Handbook for Complete Communities in Austin by MIT DUSP

A HANDBOOK FOR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN BIG IDEAS FOR SMALL AREA PLANNING

Copyright ÂŠ2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning School of Architecture + Planning

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, unless specifically permitted in the text or by written permission of the authors.

“They’re maxing out their lots…and towering over you… and you have NO privacy! When new people move in… all the fences go up. People don’t care. They’re building fences. They don’t know their neighbors. We used to walk and know our neighbors; now the place behind me is [worth] a million and a quarter.”

A Word From AIA Austin Why Are We Here? As Austin embarks on a potential new land development code to accommodate its rapid growth, an exploration of the city’s planning processes and appropriate mix of housing typologies questions the role of current community-based approaches to urban design. With housing demand continuously outpacing supply each year and land values skyrocketing, the question becomes: Where does all of this growth go and how is it realized? Austin cannot continue to develop in its current form of high / mid-rise apartments and singlefamily housing. The right kind of density generates a better quality of life for community members through affordable housing options and compact and connected neighborhoods that need to be portrayed in a new light appropriate to Austin’s context and growth potential. The key to success in densifying Austin is to better understand how it is embedded in existing neighborhoods and areas of new future growth. In 2012, a comprehensive plan for Austin’s future called, Imagine Austin, was generated and approved by its residents and City Council. This aspirational vision generated ideas and goals for Austin’s growth over the next thirty years, for both the larger city and at a smaller scale referred to as “Complete Communities”, which speaks to the desire for an environment that benefits everyone’s daily lifestyle. These aspirational communities provide a context but need a strategy to implement them. To deal with increased growing pains, the City of Austin has pursued planning and regulation at two scales: citywide vision and single development projects. As the city begins an effort to update the current “Small Area Planning” process, which has historically focused on boundaries and issues of discrete neighborhoods, there is an opportunity to reimagine this planning process by incorporating a missing scale, The District, to serve as a broader lens for establishing a complete community that bridges the gap between the two existing planning scales. District-scale planning is the optimum scale with various spatial definitions to address multiple neighborhoods, corridors, and interconnected systems as a complete unit that still retains its own authenticity and unique culture.

Course Expectations The Site and Environmental Planning Workshop from MIT was tasked by AIA Austin Urban Design Committee to grasp Austin’s housing crisis in a way that combines conventional zoning with urban and architectural design and envisions a community scaled process for the future. This academic exercise explored sustainable development strategies through research, site analysis, design, and interviews/meetings with city officials, local organizations/institutions and residents.

Outcomes & The Future The key finding from the course was the belief that to combat the City’s housing and growth problems, we must include a district scale that is visualized through a multi-layered lens, which meaningfully addresses both unique community character and the broader built and natural systems that affects each district. What came out of this body of work was a ‘Handbook for Complete Communities’, which paints the holistic picture, describes big ideas for the future of ‘Small Area Planning,’ and provides precedents from other cities. The big ideas focus on two areas in Austin as prototypical districts to explain these concepts: Northeast Austin and South 1st Street. The hope is that the ideas and strategies developed through this project will inspire Austinites to improve the development and implementation of an authentic small area planning process. Austin has the opportunity to be a model for success in the state, region and country as other growing cities are grappling with similar issues. AIA Austin truly thanks the professors and students at MIT for their incredible hard work, teamwork, and determination through this four-month semester as well as AIA UD Committee members, city staff, council members, and residents who helped shaped this body of work. Austin is lucky to have passionate individuals who care so much about their city.

Justin Garrison 2018 AIA Austin Urban Design Committee Chair

CONTENTS 01

INTRODUCTION

23 25 29 33 36 39 41

The Task at Hand Redefining Density Considerations for Affordability Complete Communities The Missing Scale of Planning The Process How to Use This Book

CONTEXT

45 46 47 48 49 51

The Texas Triangle A Growing City A City Divided Imagine Austin CodeNEXT Zooming In - South First Street - Northeast Austin

THEME 2 | INCREASING CONNECTIVITY

103 121

Mobility Anticipating Transit

THEME 3 | HARNESSING ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

147 171

Green Infrastructure as Public Amenity Climate Responsive Urban Design

THEME 4 | (RE)PROGRAMMING COMMUNITY SPACES

194 217

Nurturing Austin’s Cultural Identity Retrofitting Aging Suburbia

FRAMEWORK

58 69

The “New” Missing Middle Framework Plans

PLANNING IN PARTNERSHIP

THEME 1 | ADDING DENSITY THROUGH ZONING

235 254 262 263 264

Convening Civic Catalysts Community Engagement Conclusion Acknowledgments The Team

77 89

Floating Zoning Additional Density Units

- South First Street - Northeast Austin

Prepared for the AIA Austin Urban Design Committee by the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning as part of the Spring 2018 Site and Environmental Planning Workshop Course

01 INTRODUCTION Introduction / / / 21

Introduction / / / 22

Image: In Austin, housing has become a controversial topic. Pictured here is a new housing development in Mueller. Photo Credit: Yael Nadim

The role of district-scale planning in nurturing complete communities

It is no secret that the City of Austin, Texas, is poised to grow. Just between 2016 and 2017, the Austin grew by an average of 151 people per day. By 2020, the City will be home to just

community values as opposed to zoning alone. The goal became to create an implementable framework for the City’s overall goals for “complete communities.” The concept of complete communities was developed as part of the City’s comprehensive master plan, Imagine Austin, completed in 2012.

The conflict between the need for more housing and Austin’s unique identity is where the planning team found it could make the largest impact.

In order to effectively plan for complete communities, the City of Austin cannot just look to citywide initiatives such as Imagine Austin or CodeNEXT and singledevelopment projects. While both processes are necessary, there is a missing scale to planning— the district-scale.

under one million people, but only if its housing stock can keep up. The demand for housing in Austin is at an all-time-high, yet the housing inventory is falling behind. In other words, Austin is on the brink of an affordable housing crisis. In response, the American Institute of Architects’ Austin Chapter engaged the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning to help The Client: AIA Austin Urban Design Committee develop a framework for “missing The Austin Chapter of the American Society of Architects is an advocacy organization middle” housing options. The studio consisting of architects, landscape architects, planners, designers, and academics that has been focusing on the issue of “Missing Middle” housing in Austin. The AIA’s Urban Design practicum, composed of 15 Master Committee served as the local client for this studio practicum. Over the course of the in City Planning students and two semester in which this planning work took place the Committee met with the planning team faculty members, completed a five times to provide local knowledge and technical guidance as well as feedback on the semester-long inquiry into how ideas. to incorporate the missing middle The Urban Design Committee is engaged with both local stakeholders as well as city concept in Austin. representatives. The work developed within the context of this studio will be used by AIA Austin in their continued advocacy work. They are deeply committed to advocating for a livable city including increased housing diversity and better amenities.

In January of 2018, the class began their work with a visit to Austin to speak with local policymakers, neighborhood leaders, and community members. The field work was conducted at the tail-end of Austin’s CodeNEXT process, a historic overhaul to the citywide zoning code. CodeNEXT was undertaken to provide relief for the City’s housing issues, but it has been met with significant push back. Proponents of increased housing supply argue that CodeNEXT does not do enough. Opponents assert that these zoning changes could lead to unwanted changes within the existing neighborhoods. Research and analysis revealed that there was an opportunity to refocus the conversation about Austin’s housing shortage around

District-scale planning takes place in geographies that are large enough to contribute meaningful housing inventory, but small enough to retain a sense of identity. This handbook focuses on strategies at the district-scale, with the hope that they will serve as a framework for how the City undertakes future “small area planning” initiatives moving forward.

Introduction / / / 23

The Task at Hand

Introduction / / / 24

Redefining Density

The Missing Middle

The Missing Middle is a term that is used to define all housing types that fall between high-rise apartment buildings and large-tract single family residences. They can take on many forms and often represent a price point that is more in line with the wide range of peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; housing needs. This concept has been discussed at length in Austin, with the conversation primarily focused on housing typology.

Source: AIA Austin

Less Dense

The Neighborhood Spectrum

More Dense

Missing Neighborhoods in Austin

{ Primary Austin Housing Typology

Denser Single Family Neighborhoods

Mixed Urban Blocks

Downtown Core

Currently, nearly 50% of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing stock is large-lot single family residential houses. These can be expensive for even welloff individuals and families. On a neighborhood basis, these block patterns and development trends preclude Austin from tapping into community amenities such as public transportation and neighborhood commercial spaces. On average, Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single-family districts have a density of approximately 2.7 units per acre.

In the spectrum of density, reducing lot sizes can be effective. The culture of single-family homes can still be maintained within a different block typology. This simple shift of lot size and block pattern can double or triple the density in certain locations without drastically changing neighborhood character. With a density of 10 units per acre, additional amenities begin to emerge. Additionally, the City would receive higher tax revenue allowing for better maintenance of existing infrastructure and services.

Very few areas within the City of Austin effectively mix land uses within blocks. This type of development is a fundamental component of many urban environments across the country. Low-scale density and context-sensitive commercial development with neighborhoods can reduce reliance on automobiles, provide low income citizens better options, and increase land efficiency. At 20-30 units per acre, public transportation can begin to be supported.

The downtown core and select areas within the city are seeing the construction of massive buildings with a density far greater than what most people in Austin would want. This type of development caters to a certain demographic of young urban professionals, dismissing the needs of families. While this type of development is needed in certain areas, it is not the only way to achieve density.

A growing need to increase Austin’s residential density

With Austin’s population growing rapidly, there is, and will continue to be, a need for additional housing in the City. The question becomes where does that housing go, what is the right mix, and how does it happen? Between 2011 and 2015, the City added 69,000 housing units to its stock, with over 80 percent placed either in Downtown Austin or in census tracts further from the city center. Austin is beginning to establish an unsustainable pattern for its development, as new units are being built in high-rise apartments at the heart of the City or as single-family homes on the very outskirts. As the City approaches one million people, the side-effects of this pattern of development impacts everyone. Rising land prices in the inner city makes it challenging for families to afford a home close to places of work or other amenities. As a result, more people are moving to the fringes of the City, and traffic has dramatically increased. The “missing middle” housing typology is said to be an answer to these issues. The missing middle refers to housing types between highrise apartments and single-family homes. This includes town-homes, small parcel attached residences, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and other low-rise multifamily units. In theory, the missing middle typology promises a more affordable housing option for residents that cannot afford to pay high rents downtown or commute long distances to work every day.

Density needs to be painted in a new light appropriate to the Austin context. The “missing middle” housing typology can help shift Austinites’ perceptions of what greater density looks like. Density can also contribute to creating many benefits for residents that strengthen the City’s livability.

Introduction / / / 25

Redefining Density

Introduction / / / 26

A Reasonable Goal for Density

Though missing middle housing types have become increasingly common in other cities, they represent a very small portion of the housing stock in Austin. This is primarily driven by the fact that under existing zoning, roughly 34 percent of the City’s capacity is taken up by compact and standard single-family homes and 59 percent is taken up by mid-rise multifamily units and residential towers. Naturally, based on this existing breakdown of housing stock, Austinites may be startled when thinking about increased density, if it means losing the privacy of a single family home for a unit in a multifamily tower as the current city suggests. But adding density in Austin does not have to mean exchanging the City’s unique character for Manhattan’s crowded streets and soaring skyscrapers. Density needs to be painted in a new light appropriate to the Austin context. With increased density comes greater livability, better transit services, decreased traffic congestion, more commercial options, stronger civic amenities, accessibly parks, reduced infrastructure costs, and more timely maintenance. These are all factors that must

New York 27,000 - Pop/mi2

Seattle 7,779 - Pop/mi2

Minneapolis 7,498 - Pop/mi2

Portland 4,651 - Pop/mi2

Denver 4,335 - Pop/mi2

Houston 3,662 - Pop/mi2

Dallas 3,645 - Pop/mi2

San Antonio - 3,395 Pop/mi2

Austin - 3,358 Pop/mi2

Out of the four major Texas cities and many comparable cities around the country, Austin is the least dense urban environment. There is an opportunity to redefine what an appropriate level of density is for Austin without drastically changing the character of existing places. Many peer cities that Austin compares itself have considerable more people per square mile, which offers increased community benefits.

be included in the conversation about Austin’s growth. What’s more, there is such a thing as low-scale density, and it is easily achievable. Low-scale density does not drastically change the character of a neighborhood. It can also be constructed for a reduced cost when compared to highrise development, by spreading the cost of new infrastructure across more people. Lowscale density offers an affordable possibility for walkable neighborhoods that support increased economic activity and cultural amenities. There are countless benefits that can be listed, but Austinites’ perceptions about density must first shift. Austin’s density issue needs to be addressed, however, density is only one of many facets to consider when planning for a growing community. By couching the concept of density in a greater framework that accounts for community values, it can be redefined to show that there are several benefits to increased density that go hand-in-hand with creating complete communities.

% Change Between 2000-2015

One of the major issues in Austin is that the rate of growth in housing supply has been lower than the growth in population, resulting in a difference of roughly 50,000 housing units. This information represents the overall Austin-Round Rock MSA. While Austin’s housing supply has kept up with its population, many people are moving to the suburban fringe as a result of limited supply in the central city. This exacerbates issues like traffic, since approximately 80 percent of professional jobs are within the downtown area.

59% Population Growth 44% Housing Supply Growth

}

Δ 15%

An even greater concern is the future conditions of the city fabric with more and more people moving to Austin each year. With nearly all residential development currently happening on the fringes or in the downtown core, there is a gap between supply and demand in Austin. With people moving to Austin for the myriad of opportunities and benefits, many people cannot find affordable housing except for areas outside of the city limits.

demonstrates that there is a tremendous demand for this type of community. The City now has the responsibility to expand that potential, make it readily available and achievable, and provide it at an affordable price point. By increasing density across the City through strategic measures that support community values, aspects of a growing urban area such as public transportation become more achievable.

