional center in the region, it is critical that downtown fulfill this vision, especially with regard to mobility. • Align land use with transportation planning and decision-making for downtown and the central core. • Support the implementation of Imagine Austin’s compact and connected growth concept.

“I feel like better access to rail across the city, into downtown, would be life changing for our beautiful city.”

“We need rail transportation into downtown to limit the amount of traffic. It is becoming less and less accessible to people who don't live downtown.” 4.2: PROVIDE A VARIET Y OF OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE . TO GET TO AND FROM DOWNTOWN—INCLUDING A . ROBUST TRANSIT NETWORK IN CENTRAL AUSTIN. Downtown Austin’s long-term success requires that people have a variety of alternatives to the single-occupancy vehicle for getting downtown safely, conveniently, reliably and enjoyably. These include shared mobility options (car share, bike share, shuttles, etc.) as well as a robust, smart transit network that serves Austin’s densest areas and connects downtown with key population centers, destinations and regional transit systems. Transit capacity and frequency should also be expanded. The Austin Transportation Department, Capital Metro, Texas Department of Transportation, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and other partners are exploring options. • Create safer, more enjoyable pedestrian and bicycle connections between downtown and adjacent neighborhoods. • Evaluate the need for and feasibility of a park-and-ride or circulator shuttle to improve transit connections and access to remote parking. • Develop a smart, robust transit network that connects downtown to other local and regional centers of activity.

4.3: PROVIDE A VARIET Y OF OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO GET A R O U N D D O W N T O W N E F F E C T I V E L Y A N D E N J O Y A B L Y. Downtown residents, workers and visitors have a variety of options for getting around downtown without the use of a single-occupancy vehicle. These options should improved upon and expanded, with investments made to improve walkability and bicycle infrastructure. Flexible uses of the street should be considered. • Maximize the efficiency of the street grid and curb space to move people and goods around downtown as efficiently as possible. • Evaluate the potential for a downtown circulator shuttle to improve circulation within downtown and adjacent neighborhoods and districts.

“The impact of autonomous cars by 2020 will be profound. I want us to start planning for this and understand it. I hope parking garages are being built so that they can be converted into office space because we will have acres of parking garages that will be unused. Many young people do not want cars. ”

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

4.4: POSITION DOWNTOWN AS THE LEADER AND HUB OF S M A R T M O B I L I T Y T E C H N O LO G Y, I N C LU D I N G A S H A R E D ELECTRIC AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE (EAV ) FUTURE.

4.5: IMPROVE THE EXPERIENCE AND AVAILABILIT Y OF PA R K I N G I N D O W N TO W N W H I L E P L A N N I N G S M A R T LY F O R THE FUTURE.

Around the world, the use of advanced technologies is rapidly changing how people get around. Embracing smart technology and being an early adopter of shared electric autonomous vehicles would not only address downtown mobility challenges, but it would also further Austin’s reputation for innovation and drive our economic success. • Create/incentivize shared mobility hubs. • Evaluate the potential for incorporating electric infrastructure into downtown. • Rethink the use of streets and curb space for the delivery of goods, services and people to the urban core.

Managing parking can be a very effective congestion management tool. It’s estimated that a 30 percent of downtown street congestion is caused by people looking for parking. The Downtown Austin Parking Strategy offers 19 recommendations to addressing today’s parking needs and challenges, while also planning for a future when the demand for parking is anticipated to decline. These recommendations include shared/district parking, enhanced wayfinding and technology, and affordable parking programs. • Implement the 19 recommendations of the Downtown Austin Parking Strategy. • As downtown’s parking footprint diminishes in the future, explore how this land can be better used to meet the growing needs of downtown.

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES • CHAMPION A CENTRAL CITY TRANSIT NETWORK

4.6: MAXIMIZE EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR DOWNTOWN COMMUTERS, VISITORS AND RESIDENTS. Mobility improvements do not have to be costly or take years to achieve. We can effect change today by encouraging downtown employees to shift their commuting habits, moving from using single-occupancy vehicles at peak travel times to using alternative modes of transportation and traveling at off-peak times. This smart management of transportation demand has proven to be a very effective way to improve mobility in other cities. • Develop policies to support and increase the use of transportation demand management as an important mobility solution. • Support the growth and success of Movability, Central Texas’ Transportation Management Association dedicated to working with employers to connect their employees with mobility options that save time and money.

“Downtown would benefit from a seamlessly connected pedestrian network of trails and sidewalks.”

DAN A HANS EN

“I know this is a tired subject, but parking downtown is miserable. The free parking on Sundays is nice.”

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVES “A city is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims.” —Leon Krier, The Architecture of Community, 2009 he Downtown Austin Vision is accompanied by a set of transformative initiatives that are intended to create positive, lasting change for downtown over the next few decades. These initiatives should be achievable by 2039 (Austin’s 200th anniversary), with sustained progress visible by 2030. Transformative initiatives are cross-cutting, each helping advance two or more of the Downtown Austin Vision’s goals. This is a working list of initiatives and will likely evolve over time to adapt to downtown’s dynamic conditions and opportunities.

2. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A STRATEGY TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE DOWNTOWN’S CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ASSETS

1. ADVANCE AUSTIN’S INNOVATION DISTRICT, STARTING WITH A VISION FOR THE “PLACE”

3 . C O M P L E T E A N D P R O M O T E T H E U R B A N G R E E N B E L T : A NETWORK OF PARKS AND PLACES THAT ENCIRCLE DOWNTOWN

Austin’s emerging Innovation District, anchored by the new Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, is being established through a partnership led by the nonprofit Capital City Innovation. The innovation district grows out of the Dell Medical School’s mission to innovate healthier communities and taps into a rich infrastructure of companies, individuals and investors to benefit the Austin region. Creating a vision for the Innovation District “place” (the east side of downtown including Waller Creek, Austin Convention Center area and I-35) will be an important step in its evolution.

Live music, cultural and historical places, and iconic businesses contribute greatly to the character and cultural vibrancy of downtown. Preserving, enhancing and activating these places will require a comprehensive, collaborative and strategic approach including funding and other implementation tools. Many cities have successfully used the cultural trust model to preserve and create new cultural and historical assets.

The urban greenbelt is an envisioned network of parks, places, trails and experiences that will connect Waller Creek, Lady Bird Lake, Shoal Creek, the Texas Capitol and The University of Texas at Austin to form a loop around downtown. While ambitious plans are underway to optimize Waller Creek, Shoal Creek, the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and the Texas Capitol Complex, it will take a concerted effort to ensure the urban greenbelt is seamlessly developed and activated.

4. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE VISION AND STRATEGIC PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS People experiencing homelessness are among our most vulnerable populations. Providing them with services and care is a complex endeavor requiring coordination among a large group of stakeholders. A vision and strategic plan will guide all parties in reducing the number of people entering into a condition of homelessness, while also mitigating the homelessness crisis’ effect on downtown Austin residents, workers and visitors. The plan’s foundation will include three anchor elements: 1) a world-class mental health treatment facility; 2) a citywide network of emergency shelters and navigation services; and 3) a system of complete living communities across the region, such as Mobile Loaves & Fishes’ Community First! Village.

“A city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time.”

—Patrick Geddes

5. RECONNECT AUSTIN: LOWER AND CAP I-35 AND RECONNECT THE STREET GRID Lowering and capping I-35’s lanes through downtown is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enhance downtown’s vitality by reconnecting the city’s east and west sides and creating new parks, while adding lane capacity for northsouth traffic below grade. A detailed, yet flexible, strategy should be developed to ensure this opportunity is maximized to meet the four goals of the Downtown Austin Vision.

6. CREATE PLACES OUT OF SPACES: CONGRESS AVENUE AND EAST SIXTH STREET A space is a physical setting; a place is where people interact with that physical setting to make it their own. Spaces become places by having people who engage in, care for, and interact with them on a regular basis. Creating spaces out of places (placemaking) requires more than just planning or designing a space – it requires people as active participants in the process of creating vibrant and engaging places where everyone feels welcome and invited. Many aspects of this vision can be realized through the process of placemaking. While many downtown places could benefit from this approach, Congress Avenue and East Sixth Street are priorities due to their widespread use and prominence.