Redefining how the residents perceive density is critical for a more sustainable and livable urban future for Austin. It is necessary to find strategic areas within the City, that provide vibrant and affordable housing options, a mix of services and amenities, and appropriate transportation access for complete communities to emerge. Austin’s Mueller redevelopment

Today, Austin has an opportunity to become a leader in finding solutions that balance the city’s unique urban character with an appropriate density, accommodate a diverse range of housing options, and enhance the quality of the built environment for Austin’s residents.

Introduction / / / 27

The Growing Issue

Introduction / / / 28

Image: Downtown Austin skyline. Photo Credit: Yael Nidam

As Austin looks to add new housing, it cannot forget about the importance of improving affordability and preventing displacement

Alongside the growth in population, Austin’s housing prices for both rental and homeownership units have steadily risen over the last 10 years. With the population predicted to surpass one million within the next decade, pressure on Austin’s housing prices are projected to continue to increase as well. The framing and debate around CodeNEXT, though, has centered around ways in which to increase housing supply with little consideration for affordability and displacement. Under CodeNEXT, increases in housing supply may increase the number of units and the potential size of new construction or additional dwelling units, but these also come along with increased costs and barriers for families. Parking and compatibility requirements, for example, mean that single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and small apartment complexes are all built considerably smaller than they could be. Commercial site plan requirements also add significant costs and time to the construction of any small-scale residential projects larger than a duplex. This results in smaller units that are expensive and unsuitable for families. Several of these barriers have been addressed in the third draft of CodeNEXT, but displacement still remains a concern. The latest draft of CodeNEXT upzones properties throughout the City in an effort to create compact and connected neighborhoods. In some places, this increased density is applied to existing, naturally-affordable housing units. These changes, which will affect multifamily buildings and mobile home communities, have generated fear among residents that their homes will be redeveloped in the pursuit of the City’s vision for complete communities—a vision that may not include them. A range of coalitions have emerged with both divergent and convergent proposals to promote housing security and access to affordable

housing in Austin. Some city officials have promoted a Housing Justice Agenda, while advocates have released a People’s Plan. Across these coalitions there is a common call for: • Establishing an affordable housing strike fund to buy and protect affordable housing • Using public land to add affordability • Creating units with long-term affordability • Revising S.M.A.R.T. incentives beyond just fee waivers to encourage developers to build affordable units Imagine Austin states that “A comprehensive approach is needed to define and provide household affordability for Austinites. [It] must take into consideration transportation, utilities, and access to daily and weekly needs as essential and inter-related components of household affordability.” That approach must also expand to include an understanding of how the pursuit of complete communities affects housing markets and vulnerable communities’ security of tenure. Complete communities in Austin will be spaces of recreation and connection, with robust public transit, and access to green space. They will not be complete if the long-term residents do not have a voice in shaping their communities or if they are no longer able stay. Much of the growth in Austin is designated for the eastern portion of the city, a region where residents experience notably higher eviction rates, more live in manufactured homes, and household incomes are lower than across the City as a whole. As denser, new market rate development is proposed via the land development code, alongside improvements in greenspace, walkability, and transit, current residents cannot be forgotten as an essential part of a complete community.

Introduction / / / 29

Considerations for Housing Affordability

Introduction / / / 30

The Connection between Housing Typology and Affordability This chart displays Austin’s mix of different housing, the cost of this housing, and the breakdowns of how each housing type is utilized by different families. It demonstrates that the housing typologies that are both the most affordable and most used by historically disenfranchised communities, the “missing middle” typology, are also the least prioritized by the City. As Austin grows, the “missing middle” may be an affordable option for families, but there is certainly a need to make other housing options affordable for all families.

Single Family, Detached

Single Family, Attached

Share of Occupied of Units in 2016: 48.8%

Share of Occupied of Units in 2016: 4.7%

Median Home Value in 2013: $205,000

Median Home Value in 2013: $245,000

Median Home Value in 2017:* $295,546

Median Home Value in 2017:* $369,915

Median Rental Price in 2017 for All Single Family Housing Units: $1,620 per Month

Racial Breakdown of Residents across All Single Family Housing in 2015:

White: 59% African American: 37% Hispanic/Latino: 41% Asian: 51%

*Scaled values have been calculated using the 2013 data from the American Housing Survey (the most recent data available), scaling it by the growth rate in Zillow Housing Value Index for Single-family home Value series, and adjusting for inflation to March 2018. This provides an estimate in lieu of proprietary data. Source: American Community Survey, American Housing Survey, and Zillow

Introduction / / / 31

Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex

Multifamily

Mobile Homes

Share of Occupied of Units in 2016: 7.6%

Share of Occupied of Units in 2016: 37.2%

Share of Occupied of Units in 2016: 1.6%

Median Home Value in 2013: $150,000

Median Home Value in 2013: $147,000

Median Home Value in 2013: $23,000

Median Home Value in 2017:* $226,478

Median Home Value in 2017:* $221,445

Median Home Value in 2017:* $34,726

Median Rental Price in 2017: $1,286 per Month

Median Rental Price in 2017: $1,296 per Month

Median Rental Price in 2017: NO DATA

Racial Breakdown of Residents in 2015:

White: 7% African American: 11% Hispanic/Latino: 11% Asian: 3%

White: 34% African American: 52% Hispanic/Latino: 43% Asian: 46%

White: 0% African American: 0% Hispanic/Latino: 5% Asian: 0%

- 32

Introduction / / / 32

Image: Public space in downtown Austin. Photo Credit: Yael Nidam

Turning Austin’s imagination into an actionable reality

The term “complete community” was born out of Imagine Austin, the City’s master planning effort that began in 2009. In the Austin context, complete communities refer to places that simultaneously meet the daily needs of residents while being close to home and work. Imagine Austin asserts that a community is “complete” only when “it provides access by foot, bike, transit, and car to jobs, shopping, learning, open space, recreation, and other amenities and services.” Complete community speaks to the desires for the City to serve all of its residents equally and create an environment where everyone can access the collective benefits. Complete communities inherently mean different things to different people, so bringing planning down to the scale of the district allows room for flexibility but also meaningful coordination across the City.

This handbook turns the City’s aspirational goals for complete communities into physical guidelines for how to plan at the district-scale. This framework for achieving complete communities must become a tool rather than just an aspiration. As the City embarks on its next effort of “small area planning,” the following ideas can serve as a template for thought and action.

The seven goals of Imagine Austin represent a conceptual framework for complete communities. Source: City of Austin

Introduction / / / 33

Complete Communities

Introduction / / / 34

Introduction / / / 35

A Model for District Scale Planning The City of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aspirational goals for complete communities presented in Imagine Austin are directly related to the values for the district-scale framework presented in this handbook. These values include adding Adding Density Through Zoning, Increasing Connectivity, Harnessing Environmental Systems, and (Re) Programming Community Spaces to best serve their needs. Each of these values collectively offers eight actionable ideas for how to achieve one or more goals for complete communities, as explained by this diagram.

Introduction / / / 36

The Missing Scale of Planning Filling in the gaps to nurture complete communities

With increased housing demand and complete communities at the forefront of the agenda, the City of Austin has pursued planning for them at two different scales. On one end of the spectrum is citywide planning, and at the other end are single development projects.

There is gap between citywide planning and single development projects. At this juncture, planning for complete communities is unintentionally left by the wayside. In Austin, citywide planning is critical to goalsetting. Plans like Imagine Austin are good at setting a vision and highlighting areas for potential growth, as demonstrated by Austin’s growth corridors and nodes. But the citywide plans often face collective opposition from neighborhoods who are resistant to change. CodeNEXT is another example of citywide planning that sets ambitious goals for missing middle housing but has also encountered controversy due to its singular focus on zoning. Single development projects, on the other hand, bring dramatic change to neighborhoods. They do not always, however, address the citywide and community goals or take into consideration the broader issues Austin faces as it grows. Additionally, these projects happen on the timelines of developers as opposed to other community stakeholders.

With the challenges of citywide planning and single development planning in mind, is there another scale of planning that sets area-specific goals that support community values while also increasing Austin’s housing supply? District-scale planning is the optimal scale to address these concerns. Districts are areas in the City that are larger than a single neighborhood but small enough to function as a complete unit. These will range in size and shape across Austin, though the City should meaningfully define these areas. Unlike a neighborhood plan, the district-scale framework moves away from future land use planning to think about actionable ways to nurture complete communities. This includes everything from creating local economic engines to setting up a robust transportation infrastructure to programming open space. This handbook offers a framework for district planning just as Austin is about to embark on an extensive “small area planning” process. During this process, the City should consider how district-level strategies can help negotiate between citywide goals and specific development projects. It is important to note that utilizing district-scale planning can also catalyze engagement that is more bi-directional. Both citywide planning efforts and single development projects can often be top-down. District-scale planning, as expressed in the handbook, offers an opportunity to simultaneously be close enough to the community so that residents can voice their values and be connected enough to citywide issues, so that Austin’s needs are being met in a coordinated way.

Single Development

The City of Austin currently employs citywide visioning (which includes documents like Imagine Austin or CodeNEXT) and single development projects (such as the Colony Park Master Plan) to address its development needs. Here, citywide planning attempts to influence single development projects through top-down regulations like zoning, but these projects rarely take into account Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broader development goals.

Shifting to A DistrictScale Approach to Planning Districts, which are not as big as the City but not as small as a neighborhood or singledevelopment, offer new possibilities for nurturing complete communities in Austin. Planning at this scale actively translates citywide goals and visions to smaller scale solutions. This encourages coordination with the City and engages with residents in a comprehensive feedback loop.

District-Scale Planning

A New Development Paradigm Existing Single-Track Development Housing Development

Citywide Code

Housing Development

Proposed Feedback Loop Development

Zoning Amendment

Resident With this new middle scale of planning, or district-scale planning, there is a more systemic feedback loop opportunity that can be created between the needs of citizens, city wide goals, zoning processes, and the delivery of projects.

Resident

Neighborhood + Citywide Goals

Private Development

Citizen Advisory Committee

Institutional + NGO Participation

Transitional + Performance Based Zoning

Resident

City Planning

Introduction / / / 37

Citywide Planning

The Current Scales of Planning in Austin

Introduction / / / 38

Image: Students working at MIT DUSP. Photo Credit: Ben Turpin

Introduction / / / 39

The Process Designing a handbook for complete communities in Austin

The ideas found throughout this handbook were developed over the course of one semester by 15 Master in City Planning students and two faculty members in a framework planning workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Students participated in a week-long site visit to Austin to conduct site assessments; meet with key policymakers, community leaders, and residents; and better understand Austin’s cultural identity. After returning to Massachusetts, the planning workshop was organized into four phases: Phase 1: Research and Analysis During this month-long phase, the MIT planning team used data and spatial information to analyze the region and specific areas identified as corridors and nodes for growth in Austin. Additionally, research on Imagine Austin, CodeNEXT, and other citywide documents helped set the stage for how to approach framework planning for Austin. Phase 2: Creating a Framework In the second phase, the planning team introduced general frameworks for planning for growth in site-specific areas with considerations focused on scale, time horizons, and community engagement.

Phase 3: Designing a Strategy The third phase of the project refined the framework’s concept as a district-scale approach to planning and surfaced eight big ideas for building or nurturing complete communities in Austin. Phase 4: Synthesis In the fourth and final phase of the workshop, students further sharpened the eight big ideas and designed the handbook concept as an on-the-ground tool for multiple audiences. At each stage of the process, the AIA Urban Design Committee provided critical feedback about the direction of the framework plan. They provided invaluable insights about stakeholder perspectives and emerging initiatives across the City. On Friday, May 18, 2018, the final framework plan, A Handbook for Complete Communities in Austin: Big Ideas for Small Area Planning, was presented to members of the AIA Austin’s Urban Design Committee for final review.

- 40

Introduction / / / 40

A handbook for complete communities in Austin

This handbook is split into eight chapters. The first three chapters provide broad context for the motivation behind this work, Austin’s growth, and a novel approach to district-scale planning in Austin. The next four chapters present the key values embedded in district-scale planning: • • • •

Adding Density through Zoning Increasing Connectivity Harnessing Environmental Systems (Re)Programming community spaces

Each of these values encompasses two “big ideas,” which are the ways in which the districtscale concept can be translated into action. These “big idea” elements begin with a brief introduction, rooted in research. Then, they provide site-specific examples for how the idea can be adapted to different communities in Austin. At the end of the “big idea” sections, one-page community engagement case studies related to each idea provide resources and references for funding, technical assistance, advisory programs, or publications that can help bring the idea to fruition. The final chapter is a conclusion that discusses the importance of civic conveners and further strategies for implementing this framework plan in Austin. These chapters are designed so that they can either be bundled as a complete handbook or used individually, depending on the audience. They provide short and illustrative examples so that they can be field guides in communities or shared with multiple audiences. Additionally, each handbook comes along with affordable poster that can be used to concisely explain its concept in the field or during presentations. All together, the handbook outlines a framework plan at the district-scale for nurturing complete communities across the City of Austin.

Introduction / / / 41

How to Use This Book

Introduction / / / 42

02 CONTEXT Context / / / 43

Context / / / 44

DALLAS-FORT WORTH

AUSTIN

SAN ANTONIO

Austin is becoming a major city in Texas

Austin’s presence in the Texas Triangle economy is growing fast. Historically overshadowed by Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, Austin’s population as it approaches one million is now competing for industries and people. And it will continue to do so. Recently, as the region’s economic growth has slowed, Austin has continued to out-pace the national average as one of the fastest growing economies in the country. Austin is solidifying itself as a major Texas City on par with the other three major metro areas in the Texas Triangle.