This vision cannot become a reality without better ways to get people to downtown. A robust, multi-modal central city transit network is needed, and it will require public support and investment to make it happen.

MI CHAE L KNOX

7. C H A M P I O N A C E N T R A L C I T Y T R A N S I T N E T W O R K

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

NEXT STEPS

Turning this vision into a reality will take dedication, collaboration and commitment from many partners. Notable progress will be made on the downtown vision by 2030, with the full extent of the vision being realized by Austin’s bicentennial in 2039.

he Downtown Austin Vision provides a framework for thinking about the evolution of downtown over the next few decades, along with goals and strategies for achieving the vision. This framework is intended to facilitate a shared understanding and direction for downtown. It is also intended to be flexible. While some aspects of downtown can be anticipated and planned, others cannot. The vision will be revised as needed to endure and keep pace with the dynamic downtown environment. It is envisioned that the full intent of the Downtown Austin Vision would be realized by 2039 (Austin’s 200th anniversary), with notable progress visible by 2030. This vision is ambitious and no one entity can bring it to fruition on its own. It will take the dedicated collaboration and commitment of many entities across the public, private and nonprofit sectors to make this vision a reality.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? MOVING FROM VISION TO ACTION

The Downtown Austin Alliance intends to lead these next steps to ensure the vision can become reality and is set up for success.

1. THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE WILL DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE WORK PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTING THE VISION OVER TIME. We will work with diverse partners and stakeholders to develop an implementation plan with specific courses of action. The plan will identify roles, timelines, and other needs such as funding or policy modifications. • The Downtown Alliance will continue to involve a broad, diverse population of Austinites in the development of the action plan. • A key aspect of developing the action plan will be collaboratively engaging the City of Austin and other public entities to identify how best to ensure adoption and integration of the Downtown Austin Vision into public policy and decision making.

GUILIO SC IOR IO

TOWARDS SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

2. THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE WILL IDENTIFY . SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF THE VISION THAT IT WILL . STEP UP TO LEAD, ADVOCATE FOR , OR PARTNER . WITH OTHERS TO ACHIEVE. The Downtown Alliance has taken the first step by incorporating aspects of this vision into its five-year strategic plan (2018-2023) and by providing the dedicated staff, budget and resources to make it happen.

3. THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE WILL TRACK, MONITOR AND COMMUNICATE PROGRESS. The Downtown Alliance will establish baseline metrics for monitoring the Downtown Austin Vision, enabling us to track progress and course correct as needed. This will also provide a consistent, transparent format for communicating progress to the community.

4. THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE WILL CELEBRATE SUCCESS. With a 20+ year timeframe to fully realize the vision, celebrating each major milestone is vital to sustaining the momentum needed over the long term. Downtown belongs to everyone, and cultivating ongoing public support and engagement will be essential to making the vision come to life.

“When I think about all the barriers to living downtown – accessibility, the homeless, lack of parking and affordable shopping – I think about moving. But something keeps me here. It’s still the downtown where I want to stay, play and pray.” DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

ENDNOTES PAGE 1

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US Census Bureau, 2010 Decennial Census, Downtown Austin Alliance, 2017

Fermata Inc., 2018, Our Austin Story, Interpreting Austin’s Historic Squares and Congress Avenue

Travis County Appraisal District, 2017 Tax Roll, Downtown Austin Alliance

Costar Group, Inc., 2017

City of Austin Economic Development Department, 2017, Downtown Austin Alliance,

Koch, Augustus, 1873, Austin, Texas in 1873. Bird’s Eye View of the City of Austin Travis County Texas 1873, 1873. Lithograph (hand-colored), 19.7 x 28.1 in. Published by J. J. Stoner, Madison, Wis. Center for American History

GUI LI O SCI ORI O

2 City of Austin, DTI 2040 Population and Employment Forecast

Visit Austin, 2017

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN VISION: SHAPING OUR FUTURE

211 E. 7th Street Suite 818 Austin, Texas 78701