Population Size Growth

Austin’s economy is unique among these players. The state capitol and the larger influence of the University of Texas gives it a steady base, while increases in its share of the tech industry and other professional services continues to flourish. As Austin grows, it must make sure that its economy can support all ranges of the income gradient.

This concept plays well into the ideas of complete communities that are explored throughout this handbook. To continue to grow and prosper, Austin must position itself as the most livable of the cities within the Texas Triangle so that it does concede opportunities to other areas in the region.

HOUSTON

50 Miles

Context / / / 45

The Texas Triangle

Context / / / 46

A Growing City Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s explosive growth is a point of departure 2017 Building Permits

0 Mile

10 Miles

The Austin--Round Rock Metropolitan Area has been the fastest growing large metropolitan area in the country in terms of percent change. Close to 60,000 people are being added per year. Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy has also experienced job growth, with rates of 4 percent. However, even with this growth in the region, the City of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s share of population has declined, as people move to suburban communities outside the city but within the extraterritorial jurisdiction. 5

Fastest Growing U.S. Cities

20 Miles

As it has in the past, this explosive growth typical leads to low density development that brings costs like social segregation and isolation, public health, air and water quality. Can this latest growth cycle be an opportunity for a different pattern of development to emerge?

Source: Slate.com

History has shaped the way Austin grows

During the period of Austin’s rapid expansion in the mid twentieth century, the City’s development was guided by planning documents specifically engineered to perpetuate racial segregation. Specifically, the City’s comprehensive plan and zoning map approved by the City Council in 1928, proposed:

Historic Redlining Map

“It is our recommendation that the nearest approach to the solution of the race segregation problem will be the recommendation of this district as a negro district; and that all the facilities and conveniences be provided the negroes in this district, as an incentive to draw the negro population to this area.” The plan also contained a vision for the development of highways. Waller Creek Driveway would require the destruction of “very unsightly and unsanitary shacks inhabited by negroes. With these buildings removed to provide for the trafficway, most of the remaining property will be of a substantial and more desirable type.” Though Mexican-Americans did not face an explicitly designed district, real estate deed restrictions and City ordinances prohibited both Mexican-American and Black Austinites from living anywhere but East Austin. The stark divides created by these policies have remained in the land use patterns of the City to this day. In 2015, the Martin Prosperity Institute named the Austin metro area the most economically segregated area in the United States. With growth currently planned in “compact and connected” centers and corridors, many of them in South and East Austin, the history of planning looms large, especially considering the City permits higher uses in lower zoning categories in the eastern part of the City than other places. In 2017, a Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities released a 70-page report, which recommended actions related to education, real estate, housing, health, finance and criminal justice. While recognizing that many of these themes are interrelated, the task force notes that the issue of housing affordability is deeply related to racial justice in the City. Their recommendations included

Source: Slate.com

creating an affordable housing fund to promote the right to stay, community empowerment, and city accountability. Many critics of CodeNEXT as a reformed land development code point to the fact that new development in the city has historically displaced people of color, seniors and low income families. As stated by the Task Force On institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities: A truly great city leaves no one behind. They cited a 1938 speech by Lydon Baines Johnson: “No one is more proud of the beauty and attainments of the City of Austin than I. But for that very reason I am unwilling to close my eyes to needless suffering and deprivation which is not only a curse to the people immediately concerned, but is also a cancerous blight on the whole community.” While historic policies often segregated and marginalized members our society new policies, represented in this report seek to bring communities together and offer prosperity for all.

Context / / / 47

A City Divided

Context / / / 48

Imagine Austin

Is the City meeting its vision to be vibrant, livable, and connected?

Much of the City of Austin’s planning is driven by the City’s comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. Approved by City Council in 2012 after a three year planning process, Imagine Austin put forward a vision for the City, beyond just land use. This vision came together after engaging over 18,000 residents over the course of two years. The resulting plan envisioned a city where: • Austin is Livable • Austin is Natural and Sustainable • Austin is Mobile and Interconnected • Austin is Prosperous • Austin Values and Respects its People • Austin is Creative In order to realize this vision, the plan designated eight priority programs: • Invest in a compact and connected Austin • Sustainably manage our water resources • Continue to grow Austin’s economy by investing in our workforce, education systems, entrepreneurs, and local businesses • Use green infrastructure to protect environmentally sensitive areas and integrate nature into the city • Grow and invest in Austin’s creative economy • Develop and maintain household affordability throughout Austin • Create a Healthy Austin Program • Revise Austin’s development regulations and processes to promote a compact and connected city Since the plan’s release in 2012, each priority programs has a lead department, crossfunctional team, partners and a work plan as well as specific indicators to track progress. City officials cite the plan’s ability to bring people together across subject areas to collaborate, coordinate, and innovate towards comprehensive solutions, despite challenges influencing departmental-focused budgets and organizational structures. Major achievements included the 2016 mobility bond, as well as changes to the Capital Improvements Program using Imagine Austin’s goals and objectives as criteria.

In 2017, the City released a year-five progress report on Imagine Austin. The report noted “overarching themes emerging from the indicator results over the past five years show relatively positive results for environmental health, community health, and economic vibrancy and relative worsening of conditions for affordability and mobility.” Of the 41 assigned indicators, 17 show improvement, 11 show little to no change, 12 show movement in the wrong direction, and one indicator lacks sufficient data to support conclusive results. Each priority program team cited goals looking ahead, to be achieved through the five-prong implementation strategy for Imagine Austin. These implementation strategies include: • • • • •

Education and Engagement Internal Alignment Regulations Capital Investments Partnerships

Regional Center Town Center Village Center

Activity Corridor Job Center Environmentally Sensitive Center

Imagine Austin Centers and Corridors Imagine Austin’s Growth Concept Map series includes maps that identify ideal areas for growth but are conceptual and do not carry the legal weight of zoning or land use code. These centers and corridors are the places where Imagine Austin envisions compact and connected growth.

Context / / / 49

CodeNEXT

Controversial citywide zoning changes

In 2012, following the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan, the Austin Planning and Zoning department has been engaging in community outreach and working with Opticos, a firm based in Berkeley, California, on drafting a new zoning code. Goals for the new code include promoting a compact and connected city, preserving the character of different neighborhoods, promoting affordability, integrating nature, ensuring the delivery of efficient services, and providing clear guidance in a user-friendly format. After six years, the Planning and Zoning Department has released three different drafts of CodeNEXT. Despite the stated goal of simplifying the code, Draft 3 is over 1,500 pages long and expands the number of zones. After vocal opposition from neighborhood advocates, the latest draft contains far less upzoning, and eliminates the possibility of adding density in more core city neighborhoods. Austin communities have vocalized opposition against the CodeNEXT drafts, with homeowners decrying the upzoning of their neighborhoods, while other voices see the latest draft as a return to the status quo. Community opposition has become so charged that in spring of 2018, City Councilors were forced to reject a 30,000 person petition to put CodeNEXT to a vote on the ballot.

Existing Austin Zoning Map

CodeNEXT Draft 3 Map

Context / / / 50

Context / / / 51

Zooming In

Two sites of inquiry as a model for Austin

The two sites chosen for this studio practicum were selected from a larger list of corridors and nodes that were identified through Imagine Austin. Theses two areas of the City, while very different, were both identified as future areas of growth. South First Street is a nine-mile long road that stretches from Lady Bird Lake and terminates at Route 1626. South Lamar Boulevard runs parallel to South First Street to the west, while the other major corridor is South Congress Avenue to the east. Both provide Bus Rapid Transit to and from downtown. South First Street passes through historic communities and Bouldin Creek as the neighborhood character changes to mid-century singlefamily homes and, eventually, to disconnected subdivisions and swaths of open space farthest South. The northern portion of South First is characterized by smaller lots, small businesses, and strong neighborhood associations and is also the home to a large historic campus. Ben White Boulevardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sunken highway divides Dawson and Gallindo from South Manchaca and West Congress neighborhoods, and includes commercial development, industrial development, and the St. Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital campus. From Ben White to William Cannon, single family residential neighborhoods occupy most of the corridor though it is dotted with strip malls. Farthest south, gated communities have begun to appear on undeveloped parcels. There, the large shopping complex for South Park Meadows, Atkins High School, and Mary Moore Searight Park are the most prominent centers of activity. Northeast Austin sits roughly six miles northeast of downtown Austin and consists of roughly nine square miles of land. It is bounded on all sides by major road infrastructure and open space. To the south and north is Martin Luther King Blvd and Highway 290, respectively. To the east is the Walter E Long open space. To the west is the University Hill neighborhood across the wide Ed Bluestein Blvd. The landscape is characterized by a patchwork of sparse single family neighborhoods, large swaths of unprogrammed and inaccessible open space, several large industrial sites, a number of mobile home parks,

South First Street and Northeast Austin serve as a prototype for the rest of Austin. One is a corridor running through established residential neighborhoods south from downtown. The other is a fringe region that is poised to see growth. and several sports facilities. The largest portion of the site is undeveloped remnant agriculture lands or rolling juniper scrub-land. Running through the site is the future commuter rail corridor connecting back into downtown. There is limited new development, but some notable projects include the Colony Park neighborhood and several other low-scale isolated apartment complexes. These two sites, while very different, represent two sets of model conditions for studying how complete communities can be delivered in Austin and how future growth can be accommodated. Northeast Austin can be seen as a future transit oriented district. South First Street represents how an existing commercial corridor and the surrounding residential district can increase density and accommodate community amenities. The following planning study uses these two sites to explore context specific concepts, however, these concepts can also be applied across the City.

Context-specific zones

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Context / / / 52

South First Street

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Above: This analysis investigated major intersections, identifiable zones, and neighborhoods (as identified by individual neighborhood plans).

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A Limited Corridor

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Context / / / 53

South 1st Street

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Parcel conditions along the South First Street corridor were analyzed, looking at lot size, coverage conditions, street setback, and pedestrian conditions. Conditions varied significantly along the length of the road, with parcel size and setback growing towards the southern end of the road.

A pattern of fragmentation

Environment Parks and Open Space The park system consist of fragmented patches and broken corridors that have little program for community use and limited access for those who need the space.

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There are two active landfills north of the site

Constructed environmental hazards and natural flood plains run through the site creating areas of seasonal and persistent risk.

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Gas stations are concentrated in the south

Context / / / 54

Northeast Austin

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Context / / / 55

Built Conditions Urban Form

There is currently a lack of urban structure in Northeast Austin with patches of residential development isolated from commercial areas and community nodes.

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+Avg 4.5 D/U +Avg Unit size 2,000 sqft +Avg lot size 7,400 sqft Avg far 0.27

+Avg 8.5 D/U +Avg Unit size 2,000 sqft +Avg lot size 4,100 sqft +Avg far 0.48

+Avg 30 D/U +Avg Unit size 900 sqft +Avg far 0.61

+Avg 10.5 D/U +Avg Unit size 1,200 sqft +Avg lot size 4,400 sqft +Avg far is 0.27

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Introduction / / / 56

03 FRAMEWORK Framework / / / 57

Framework / / / 58

The “New” Missing Middle Redefining the City’s Growth as a Value Proposition

As Austin prepares for growth, it is not enough to turn to the missing middle housing alone as a solution to a burgeoning housing crisis. Austin must also think critically about how to create entire ecosystems that support complete communities across the City. This is the “new” missing middle—a flexible district-scale framework for what existing and new communities need to thrive in Austin. The “new” missing middle is built upon four actionable values, described below.

Density 01 Adding through Zoning Adding Density through Zoning explores different ways of approaching zoning in order to encourage and facilitate the development of contextsensitive density in Austin. Floating Zoning focuses on how a flexible menu of zoning options facilitates increased residential and commercial density in more single-family contexts. Additional Density Units explores methods of increasing context-responsive residential and commercial density within existing Austin communities using existing alleys as an armature.

02 Increasing Connectivity Increasing Connectivity examines the ways in which street hierarchy and urban form play distinct but coupled roles in connecting Austinites to their city and to each other. Building upon current street classifications set by the Federal Highway Administration and the City of Austin, Mobility explores how new design strategies could help Austin’s streets support the different character of the districts they traverse. Transit Oriented Development looks at urban design strategies that anticipate population growth, incentivizing densification and multi-modal transportation networks.

Framework / / / 59

03 Harnessing Environmental Systems

04 (Re)Programming Community Spaces

Harnessing Environmental Systems studies the roles of environmental systems in the continued growth and development of Austin. Green Infrastructure as Public Amenity develops tactics for enhancing existing natural amenities in more densely developed districts in Austin. It also explores proactive ways for creating connected programmed and unprogrammed natural corridors. Climate Responsive Urban Design researches how the city’s semi-arid climate affects the pedestrian and public realm experience. It proposes ways of orienting development patterns and selecting appropriate design styles to respond to Austin’s native climate conditions.

(Re)Programming Community Spaces explores methods of programming and reprogramming social spaces throughout Austin, further enhancing the cultural vibrancy and diverse social activities that make Austin an exciting place to live. Nurturing Cultural Amenities studies the landscape of Austin’s dispersed cultural amenities. It develops frameworks for cultivating existing spaces to host new cultural activity and social connections. Retrofitting Suburbia explores methods for systematically transforming sparse suburban development patterns along Austin’s edges into more dynamic district centers that accommodate anticipated population growth.

Framework / / / 60

Adding Density through Zoning

Floating Zoning

A mechanism for incremental neighborhood change The first big idea under adding Adding Density through Zoning is about Floating Zoning. A floating zone is an amendment to a zoning ordinance that is not tied to any geographic location but has certain conditions that must be met in order for the zone to be formally applied. This sub-chapter argues that in the Austin context, floating zoning can be a mechanism for incremental parcel- and block-level change that gives the City and private homeowners the opportunity to convert isolated areas into more dense ones.

Additional Density Units Strategic context-sensitive small-scale infill

The second big idea under adding Adding Density through Zoning is about Additional Density Units. By expanding the uses of Additional Dwelling Units beyond just dwelling, additional density units in neighborhoods could function as new spaces for small-scale commercial activity and work. Aside from diversifying the use of Additional Dwelling Units, this sub-chapter proposes adjustments to the zoning code that would increase the number of Additional Dwelling Units allowed, more generally.

Framework / / / 61

Framework / / / 62

Increasing Connectivity

Mobility

Connecting people to places The first big idea for Increasing Connectivity is about Mobility. This sub-chapter offers suggestions for intentional hierarchy and design of streets to better complement land use goals. Thoughtful classification and design decisions for streets can improve safety, increase connections, and set in place the infrastructure needed to accommodate Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future growth.

Anticipating Transit Providing future nodes that will support transit development The second big idea for Increasing Connectivity is about planning for robust transit infrastructure (Anticipating Transit). This sub-chapter offers considerations for planning for greenfield neighborhood development and future transit hubs using a variety of strategies.

Framework / / / 63

Framework / / / 64

Harnessing Environmental Systems

Green Infrastructure as Public Amenity Connecting development to open space and infrastructure

The first big idea for Harnessing Environmental Systems is about using Green Infrastructure As Public Amenity. This sub-chapter explores the use of developer incentives, easements, and impact fees to strengthen the connective tissue of programmed and productive open space across Austin.

Climate Responsive Urban Design Design guidelines for Austinspecific climate The second big idea for Harnessing Environmental Systems is about employing Climate Responsive Urban Design strategies in Austin to better prepare for climate change. This sub-chapter offers climate responsive strategies at the building, block, and neighborhood scales.

Framework / / / 65

Framework / / / 66

(Re)Programming Community Spaces

Nurturing Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cultural Identity Creating a cultural framework for community spaces The first big idea under (Re)Programming Community Spaces is about Nurturing Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cultural Identity. This sub-chapter explores three strategies through which cultural amenities can be equitably expanded across every neighborhood in Austin. These strategies include building out basic amenity infrastructure, enhancing the places where people spend time between home and work, and knitting in a robust network of arts, culture, and creative industries.

Retrofitting Suburbia Adding diverse capacity to underutilized parcels The second big idea for (Re)Programming Community Spaces is about Retrofitting Suburbia. This sub-chapter focuses on strategies to update aging suburban centers across Austin by transforming them into walkable, mixed-use neighborhood centers.

Framework / / / 67

Framework / / / 68

Two distinct areas of Austin serve as prototypes for future small area planning

As the City embarks on small area planning, South First Street and Northeast Austin serve as a potential models for the ideas to facilitate the creation of complete communities. Presented here are the two framework plans for both sites that demonstrate a vision for both areas, the fundamental principles, and the resulting big ideas for small area planning. The model of small area planning represents a process and a conceptual framework for thinking and not a rigid set of requirements. The two plans take very different forms as they propose solutions for encouraging healthy, context sensitive growth. While both sites utilize the same big ideas, they manifest themselves in different capacities based on the specific requirements of the site. For South First Street, it is about three major strategies while in Northeast Austin it is about one strategy across four scales. Both of these plans show how existing and future urban fabric can support Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture, environment, and people by delivering complete communities in line with Imagine Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aspirational goals.

Framework / / / 69

Framework Plans

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Legend North East Austin Greenway Trail Connected Open Space Network Bike Network Production Land Existing Water Body

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South First Street Strategic changes for inner-city neighborhoods

South First Street changes drastically as it moves from downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake in the north, to the City limits to the south. The framework plan for this corridor considers this in its proposal. New nodes associated with major intersections, transportation hubs, natural systems, and underutilized sites create concentrations of new development along the corridor that offer existing residents new opportunities for jobs and amenities while providing increased housing capacity within the corridor. Strategic infill opportunities within existing neighborhoods respect the urban fabric and utilize alley ways as an armature for additional growth. Surgical mobility and open space improvements stitch the corridor together.

Context-Specific Zones

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This goal centers around the idea of creating complete communities across the South 1st Street corridor and manifest itself as cultural anchors, strategic infill areas, and new neighborhood centers that together provide equitable level of service across areas.

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This idea centers around the goal of providing connective elements along the corridor and across the corridor. These interventions take the form of mobility improvements and open space connections that provide better connectivity to surrounding areas as well as between different areas along the corridor.

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The plan for South First Street considers the importance of context sensitive solutions and breaks down the corridor into three distinct districts that require different solutions for redevelopment and complete communities. To the north, closest to downtown the ideas center around respecting the historic fabric. The middle district highlights specific points along the corridor, and the southern district identifies large areas for strategic infill opportunities

Framework / / / 71

Framework

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Framework / / / 72

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Northeast Austin Planning for future growth on the edge of the City through four scales

Proposed Road Network Existing Road Network Proposed Bike Network Production Land (Energy or Food) Existing Water Body Existing Park Land Connected Open Space Network Existing Residential Neighborhood Land Uses Proposed Primary Residential Proposed Primary Mixed-use Proposed Primary Jobs Center Proposed Civic Proposed District Nodes Proposed Neighborhood Nodes Proposed District Bus Circulator Proposed BRT Route Future Commuter Line

The district-level plan for Northeast Austin reveals an interconnected network of built and natural areas. This framework plan sets the limits of growth within this area and offers ideas about strategic connections that could be made across the site. The overarching goal is to encourage complete communities through four scales of thinking. Through this comprehensive exercise, a more diverse urban fabric can be realized, one that supports a robust economy, offers greater housing options, provides increased connections, and is centered on healthy living. This framework plan provides a complete community for existing residents and future residents alike.

Framework / / / 73

Framework District Scale At the district level, a transportation system that connects Northeast Austin to the rest of the City as well as to different areas within is developed. Land use patterns are arranged with the idea of creating diverse self-sufficient village centers that cater to existing and future neighborhoods. Finally, a green network supports ecosystem services and recreation, providing valuable functions such as storm water management and habitat protection.

The Half-Mile Neighborhood 330’

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The village scale consist of new and existing neighborhoods. At this scale of thinking, the goal is to ensure that each neighborhood can support the basic needs of its residents. Through ensuring that all neighborhoods have basic amenities, community connections, and valuable green space complete communities can be achieved. These villages would be concentrated along transportation routes and could be sized to a walkable scale of a half mile.

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Block Scale The block scale would require a change to the way Austin currently thinks about its neighborhoods. This scale suggest that even within relatively low-scale development, mixed-use buildings and mixed-use blocks are possible. This plan supports low scale mixed-use density across the site. These buildings would be in scale of each other and would offer increased housing variation and increased amenities.

Parcel Scale The parcel scale creates a need for understanding incremental change. This framework plan proposes strategic allowance of increased density at the parcel level through creative zoning mechanisms that result in new development that is respectful of existing fabric but can provide the greater density needed to support better transit service and increased amenities.

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Introduction / / / 74

Introduction / / / 75

THEME 1 | ADDING DENSITY THROUGH ZONING

Adding Density through Zoning explores different ways of approaching zoning in order to encourage and facilitate the development of contextsensitive density in Austin. Floating Zoning focuses on how a flexible menu of zoning options facilitates increased residential and commercial density in more single-family contexts. Additional Density Units explores methods of increasing context-responsive residential and commercial density within existing Austin communities using existing alleys as an armature.

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 76

Photo: The single family residential landscape in Northeast Austin. Source: Joshua Brooks

Providing an alternative to residential upzoning

The proliferation of single family residential districts in Austin is a dominant feature of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape. On one hand, this is part of the Texas culture; a piece of land to call your own. On the other hand, this ubiquitous landscape has contributed greatly to many of the issues that Austin now faces in terms of affordability, traffic, and access to amenities such as transportation and jobs. Covering roughly 21 percent of the entire land area within the City, this land use type is often the most resistant to change. Citywide initiatives such as CodeNEXT have failed to deliver a reasonable way for these areas to create additional density without full-sail upzoning, which is, and will continue to be, politically unavailable. The concept of floating zoning is one that has been used across the country when future land use conditions are unknown but there is a need to create a codifying language for a future desired condition.

This section offers a framework for growth that respects the existing neighborhood context but provides options within the existing parcel pattern. a block, or a neighborhood that might result in incremental growth of an area in response to future transit or increased market pressures. Additionally, it is demonstrated that this concept builds on the existing zone district code that is governing a particular piece of land rather than a complete rezoning exercise. By utilizing

Single Family Land Area

How can this concept be used to create greater flexibility within single family residential zones without the burdensome process of major zoning overhauls in an area? How can market dynamics and personal desire to come together to deliver a greater level of density? Finally, how can a framework for growth that respects the existing neighborhood context but provides options within the existing parcel pattern be created? These are some of the questions that are explored in this section.

Single family land use currently covers 21 percent of all of the land area within Austin. Out of the other residential land uses it covers the most geographic area within the City. At an average density of just under three units per acre this land represents the hardest land to plan for change but also one of the greatest opportunities. The current density levels do not support the use of transit or the economic base for additional commercial space.

This section provides a way of thinking about some of the physical conditions that might warrant the implementation of a floating zone such as large parcel size, inaccessible block patterns, uneven distribution of housing units along a block, and underutilized FAR and impervious surface coverage within an individual parcel. To do this, a regulatory process has been identified as well as the resulting physical changes that could take place on a given parcel,

21% | Single Family Parcels

79% | All Other Land Uses

this formation of neighborhood change, a more strategic approach to zoning could allow for a single parcel, group of parcels, a block, or even an entire neighborhood to decide to utilize this strategy. Finally, this strategy is based upon the idea of providing low-to-moderate-income households with the financial mechanisms to extract greater value from the property that they already own as a means to prevent displacement.

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 77

Floating Zoning

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 78

A Citywide Strategy for Increasing Density in Single Family Neighborhoods This map shows the extent of single family land uses currently existing in Austin. Floating zoning, as a mechanism, has tremendous opportunities for supporting context-sensitive growth in these areas. As described, it offers a potentially political option for allowing increased density without the burden up up-zoning. Both study areas, highlighted here, offer a unique opportunity to test these ideas as they are both poised to grow in future years as indicated in Imagine Austin.

Legend Major Street Network Existing Single Family Residential Neighborhoods Study Areas Existing Surface Water Existing Park Space All Other Land Uses

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 79

Northeast Austin

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Floating zoning is a mechanism for incremental neighborhood change

Much like the City as a whole, Northeast Austin is characterized by large tracts of single-family home development. These neighborhoods consist of homes that are all roughly the same age, type, and size. Many of these

The first form is the changes to an existing parcels development capacity. The second form is the aggregated effects to the neighborhood that property owners must buy into to utilize the floating zone concept. These two forms of change are further supplemented by additional credits for Affordable Housing that would augment the permissible changes after the establishment of the floating zone. The floating zoning district could be initiated in two ways: either from the City or from citizens.

The goal is to provide existing private home owners flexibility within isolated areas, and in turn create greater density.

neighborhoods were built out in the 1970s and 80s when the housing market was not putting as much pressure on Northeast Austin to absorb much of the growth that is happening in the Process City. As a result, these neighborhoods consist parcels ranging from as small as 4,000 ft2 to The City could use this as a discussion tool as large as 11,000 square-feet with an average during small area planning to identify specific house size hovering around 2,000 square-feet. parcels that are interested in taking advantage While some residents enjoy this suburban, almost rural fabric, others Policy Implications wish for options that might provide more flexibility in what resides on With the identification of single family neighborhood the City needs to create a regulatory this land. With pressures constantly framework to manage on-street parking. While the floating zone will assist a neighborhood in creating access to individual parcels through the rear of the property, increased density rising, there needs to be a more and new commercial properties will create greater demand for on-street parking. Residential strategic and creative way for parking permits could be a way to manage this issue. how we think about neighborhood change, especially in established In addition, with the creation of new public realm space within the neighborhoods there will residential areas. In addition, the be a need to create public access easements along certain streets in which the property line is along the edge of the street. To create the public realm the City will also need to enter into solution must be one that provides agreements with property owners to finance and construct the public realm improvements as existing property owners with the well as the alley easements in the back of the properties for those who choose. The City has ability to extract greater value from the capability to manage and implement these policy regulations. their land without displacement. These conditions in Northeast Austin represent an opportunity to introduce the concept of floating zoning as a mechanism for incremental neighborhood change such as increased density, subtle land use changes, and structural changes such as the introduction of alleyways and the construction of a more pedestrian friendly public realm. This concept materializes as a new zoning district classification that would not be immediately assigned to a specific area. Instead, this skeleton zoning language would hold a series of six rules that would augment the existing zoning designation. These rules take on two forms.

of the situation. They could also create a, city database that is initially filled through a Request for Initial Interest (RFII). This could be updated on an annual basis. From the citizen side, any single parcel or group of parcels could submit an application. There is no size requirement. Upon applying for the floating zone designation there would be a number of procedural and financial incentives that the City could offer. However, prior to final approval it would be required to receive 51 percent approval from directly contiguous parcels.

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 81

Northeast Austin

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 82

Financial Considerations

process that would allow them to “leap frog” in density. This means that instead of using the parcel’s existing zone classification, they Once initiated, the floating zoning district comes would use the next dense district to compute with a two year property tax freeze that would the percentage change allowed. The limit would assist property owners with the upfront cost of be the most dense R-Residential classification improvements. If improvements are not made within CodeNEXT or the most dense SF-Single or in progress that money would be due back Family classification under the current zoning. after two years. In addition to the benefits to This process and feedback loop is designed parcels that initially apply, directly adjacent to allow for existing property owners to have parcels would be able to either opt into the more flexibility in what they are allowed existing floating zone that has been established to do on their property. Without drastically or would be able to initiate another floating zone changing the existing neighborhood character, additional density, limited commercial development, and better Implementation public realm can be weaved into these areas. 01. Develop skeleton floating zone language with small working

group of stakeholders. 02. Adopt zone district at either part of CodeNEXT or as an amendment to existing zone code if CodeNEXT does not pass. 03. Write and Deliver a Request for Initial Interest (RFII) to all single family parcel owners in the city. 04. Select a prototype area within the City to initiate pilot project and create performance measurement benchmarks to track success 05. Make zone district available and utilize it in conversations during in future small area planning efforts.

Finally, the City would be responsible for participating in publicprivate partnership to deliver the alley initiative and public realm components of this concept. This could be paid for with the increase in tax revenue that would be seen from the higher land value created from this effort.

Different Scales of Application

135

CORE CHANGE ZONE

Parcels

CORE CHANGE ZONE

Parcels

AREA OF INFLUENCE NO AREA OF INFLUENCE WHEN NO CONTIGUOUS RESIDENTIAL PARCELS ARE NOT PRESENT

Parcels

CORE CHANGE ZONE

1Parcel

CORE CHANGE ZONE

AREA OF INFLUENCE

Since the floating zone is developed with no specific geographic footprint in its infancy, it will take on many different forms as it is adopted across the City. There is a need to take zoning changes out of the purview of citywide votes. Instead these changes should be thought of at a much smaller scale and done in concert with delivering collective benefits to an area. Shown here, individual neighborhoods would be able to design their future while respecting the existing conditions of the area.

Opposite Page: This sequence of photos demonstrate some of the opportunities that existing single family residential neighborhoods present for the use of the floating zoning mechanism. Individual property owners are given more flexibility to re-imagine there own future and extract value from their assets without negatively impacts the fabric of the existing neighborhood.

Total Density Units Per Acre: 4

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4 1/

Sand

Average House: 2,300 sq/ft

Residual Side Lots 6,800 sq/ft

ile us di Ra Average Parcel Size: 8,700 sq/ft

Extra Large Parcels +10,000

After

D Villag

TO Future

Low-Scale Apartment

New Public Realm New Home Parcel

l yo Lo

Neighborhood Coffee Shop

shof

Sand

ile

New Home Parcel

New

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Low-Scale Apartment

Peer City Case Studies While floating zoning is not widely used across the United States, it does have historical and legal precedent. The first city in America to utilize floating zoning was Tarrytown, New York, which utilized the technique in a similar fashion to what is being proposed here. It was ruled legal by the highest court in New York and has been used as a legal precedent for over 50 years. Since that time nearly 30 states have upheld the use of floating zones as legal ways to regulate land use on a municipal level. In 2013, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Land Use Law Center developed a model Neighborhood Development Floating Zone to foster green neighborhood development. This study likens floating zoning in a similar fashion to PUD zoning which accomplishes some of the same goals. With the legal precedent and local PUD precedent floating zoning is a viable option for the City of Austin to utilize in the incremental densification of current single family areas. Source: smartgrowthamerica.org

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 83

Before

Ex Se ist tb i n g ac k

4 x Units Allowed

Zone Volume Additional Units This zoning credit provides a parcel with the ability to increase its unit count four times over within the existing zone volume that results from the various setbacks, impervious cover, and height limits. FAR is removed from the volume calculation. Parking minimums do not increase as units increase.

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Existing Height Limit

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Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 84

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Parcel Change

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me e olu rag g V Cove n i n Zo us ng vio isti mper x E nI do ase

50 el rc Pa is Ex

g tin is ck Ex tba Se Residential ADU

1.5 x Inc Sq/F rea t se

1.5 x Hieght Provision

tin

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f xo Ma rcel % 25 ng Pa isti Ex

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New Parcel

Corner Lot Access to Side Street

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Existing Height Limit

4 x Units Allowed

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Access to Main Road

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Outdoor Patio

This zoning credit provides a parcel with the ability to provide context-appropriate commercial land uses such as child care, in-home businesses, cafe and restaurants, and other low intensity commercial uses. The zoning volume, FAR, and setbacks would remain the same but impervious coverage would be reduced to allow for outdoor dinning options. Ex

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Existing Height Limit

‘Nieghborhood’ Commercial

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gP inin ati a m o Re er Fl lat Oth calcu Re ith

“Neighborhood” Commercial Allowance

ADU Parcel Split Provision This zoning credit would allow for property owners to subdivide their parcel with the construction of a accessory dwelling unit. This gives property owners with limited equity the ability provide increased density without the cost of constructing the unit themselves.

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Existing Height Limit

‘Nieghborhood’ Commercial

Ex Se ist tb ing ac k

20’

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New Rear Access

16’ blic Pu ent sm a E

Avoid Heritage Trees

Alley Area Removed from Proerty Tax Calculation

2’ Setback

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Block Change 24’ ace p in S 16’ blic Pu ent sm a E

Block Alley Initiative

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New Rear Access

Avoid Heritage Trees

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Alley Area Removed from Proerty Tax Calculation

Ex Pa istin rc g el

2’ Setback

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As multiple parcels on a block join the floating zone district this credit would provide a mechanism for the construction of alley-ways in the rear of the property where they do not currently exist. This would allow properties to be accessed from the rear, creating greater ability for ADUs and parking requirements of additional units.

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Residential ADU

1.5 x Inc Sq/F rea t se

Ex Se ist tb ing ac k

Continuous Sidewalk and New Parcel Tree Lawn with Trees Replacement Trees for Rear Alley Construction

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Corner Lot Access to Side Street

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7’ n i M

Front Access Maintained Unit l Rear Alley Construction rce New Alley Access

Continuous Sidewalk and

Pu b 1 Ea lic 4’ se Re m al en m t

7’

Access to Main Road

9’

isti

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2’

With the use of the floating zoning mechanism property owners must agree to providing increased public realm along the street. This would be constructed on a parcel by parcel basis and would be done through public private partnerships with the city. The goal is that with increased density comes greater public benefit.

New Alley Access

is tin

Public Realm Design Guidelines

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1.5 x Hieght Provision

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50 %

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This zoning credit allows for two contiguous parcels to each subdivide their parcels to create an adjacent parcel between the two. This allows for neighbors to jointly extract greater value from their property while reducing there overall tax burden.

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New Parcel

Ex Se ist tb ing ac k

Parcel Side Split

Existing Height Limit

e um rage ove

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 85

Parcel Change

Since the Floating Zone district is not initially placed on any specific geographic area, it requires a new regulatory process to implement. Shown here is a process by which the zoning mechanism is implemented for particular parcels or a group of parcels.

City Review Joint Parcel Filling Fee Wavier Expedited Review

Tax Incentive Immediate 2-Year Property Tax Freeze (Must be Paid Back if improvements are not made) Area of Influence Review Process 51% Approval from Direct Adjacent Parcel(s)

City Initiated + Small Area Planning Tool + Request for Initial Interest (RFII) + Live City Database

Floating Zone Applied

+ Single Property Owner (must be primary residence for at least 1 year) + Neighborhood Associations + Developer Initiated (capital investments only, no property flips) + Adjacent Neighbors

Immediate Inclusion with Limited Review Process

Citizen Initiated

Density Leap Frog (Process Starts Over)

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 86

Regulatory Flow Chart

Residual Property Value Increase

+ One Additional Unit For ADU(s) + Reduction in Impervious Cover Multi-Unit Buildings + City Funding for Public ROW Improvements

Single Parcel Change

Zone Volume Additional Units

Two Parcel Change

‘Neighborhood’ Commercial Allowance

ADU Parcel Split Provision

Side-Split Parcel Subdivision

Block Change

Block Alley Innitiative Program

Public Realm Design Guidelines

Public-Private Investment

Area of Influence Adjacent Parcel(s) Options

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 87

Affordable Housing Credits

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 88

Photo: Existing residence with a rear ADU within the South First corridor area.

Promoting density through contextual neighborhood-level interventions Throughout Austin, residential scale development has been in large part composed of single-family homes situated on large lots. This is a pattern that has been common over the decades, from historic single family bungalows in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood to the larger suburban tract developments that are common throughout Northeast Austin. These single family lots fall in areas that are primarily residential in nature, with limited commercial or civic elements in close proximity. In some residential areas, accessory dwelling units have been constructed, allowing a single lot to contain two units. CodeNEXT continues to allow for the construction of accessory dwelling units, known as ADUs. As built, these are either accessed via driveways and side yards, or via alleys in areas containing an alley network. Building off of the existing culture of ADUs in Austin, this project proposes expanding the definition of ADUs, while adjusting the code framework to allow a more adaptable network of ADUs throughout the city.

Is it possible to densify neighborhoods in ways that fit with the character of Austin? that are minimally built out have the capacity to contain much more density â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ADUs are an effective tool to densify while maintaining existing neighborhood character. This is especially important in historic areas like Bouldin Creek, where vernacular architecture is a defining element of the neighborhood. ADUs can speak to the existing vernacular design and create micro-communities within these larger existing areas. While densification through a primarily single family, small scale tool like ADUs will not solve issues of population growth and housing affordability on its own, it can be

To do this, we propose reframing ADU Potential Along South First ADUs as Additional Density Units South of Lady Bird Lake, there instead of merely dwelling units. are approximately 95 blocks that This would allow for a range of uses, are layed out with existing alley blocks in depending on the specific context. systems. These exist along South South Austin conCommercial and live/work ADUs First as well as west of Lamar tain alleyways Blvd. and east of South Congress could be sited in neighborhoods that Street. Specific to South First, lack small, localized commercial and there are 373 existing lots within work spaces. Beyond expanding the Bouldin Creek neighborhood the uses, we propose strategically that have alley frontage - these are lots adjusting the code to promote prime development opportunities for ADUs. the development of more ADUs. in Bouldin Creek Adjustments to lot parcelization neighborhood would allow homeowners to sell lots for ADU development, as well as allow multiple ADUs to inhabit a an important tool within a broader toolkit. single parcel. Floating zoning would also allow Additional density units can help densify for incremental densification over time. In areas within existing neighborhoods where largerwith networks of alleys, micro-neighborhoods of scale infill development is not possible. With ADUs would create dense, context-appropriate a high level of precision, it can add additional communities that integrate green infrastructure residences or small commercial spaces in and public space. In new developments, alley manners that respect and do not compete with networks are integrated into the street grid to the existing surrounding context. These ADUs promote densification through ADUs. can foster community through the construction of micro-neighborhoods, while also promoting Ultimately, ADUs will primarily be a densification affordability if paired with forward-thinking tool within existing contexts. Residential areas strategies.

317

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 89

Additional Density Units

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 90

PROJECT SITE

WILL

IAM

SO UT HC ON G

SO UT HF

IRS

RE SS

R MA LA

CAN

NON

SLAUGHTER

“When the new people move in... all the fences go up. They’re building fences, (and)

Legend

they don’t know their neighbors anymore.”

Future ADU Development ADU Development on Existing Alleys

0 Mile

1 Mile

BEN WHITE

Repurposing Alley Networks to Foster Complete Communities

A range of architectural and layout patterns surround the South First Street corridor. Many of the neighborhoods are single family residential, while a mix of commercial and industrial uses exist directly on South First. Multi-family is

preserve the architectural language that helps define these neighborhoods along South First. For areas without alley networks, ADUs are still an effective method of densification. Backof-lot ADUs are still accessible through the existing residence’s driveway or side yard. Lot parcelization would allow adjacent homeowners to jointly sell a lot between them, allowing for a street-facing ADU. This is an effective way to add density within an existing development, with new structures matching the scale and style of the existing neighborhood.

Alleys provide prime opportunities to create distinctive micro-neighborhoods that speak to South Austin’s unique culture and architectural style. found throughout the corridor, though new multi-family construction is in large part concentrated towards the southern end of South First. In all of these sections, from the historic neighborhoods along Bouldin Creek to the new greenfield developments dotting the southern regions of the corridor, ADUs are a tool for strategic densification.

With new developments, an opportunity exists to incorporate ADUs from the start. New greenfield developments should be developed with density

In the northern section, the ADU Policy Implications strategy centers around networks of existing alleys. Through adding To promote ADU densification and affordability, this plan suggests a range of policy-related ADUs along the alley roads, these strategies, including: new structures will not feel like • Allowance of lot parcelization, including lot sales and lot pooling between neighbors “back of house” additions that • Adjustment of height requirements are secondary to the primary • Adjustment of setback requirements structures. Rather, these would • Allowance of multi-unit ADUs feel like micro-neighborhoods that • Allowance of commercial and non-residential use for ADUs • Adjustment of permitting and application fees to make ADUs more financially accessible are inward focused on the alley networks. These alleys serve as pedestrian footpaths, with green and stormwater infrastructure located throughout. These ADUs would be designed to speak to the existing architectural languages found in in mind, and ADUs are central to that goal. Alley these neighborhoods. To promote community, networks in these new developments should porches face the alley, and small community include ADUs (both single and multi-unit) that gathering spaces are dotted amongst the ADUs. are located along these pedestrian-friendly alleys. Along many existing alleys, houses already have outbuildings, such as sheds or garages. Commercial ADUs would be strategically located Many of these could potentially be rehabilitated throughout the entire South First corridor. into ADUs. Austin could sponsor a program to These should be in places that are in need incentivize the rehabilitation and transformation of commercial or live/work spaces. The scale of these outbuildings into ADUs, adding should fit in with the surrounding context, as population density within existing footprints. the intention is to provide commercial amenities This type of adaptation would also help to within a primarily residential environment.

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 91

South First Street

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 92

Site: Bouldin Creek Neighborhood

Bouldin Creek: Site S

F IR S OUTH

T ST

REET

W ES TM AR YS TR

SOU

FTH H FI

STR

EE T ALLEY NETWORKS

SITE BOUNDARY

EET

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 93

Existing Alley

OAK CANOPY

ALLEY PARKING

PRIVACY FENCES PRIVACY FENCES

NO PUBLIC SPACE

IMPERVIOUS PAVING

Peer City Case Studies Above: Existing conditions within one of Bouldin Creek’s alleys. This highlights the currently underutilized condition of the alleys and the common condition where houses are fenced off from the alley. Left: Bouldin Creek neighborhood highlights a location where multiple blocks contain alleyways.

Los Angeles County is currently conducting a pilot study that is part of the County’s Homeless Initiative. This project aims to promote the construction of ADUs that can be used to combat homelessness within the County. To help expand the number of ADUs that can become part of this program,the county is doing the following: • • • • •

Streamlining the application and approval process Providing technical assistance to those considering the program Providing financing options Hosting an architectural design competition to provide ideas and plans for ADUs Providing homeowners up to $75,000 towards the ADU cost: If a homeowner accepts that money, they agree to rent the unit to an individual or family facing homelessness, or participate in a housing choice voucher program

Source: LA County Department of Regional Planning

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 94

Complete Community in the Bouldin Creek Neighborhood

NEW COMMERCIAL ADUs EXISTING COMMERCIAL

W. BO

ULD

IN C

REE

EET

R RY ST

W MA

IFT

S. F

Above: Diagram showing proposed additional density along the alley network within a ten block district. Existing alleyways can be enhanced to create a pedestrianized social connector with pockets of larger green spaces for community interaction. Lined with trees and constructed with permeable pavers, they provide performative green links spanning from creek to creek.

EXISTING OUTBU ADAPTIVELY REU RESIDENTIAL AD

DIN UL

O E. B

IRS TS

E TRE

STRE

EK CRE

HF UT

ARY WM

PARKS WITH NATIVE PLANTINGS AND BIO SWALES FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ALLEY AS PEDESTRIANIZED SOCIAL CONNECTOR

UILDINGS USED AS DU

Typical ADU Layout

COLLECTIVE ALLEY YARDS

ADUS

EXISTING RESIDENCES ALLEYS CONNECT BETWEEN BLOCKS

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 95

NEW RESIDENTIAL ADUs

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 96

Site: Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Residential ADUs Lot Parcelization

2 ot

Very large lots that are adjacent to each other could be re-parcelized to create a new smaller through-lot for additional density.

Lo t1

Lo ing

ist

Lo ed

Pro

ADU

NEW RE-PARCELLIZED LOT

ALLEY AS A SOCIAL CONNECTOR

Row-House ADUs Neighbors could pool resources and develop multi-unit rowhouse ADUs along the alley. The added density would generate additional income from rent and help families stay in place.

MULTI-UNIT ROWHOUSE ADUs CODEVELOPED WITH NEIGHBORS

ALLEY AS A SOCIAL CONNECTOR

EXISTING LIBRARY

H S 5T

DENSIFICATION OF CORNER LOT WITH MULTI-UNIT ADU

MA RY S

EET

STR

DENSIFICATION OF CORNER LOT WITH MULTI-UNIT ADU

TRE

S 5T

EXISTING COMMERW CIAL USE WITH MA RY IMPROVED FRONTAGE ST RE

Corner Commercial

ET EXISTING STRUCTURE CONVERTED TO EXISTING COMMER- USE WITH COMMERCIAL CIAL USE WITH DECK OUTDOOR IMPROVED FRONTAGE

Corner commercial lots with access from two streets offer the potential for densification. New residential ADUs with side street access can be integrated with existing retail structures.

NEW RESIDENTIAL UNIT

EXISTING STRUCTURE CONVERTED TO COMMERCIAL USE WITH OUTDOOR DECK

NEW RESIDENTIAL UNIT

PROPOSED ADU WITH COMMERCIAL BELOW AND MULTI-UNIT ADU ABOVE POCKETS OF GREEN PROPOSED ADU WITH ALONG THE ALLEY COMMERCIAL BELOW AND MULTI-UNIT ADU ALLEY AS A SOCIAL CONNECTOR ACROSS ABOVE NEIGHBORHOODS

RESIDENTIAL

POCKETS OF GREEN ALONG THE ALLEY

COMMERCIAL

ALLEY AS A SOCIAL CONNECTOR ACROSS NEIGHBORHOODS

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL ENHANCED PARKING WITH CLIMATE RESPONSIVE PLANTING W

Commercial Conversion Existing structures can be adapted to have lower level commercial programs with new residential units created at the upper level.

ENHANCED PARKING WITH CLIMATE RESPONSIVE PLANTING

MA RY S

TRE

S 5T

MA RY S

TRE

S 5T

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 97

Commercial ADUs

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 98

Site: Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Permissible by CodeNEXT 32’

CURRENT ADU

25’ 15’ 5’ AL

10’

Proposed Changes INCREASE HEIGHT FROM 15’ T0 32’ TO ALLOW FOR MULTIPLE UNITS

ALLOW MIX OF RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL PROGRAMS FOR CORNER LOTS

PROPOSED ADU

ALLOW LOT PARCELIZATION

Above: Diagram showing proposed adjustments to CodeNEXT. While CodeNEXT does allow for ADU development beyond where the current code stands, this proposes adjusting height restrictions, relaxing regulations on the allowable number of ADUs per lot, allowing for lot parcelization, and expanding ADU land use beyond strictly residential typologies.

Above Right: Proposed alleyway condition, where ADUs are internally focused to create a micro-community focus. Park spaces, rain gardens, and canopy coverage create a livable and vibrant environment. Bottom Right: Photos from throughout Austin. These local styles and architectural typologies provide inspiration for the design of new ADUs.

Adding Density Through Zoning / / / 99

Alleyway Perspective

ADU Design and Material Palette

Duplex units with porches that connect to alley

Contemporary materials, sliding shutters provide privacy

Integration with existing canopy coverage and vegetation

Two-floor ADUs provide increased density in existing neighborhoods

Adaptive reuse to provide commercial uses in residential zones

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Corner commercialâ&#x20AC;? ADUs become neighborhood centers

Combining ADUs with garages/ outbuildings

Porches and board and batten siding speaks to Texas vernacular design

Introduction / / / 100

Introduction / / / 101

THEME 2 | INCREASING CONNECTIVITY

Increasing Connectivity examines the ways in which street hierarchy and urban form play distinct but coupled roles in connecting Austinites to their city and to each other. Building upon current street classifications set by the Federal Highway Administration and the City of Austin, Mobility explores how new design strategies could help Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streets support the different character of the districts they traverse. Transit Oriented Development looks at urban design strategies that anticipate population growth, incentivizing densification and multi-modal transportation networks.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 102

Photo: South First Street facing downtown Austin. Source: Joshua Brooks

Classification and design to support complete communities

While often viewed as separate from the overall experience of life in the city, streets play a major role in cultivating healthy social and cultural identity of any neighborhood, district, or city. Block parties bring together neighbors, reducing the negative impacts of social isolation and creating the support networks that people need. Parades and street festivals celebrate a city’s cultural and social identity as well as the distinct array of cultures that thrive within it. Calm streets allow for children and the mobility constrained to experience their lived environment at their own pace and scale. Streets serve an intrinsic role in connecting people to their neighbors, communities, and city as a whole. However, they often discussed as the infrastructure on which one travels between work and home. While a city’s roadway network is important for its economic vitality they are also important for its social and cultural vitality; an intentionally classified and designed street network is intrinsic to supporting and cultivating complete communities. As the city of Austin continues to grow in population and development footprint, the lens through which it approaches transportation planning and street design will either reinforce the development of complete communities or counteract any measures to do so. In looking at South First Street and Northeast Austin, this section focuses on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) “middle” classifications of street networks: principal arterials, local arterials, level 4 roadways, level 3 roadways, and level 2 roadways. Because roads serve a number of different purposes, it becomes useful to consider the both the traditional and innovative approach to street classification. By considering the original design of important roadways it becomes easier to understand or critique the service different segments of the street network reinforce or hinder the development of complete communities in Austin. With that in mind, it becomes easier to leverage the future design guidelines to provide a more nuanced analysis of the potential ways to redesign streets as the City continues to grow and change.

How can intentional street classification and design reinforce the development of complete communities? Intentional street classification in coordination with existing district needs and in anticipation of future development, can be reinforce the health, safety, and connectivity of Austin’s communities. In existing communities, like the neighborhoods abutting South First Street, strategic improvements can reinforce the northern corridor’s identity as a separate destination from downtown – a place for people to go to, not pass through. By focusing on that nature of the northern district of South First, planners and developers can redirect through-traffic volumes to other arterials, slowing traffic and improving the pedestrian and residential experience. In Northeast Austin, where a patchwork of isolated developments currently exist, more nuanced road classification in coordination with intended district planning efforts, will improve residential connectivity, support diverse types of town centers, and reinforce multi-modal transportation options throughout the district.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 103

Mobility

Increasing Connectivity / / / 104

Traditional Classifications Principal Arterials

serve major activity centers and carry a high proportion of urban travel. Although providing access to a larger geography that often includes urban and rural areas like interstates and freeways, Principal Arterials have more forms of access including driveways and at grade intersections.

Local Arterials connect

and augment the principal arterial system, connecting neighborhoods, and tend to carry local bus routes. They provide more land access and distribute traffic to smaller geographies than principal arterials.

Collectors are categorized

as Major or Minor, but FHWA functional classification guidelines concede that the distinction is often subtle, and thus often context specific. They work to funnel traffic from local roads onto the arterial network

Level 4 streets facilitate travel

into and out of the City. They are designed to prioritize vehicular traffic and provide strong commuter connections condition.

Level 3 streets are more

constrained by the built environment than the typical Level 4 street. Level 3 streets have a larger emphasis on both local land access and the movement of people goods. The tend to have moderate speed limits that are slower than Level 4 streets and are called to accommodate more modes.

Level 2 they function

as circulation between neighborhoods and act as connectors to the larger road network. The connect to neighborhood-focused retail and services.

Building off of FHWA and City of Austin Street Classifications

Principal Arterials P4 – A Level 4 Principal Arterial serves major activity centers, has higher lane counts and wider footprints, and carries high volumes of traffic at higher speeds for longer trips into and out of the city. They do, however, more forms of access than and interstate or freeway, including driveways and at grade intersections. They prioritize vehicular travel but can also accommodate high capacity rapid transit. P3 – A Level 3 Principal Arterial serves major activity centers and carries a large volume of urban traffic. However, they are more constrained by the built environment, resulting in low-to-moderate speed limits and accommodation for more mode uses. P2 – A Level 2 Principal Arterial serves major activity centers but functions as circulation between neighborhoods and connects to the larger road network. They tend to be abutted by neighborhood focused retail and services. These tend to be the road design of suburban developments. Their design and use are easily reconciled leaving user hierarchy unclear and often dangerous for pedestrians, children, the elderly, and non-vehicular modes, thus should be reclassified and redesigned when attempting to develop complete communities

Local Arterials L4 – A Level 4 Local Arterial connect to the principal arterial system while connecting neighborhoods and prioritizing vehicular traffic, often carrying local bus routes. They balance a mix of longer and moderate-length commuter and non-commuter trips. They provide more land access and distribute traffic to smaller geographies. L3 – A Level 3 Local Arterial connects to the principal arterial system while connecting neighborhoods and balancing a diverse number mode uses including local bus routes. They have moderate speed limits and provide more land access while distributing traffic to smaller geographies.

L2 – A Level 2 Local Arterial connect to the principal arterial system, and provides circulation and connection between neighborhoods. They tend to be abutted by neighborhood focused retail and services and have lower speeds.

Collectors C4 – A Level 4 Collectors funnels traffic from local roads onto the arterial network and function as circulation between neighborhoods. They are designed to prioritize vehicular traffic and often have higher lane counts, higher speeds, and wider footprints. Similar to P2 roads these classification combinations are incongruous for clear use hierarchy and this often dangerous for users. If a street has this classification it should be reclassified and redesigned. C3 – A Level 3 Collector funnels traffic from local roads onto the arterial network. They have moderate traffic volumes and speed limits in order balance the mix of modes. C2 - A Level 2 Collector funnels traffic from local roads onto the arterial network and provide circulation between neighborhoods. They are often abutted by neighborhood-focused retail and services.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 105

Hybrid Classification

Increasing Connectivity / / / 106

Hybrid HybridClassification Classification High Traffic Volume & Vehicular Prioritization

William Canon W of South 1st (P4)

Lamar N of Oltorf (P3) High Traffic Volume while Accommodating Diverse Uses

Congress N of Oltorf (P3)

Oltorf W of South 1st (P3) Accommodating Diverse Uses

South 1st N of Oltorf (L3)

Funneling Local Traffic to Arterials

Mary E of South 1st (C2)

Capacity for Future Rapid Transit

MLK W of Johnny Morris (P4)

Prioritizes Higher Speed Vehicular Traffic

Loyola E of Johnny Morris (P4)

Decker N of MLK (P4)

Right-of-Way Potential For Neighborhood-focused Commerce

Johnny Morris S of Loyola (C2)

Increasing Connectivity / / / 107

Hybrid Classification

Increasing Connectivity / / / 108

Dense Destination Corridor

Funnels Traffic

Higher Capacity; Vehicular Prioritization

Legend

â&#x20AC;&#x153;[I feel unsafe] as a pedestrian crossing the

Legend FHWA Standards Primary Arterial

street between shops between Monroe and City of Austin Standards Oltorf. Level 4 Roadway

Local Arterial

Level 3 Roadway

Collector

Level 2 Roadway

0 Mile

1 Mile

Traffic is too fast. Would love traffic

calming measures and perhaps another pedestrian crosswalkâ&#x20AC;?

Street hierarchy informs a coordinated pedestrian and bike safety strategy Street safety is a big deal in Austin. In 2018, the City released a new Pedestrian Safety Action Plan as part of its participation in the Vision Zero campaign to eliminate pedestrian deaths in the City. This study cites recent research of crash data completed by the Austin Transportation

along much of South First Street are five or six feet wide, just wide enough to be compliant with ADA regulations, but not appropriate for pedestrian travel directly adjacent to quickly moving motorized vehicles. In some cases, this width is even more constrained by plantings or parked cars that spill into the limited pedestrian space. The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) recommends that sidewalks adjacent to quickly-moving corridors should be at least eight feet wide and should include a “buffer zone” adjacent to moving vehicle traffic as well as a “through zone” for pedestrians.

The goal is to provide existing private home owners flexibility within isolated areas, and in turn create greater density.

Department, which found that “a crash occurring in an area with sidewalks missing on both sides of the street was nearly twice as likely to result in serious injury or fatality as one that occurred at a location with a sidewalk on at least one side of the street” and also notes that pedestrian Bicyclists also have a difficult time navigating accidents may be increasing over time in Austin, the historic South First Street corridor. In the resulting in dozens of injuries every year and northern part of the corridor, the right of way is many fatalities as well. The report calls for a Pedestrian Crossing Policy Implications Improvement Program for the City, quick installation of pedestrian The City of Austin knows that pedestrian, bike, street safety is a concerning issue for many crossing facilities where needed, and Austinites. This is reflected in the large number of recent city studies and policies dedicated to improving pedestrian safety and street design. Over the past few years, the City has close evaluation of these facilities developed the Austin Street Design Guide (2017), the Sidewalk Master Plan (2016), and the over time to ensure that these Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (2018). solutions are used correctly and function well in an Austin context. In the coming years, the City of Austin will have to move beyond identifying the issues and

issuing strategic plans and transition to making those plans into actionable policy and design

that clearly addresses street safety and multi-modal access throughout Austin, including The urgent need to address the clear guidelines for updating existing streetscapes and infrastructure as well as creating new pedestrian safety seriously is facilities. The “Implementation” section on the following page of this document discusses this very present along the South further. First corridor. Stakeholders and community members consistently brought up difficulty crossing the street safely on foot, especially in the northern, more historic commercial district not wide enough to permit a divided bike lane, closest to Downtown Austin. The MIT project but traffic is moving too quickly to allow for team also noted the difficulty of navigating the bicycles to travel with traffic. Field observations street on foot throughout the nine-mile corridor. of the corridor demonstrated this tension, with Infrequent pedestrian crossing areas, very the few bicycles observed along South First narrow sidewalks adjacent to moving traffic, and Street often opting to ride on the sidewalk. little to no traffic calming measures were typical along South First Street, making it difficult to To the south of Ben White, the right of way is travel between businesses or complete day-tooften wider, and the road width would technically day errands on foot. allow for more bicycle movement. However, cars are also moving even more quickly in some of Further investigation reveals that the sidewalks

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South First Street

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these areas, and divided bicycle lanes seem to go unused based on initial field observations. Further study is needed to understand how bicycles are being used along the entire South First corridor, and how the hierarchical difference of the street condition affects transportation behavior for pedestrians and bicyclists.

should approach South First from surrounding neighborhoods and culminate in places along South First Street to safely lock and store bikes, so that bicyclists can seamlessly enter the enhanced pedestrian network.

In this constrained bicycle environment, a bicycle boulevard is a recommended strategy to safely increase connectivity and access. By designating a lower traffic volume street that runs Implementation parallel to South First Street as a bicycle boulevard, cyclists can 01. Monitor existing pedestrian and bicycle facilities on different types move quickly and safely from of roadways to understand how they are being used effectively or north to south, and then cut over incorrectly to South First Street or South 02. Form the planned Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvement Congress Street when they are Program, integrating this work with ongoing street design, bicycle adjacent to their destination. Signage and wayfinding is safety, and sidewalk expansion programming imperative to the success of a 03. Identify pilot project locations through accident data and detailed bicycle boulevard strategy. physical inventory, beginning with known problem areas and

Imagine Austin activity corridors 04. Pilot new street interventions for bicycle and pedestrian safety Street Design The following design intervention recommendations provide an initial look at addressing street safety for pedestrians and bicyclists within the context of a street hierarchy. Along the narrower part of historic South First Street, raised crosswalks and expanded sidewalks through private partnerships are recommended as a way slow traffic and make the shopping district into a destination that is truly accessible to those on foot. Bicycle traffic, however, is not recommended along the corridor itself due to the narrow width of the street and speed of traffic. Rather, bicycle lanes

Moving south along the corridor, South First Street is intersected by large arterial roads as the fabric becomes more suburban. One such intersection is at William Cannon Drive and South First Street. Both roads are designated as activity corridors in the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan, which also acknowledges that many Activity Corridors need to be improved over time to make them more accessible, especially adjacent to new and redevelopment. This intersection, adjacent to a potential suburban retrofit site, highlights the needs for a safe pedestrian realm and bicycle facilities. The proposed interventions include pedestrian safety islands mid-way across William Cannon, and separated bike lanes along William Cannon and South First Streets.

Boston’s Complete Streets Guide Road hierarchy is a key part of the Boston Complete Streets design guidelines. Their discussion of street types provides the structure for Boston’s entire street design strategy, as each street safety and mobility-enhancing intervention that is proposed is contextualized by a type of street in which it would be most appropriate or most commonly found. The guidebook states that the street types “have been developed to supplement the functional street classifications and to provide additional guidance during the selection of design elements. They can serve as models or as options when communities need to make informed choices in the visioning process of a corridor redesign project. Taking into consideration the type of street will help ensure that land use contexts are reflected in the design and use of Boston’s streets.” Source: Boston Complete Streets

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Historic South First

Raised crosswalks Bike lane to bicycle boulevard

Expanded sidewalk through private frontage zone

existing sidewalks

5-6’

create new private frontage zone

ft 3

3-4’

meets Austin’s Sidewalk Master Plan (3’ min for acceptable rating)

2-4’

new buffer adjacent to moving traffic and street furniture zone

re-allocate private frontage space into pedestrian through-zone

5-6’

Raised Crosswalks

Expanded Sidewalks

Installing raised crosswalks along historic South First street can provide the dual purpose of slowing traffic and clearly marking safe points along the corridor for pedestrians to cross.

Work with private land owners to expand the public sidewalk area into a wider, more walkable public realm area that can incorporate a new street buffer zone adjacent to quickly moving traffic. Existing sidewalks along South First Street are just barely compliant with city requirements, and do not facilitate safety, transportation, or economic activity along South First Street. Incorporating a private frontage zone into publicly accessible sidewalk space would benefit business owners and pedestrians alike.

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Bicycle Boulevard

Connect to adjacent activity corridors

Street is marked to prioritize bicycles

Bicycle Boulevard A bicycle boulevard is an low-motorized-traffic roadway that has been designed and marked to prioritize bicycle travel. Bicycles have priority at crossings and can easily and safely move quickly along a corridor. Because there is no room for a bicycle lane along historic South First Street, a bicycle boulevard would allow a way for quick and safe North-South travel along South First Street.

Tuscon’s Bicycle Boulevards Tuscon, Arizona is a pioneer in the use of bicycle boulevards to increase street safety and connectivity throughout the city, and has designated a network of streets to prioritize bicycle use in a systematic way. The City’s website states that “the bicycle boulevard network will serve as the backbone for walking and biking in Tucson. Bicycle boulevards support several community values including improving the health of Tucsonans, stimulating the economy and enhancing the Sonoran Desert environment.” The City has identified 64 corridors that will be designated as boulevards over time, for a total of over 190 miles of boulevard, noting the strategy’s ability to connect residents to key destinations, such as schools, libraries, and neighborhood shopping. Source: City of Tuscan - www.tucsonaz.gov/projects/bicycle-boulevards. Photo: City of Tuscon’s interactive Bicycle Boulevard Map

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South First and William Cannon

Separated bicycle land on arterials

Install bike land adjacent to roadway

Pedestrian Safety Islands

Adjacent and Separated Bicycle Lanes

Pedestrian Safety Islands

To best support bicycle use as a means of travel, bicycle lanes should be separated physically from the flow of moving traffic. Imagine Austin designates both South First Street and William Cannon Boulevard as Activity Corridors, and notes that these corridors should be accessible to all modes of transportation, including bicycles. Bicycle lanes can be installed adjacent to existing roadways, or within arterials right-of-ways by taking up an existing lane through a â&#x20AC;&#x153;road diet.â&#x20AC;?

Along arterials with quickly-moving car traffic, pedestrians should still be able to cross safely, especially to access new commercial centers of activity as shown here with the Retrofit of the South First Street and William Cannon Drive intersection. Existing medians can be altered to provide a safe, sheltered stopping point mid-road for pedestrians as they cross William Cannon on clearly marked crosswalks. Planting trees on the medians will also act to slow down the movement of cars adjacent to a commercial area.

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Highway 290

Johnny Morris Road

Highway 183

Future Commuter Line

Colony Park Development

Loyola Lane

Decker Lane

MLK Boulevard

â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I decided to move to Austin, people told me there are only two problems: traffic and real estate. Now my wife and I are trying to buy a house and my only two problems are traffic and real estate.â&#x20AC;?

Legend Proposed Street Network Changes Future Commuter Rail Line Existing Surface Water Colony Park Development Proposed District Bus Circulator Proposed BRT Route

0 Mile

1 Mile

Accessibility systems at two scales that enable transit

Located less than ten miles from downtown, the Northeast Austin planning area presents a generational opportunity to build a new, largescale, inclusive neighborhood anchored by future commuter rail and served by a multi-modal transit network. Currently, the seven-square mile site is predominantly a greenfield with patchworks of development that are scattershot, insular, homogeneous, and insufficiently connected by the existing mobility network. While the dispersed development pattern prioritizes driving as the most convenient way to get around Northeast Austin, the lack of street hierarchy raises the issues of road safety and speeding vehicles in residential neighborhoods and school zones. In Northeast Austin, accessibility challenges occur on two scales. At a single-development scale, limited connections to the primary street network create a “boxed-in effect” around individual development, making the site difficult to access without a car. The impact is reinforced at a multi-development scale where the lack of connections between developments necessitates a car-dependent lifestyle. Driving remains the default — and oftentimes the only — option for local and regional trips. Despite a few bus lines that marginally serve the area, transit service is not a viable alternative to driving. This section identifies design and development strategies on both scales that can mitigate accessibility issues in Northeast Austin in the short-term and over time. Interventions at both levels can help establish a new, peopleoriented development framework that supports a more robust transit network and creates a critical mass for neighborhood amenities, as well as fostering a sense of place. Enhancing the accessibility systems on both single- and multidevelopment scales also help promote walkable neighborhoods, build cohesive urban fabric, and complete communities through a holistic mobility network that serves all street users.

Interventions on both single- and multidevelopment scales can help establish a new, people-oriented development framework that supports a more robust transit network. Implementation: Quick Fixes To signal a commitment to future transit investment, the City should reroute two additional bus lines nearby to Northeast Austin: Metro Bus 18 currently terminates just west of Highway 183. Extend the route for another two miles on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Metro Bus 300 provides service every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on the weekend. Bringing the route to Loyola Lane through LBJ High School and Las Cimas will connect Northeast Austin to the rest of the City.

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Northeast Austin

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SINGLE-DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES One way in, one way out access

Existing Conditions A typical development in Northeast Austin features an underperforming accessibility system

Multiple dead-end roads

No bike trail access Inconvenient bus stop access

Short-Term Interventions Proposed connections to primary streets will activate the mobility network and optimize the accessibility system

New roads Non-vehicular pathways

Dead-end road extensions Better access to bus stops Access to bike trail Phasing prioritizes development along transit corridors

Long-Term Vision Proposed people-oriented development framework supports higher density and diverse housing typologies along future commercial corridors

4-6 story mixed-use buildings

New transit corridor

2-4 story row houses in transitional zones

Public realm enhancement around BRT stations

Increasing Connectivity / / / 117

A typical development pattern in Northeast Austin is “boxed-in” with only one or two connections to the primary street network. Limited access points create an inherent disconnect between individual development and the surrounding urban fabric, which perpetuates an auto-oriented lifestyle. While there are bus stops and a bike trail that leads to downtown, driving remains the most convenient way to get around because the existing street infrastructure is designed for cars. Adding more vehicular and pedestrian connections to the primary street network will make the isolated development pattern more walkable and accessible. Where possible, extend dead-end roads to the nearest primary street to strengthen the overall mobility system. New connections every 300-450 feet will break down superblocks and foster a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly environment. In addition to making development more accessible, new streets and non-vehicular pathways will help establish a development framework that supports higher density, mixeduse buildings along the designated transit corridors on primary arterials. A mix of uses will introduce a compact development pattern, new housing typologies, and critical mass for neighborhood amenities, as well as fostering a sense of place over time. These are some key qualities of complete communities.

How Single-Development Strategies Support Transit? Multiple connections to the primary street network around a singledevelopment bring people closer to transit by reducing the walking distance to bus stops and thus mitigating the last mile problem. This strategy — coupled with robust investment in street and transit infrastructure (e.g., continuous sidewalks, dignified bus shelters) and more extensive bus service — could make people see transit, biking, and walking as real alternatives to driving. A new development framework featuring clear street hierarchy and walkable street network can help Northeast Austin respond to growth and housing demand by building up not building out. As the area becomes more urban in character, each development plays a key role in facilitating the accessibility system and creating a critical mass for transit, including more buses and BRT.

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MULTI-DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES Existing Conditions Typical developments in Northeast Austin exist in isolation Primary streets bear the burden for local trips Development 1

Development 2

Insular development islands

Proposed Interventions New connections between developments optimize the accessibility system in Northeast Austin Traffic diverted off primary streets

Connections between developments

Better access to bus stops New roads support local trips

Increasing Connectivity / / / 119

Patchworks of development in Northeast Austin are scattershot, insular, homogeneous, and insufficiently connected by the existing mobility network. The fragmentation of land use and segmented accessibility system necessitate driving as the most convenient way to get around because the primary street network bears the burden for all local trips. Establishing new connections between developments will optimize the accessibility system. Rather than being isolated, each development now lends itself to the mobility network of Northeast Austin as a whole and contributes to the public realm. Once nonexistent, street hierarchy becomes clear as primary, secondary, and residential streets now serve different purposes for all types of street users. As Northeast Austin becomes more urban, connections between developments will also help reduce congestion by diverting some local traffic off primary arterials. A reduction in traffic volume will ease the transformation of future commercial corridors along MLK Boulevard and Loyola Lane to implement complete streets principles such as street parking, protected bike lanes, multiple crosswalks, and dedicated lanes for buses and BRT. A vision for complete communities is supported in no small part by safe streets that contribute to placemaking, mobility, high quality public space, and vibrant street life. Fulfilling the accessibility system goals on the multidevelopment scale can help Northeast Austin realize that vision.

How Multi-Development Strategies Support Transit? As walking and biking across developments become less burdensome, the enhanced accessibility system will increase transit usage because people can get to and from bus stops faster. More connections between developments also mean more ways for cars to move around where drivers no longer have to rely solely on primary streets for local trips. Like single-development strategies, the compact development framework created by new connections between developments will help Northeast Austin respond to growth and housing demand by building up not building out. When apply thoughtfully with consideration for urban form and architecture, multi-development strategies can strengthen the transit corridors by providing critical mass for higher capacity transportation like BRT and streetcars.

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Photo: Railroad tracks in Northeast Austin.

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Anticipating Transit Create neighborhoods with connectivity and foresight

Imagine Austin envisions a city where â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interconnected development patterns support public transit and a variety of transportation choices, while reducing sprawl, congestion, travel times, and negative impacts on existing neighborhoods.â&#x20AC;? Despite this vision neither the existing or proposed density of residences and jobs in Austin is high enough to support a high efficiency transit system, either with BRT or light rail. Austinites consistently report that they want to see more of their neighbors. They wanted to feel safer while walking and they like the small, local shops in their communities. They reported that they would use transportation more if it operated more frequently but that it was not very easy to move east-west across the City. A review of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighborhood plans finds ample opportunity for strategic infill on the edges of neighborhoods, that creates connectivity as well as more neighborhood capacity for transit, opportunities for infill, and for increasing connectivity. Infill housing in existing neighborhoods and denser housing in new neighborhoods can begin to increase transit ridership capacity in neighborhoods, but without intention to the pedestrian experience or public realm at the block scale, Austin will continue to see the development of dead end streets, long walks to crosswalks and unconnected neighborhoods. These ingredients are essential as the City moves towards a successful transit system. This approach requires different strategies in existing neighborhoods, greenfield neighborhood developments, and in transit hubs. But it also includes a cohesive set of strategies: An intentionality to get to a transit supportive population and job base, walkable blocks, pedestrian

What development patterns can encourage porosity and interconnected neighborhoods? friendly design, intentionality to create vibrant streets, temporally designed parking and green spaces that accompany density. We envision a city with connected streets, where residents can easily walk to regular transit, but also where they can stop in small parks to greet their neighbors.

Few Transit Nodes Have Great Connectivity EvolveAustin commissioned a CodeNEXT transit study in the 40 fall of 2017. That combined the worlds of land use and35 30 transit planning. Their scoring used bike and walk scores25to measure the connectivity and 20 accessibility of transit nodes 15

Walk, Bike & Transit Scores for Station Locations

10 5 0 Very Poor

Poor WalkScore

OK BikeScore

Good

Great

TransitScore

Not Enough Jobs and People to Support Transit EvolveAustin commissioned a CodeNEXT transit study in the fall of 2017. That combined the worlds of land use and transit planning. Their scoring used bike and walk scores to measure the connectivity and accessibility of transit nodes

2/64

ready for light rail in terms of density

14/64 ready for BRT in terms of density

Increasing Connectivity / / / 122

Strategies In anticipation of robust public transit as well as changes in transportation technology, Austin can guide future development to create more connectivity across historic, new, and redeveloped neighborhoods. Focusing on the boundaries between neighborhoods gives attention to spaces not at the center of the public imagination. At the same time, new development must be context specific and context sensitive to the neighborhoods it borders. For successful connectivity new developments must as provide connections to the surrounding neighborhood as well as open spaces.

Growing neighborhoodsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capacity to house more residents and increasing the number of jobs along corridors will increase the viability of public transit. If zoning allows, residents will be able to live in a range of types of homes beyond simply single-family homes. With an increased number of residents comes more viable local businesses and a bustling public realm.

Strategic Phasing Encourage design that incorporates strategic phasing that adjusts to changes in transportation, technology and population density

GARAGE + SURFACE PARKING

Current parking requirements are valued by residents, though on site parking can increase the amount of impervious surface and shrink the number of household units able to reside on a parcel.

ADU + TRANSIT

Forward looking planning can create spaces for anticipated infill units as transportation in Austin evolves and TNCs continue to decrease the number of residents relying on their personal vehicles.

Identify districts and bind across edges with a network of activity nodes focused around transit hubs, but with walkable connections and a vibrant public realm in between.

Sensitivity to Context Ensure new development has context sensitivity and specificity.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 123

Connect Across Neighborhood Edges

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Creating Porous Developments

Encourage pedestrian connectivity that integrates with existing street networks and promotes an active street life

Investment in the Public Realm

Leverage development to create vibrant open spaces & public realm

Higher density development with quality urban design can create a vibrant public realm available for residents, employees and visitors. Development rights can be leveraged to create investment in new public spaces and in improvements to the transit system in Austin.

Develop a ridership capacity to support transit

people & jobs per acre

EvolveAustinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study also gathered research about how many jobs and residents are required to support high capacity public transit. 17 people or jobs are needed per acre for BRT and 54 per acre for light rail.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 125

Photo: The Sycamore Townhomes have a series of garages facing the pedestrian entrances, off West Alpine Road in Gallindo.

Photo: In the Mueller Development, doors front greenspaces connected to the street.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 126

Extent for booklet

BEN WHITE TRANSIT HUB

SO UT H

FIR

WILL

IAM

CAN

NON

SLAUGHTER

Legend 1

Site 1: Oltorf & South First

Site 2: Ben White Overpass Site 3: Greenfield opposite Akins High

MetroRapid BRT Routes MetroBus Route MetroRapid BRT Stop MetroBus Stop

0 Mile

2 Miles

More small biz, independent foods, cafes, sandwich joints, shopping area, green space, parks, maintained trail systems.

Strategic development that anticipates and promotes Transit

Along the South First Street corridor, this project proposes infill development at multiple scales and in multiple contexts, all with the goal of improving transit viability. Through the creation of development that ties in with the

implemented together, they work towards the creation of complete communities, a primary goal identified by both Imagine Austin and CodeNEXT. Along with other locations both on South First and elsewhere throughout Austin, this system of complete communities, connected via bus, BRT, and pedestrian and bicycle paths, creates a more unified, livable, and interconnected city.

The goal is to promote context sensitivity and connectivity in all growth along the corridor. existing road and neighborhood networks and anticipates growth in transit minded ways, this proposal aims to integrate transit into all future development. These proposals are geared towards different conditions found along the corridor, including an existing major intersection surrounded by both residential and commercial spaces, a highway overpass zone characterized by aging commercial spaces and surface parking, and a greenfield site adjacent to new residential neighborhoods. These align into the categories of existing nodes, new district nodes, and new neighborhood nodes. These three nodal development types are all guided by a set of strategies that aim to create complete communities that are built upon transit. They are: 01. Promoting a transit network that values frequency, reliability, and adaptation to ridership needs 02. Pedestrian-oriented street design that integrates with the existing context and promotes an active street life 03. Strategic phasing to a to adjust to rising density 04. Creating vibrant public green spaces These strategies guide all proposed development, despite being in different scales and contexts. These strategies can be implemented in many different manners and are adaptable for the different sites. When

The existing high-density and missing middle development on historic South First Street generally represents more of a divergence from existing street networks than a continuation. Oftentimes parking has taken precedence over connectivity.

Increasing Connectivity / / / 127

South First Street

Oltorf Street is one of the only east-west connector streets that connects the Imagine Austin corridors on South Congress Street and South First Street. The existing streetscape includes single-family homes, a small commercial stripmall, an office, a church and a large HEB. Each of these sites has the capacity for increased housing density, in scale with the neighborhood character. The existing block structure allows for pedestrians to take multiple routes to the 801 BRT stop on South Congress or to the 10 bus on Oltorf Street. The proposed zoning for the lots adjacent to the street varies widely, from a Former Title 25 site under Multifamily 6 (Highest Density Zoning) with a maximum height of 90 feet, to CodeNEXT zoning of RC2, with only singlefamily homes or duplexes permitted.

DOWNTOWN

BOULDIN CREEK

SITE

GALLINDO

OLT ORF

DAWSON

Increasing Connectivity / / / 128

Site 1: Oltorf Street

IRST

TH F

SOU

ROUTE 10 BUS STOP

OAK CREEK VILLAGE

1/4 MILE FROM BRT GILLIS NEIGHBORHOOD PARK

ST IGNATIUS CHURCH & SCHOOL

801 BRT STOPS SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

HEB

N CO

S RE

OL TO R

The existing high density and missing middle development on historic South First Street generally represents more of a divergence from existing street networks than a continuation. Oftentimes parking has taken precedence over connectivity. Left: Missing middle housing typologies do exist along South First, but the housing typology itself does not necessarily contribute to connectivity through its form alone. The Sycamore Townhomes on Ligthtsley Road have an insular street network, and include a layout of outwward facing homes, with garage doors as their main greeting to a visitor on foot.

LIG

R SEY

GARAGE AS MAIN GROUND FLOOR FEATURE

AL WE

INSULAR CIRCULATION PATTERN

PIN E

MAJORITY OF OPENSPACE FOR VEHICLES

Left: The 2015 renovation of a portion of Oak Creek Village was a victory for tenants in a HUD property that was going to be redeveloped, but the new large multifamily building on the site includes a series of interconnected buildings that stretch for 600 feet.

LACK OF ACCESS TO ADJACENT STREETS 00

GARAGE ENTRANCE MOST PROMINENT GROUND FLOOR FEATURE

ILD

ING

WIL

TA G

OL TO R

IVE

L W.

Peer City Case Studies Cary, North Carolina’s 2007 Pedestrian plan recommended updates to the town’s Design Guidelines and Local Development Ordinance to improve pedestrian connectivity standards. Cary’s Land Development Ordinance supports the creation of a highly connected transportation system through a minimum connectivity index requirement and permanent pedestrian connections if a cul-de-sac is unavoidable due to site constraints. Multi-tenant buildings must provide a break, or pedestrian pass-through, for every 600’ of building frontage. The purpose of a pedestrian pass-through is to provide connections to parking, adjacent development, or similar uses Image Source: Town of Cary, NC Site Design Standards

Increasing Connectivity / / / 129

Existing Conditions in High Density Developments on Historic South First

NG RE

ROWHOME GRID FITS ON LARGE LOT

DUPLEXES FIT ON EXCESS CHURCH LAND

OL TO R

SO UT H

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Connector Roads Have Capacity for Infill that Enlivens the Street

FOURPLEXES TRANSITION BUILDING BULK

BRT STOP

HEB

Above: There is immense potential for increased connectivity along the Oltorf connection between Congress and South First. There is potential for retrofitting some of the space on the HEB lot and for the development of sites along Oltorf as missing middle housing typologies. Increasing the density in the neighborhood by allowing triplexes and ADUs would bring the neighborhood closer to supporting BRT in the long term, while connectivity will increase pedestrian access to transit and local businesses.

Porosity for Pedestrians on Large Sites Development requirements for connectivity can ensure that there is pedestrian access on and through the site.

EASEMENTS FOR PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

Developers can work with landowners to purchase easements and rights of way.

PRIVATE GREENSPACES

SHARED SEMIPUBLIC PARK

Increasing Connectivity /-/ 131 / 131

Site Design Prioritizes Context

LOT DIVISIONS CAN ALLOW PEDESTRIAN ACCESS

This design envisions potential increased density along the corridors where current RC-2 zoned homes can become tri or quadplexes. The 42 rowhomes are integrated into the street grid around a common rather than a 90 foot multifamily complex on the site of the existing Oak Creek Village.

LARGE LOTS CAN ACCOMODATE ROWHOMES WITH THEIR OWN ALLEY NETWORK

This vision for rowhomes with rear entrance garage gives flexibility that leaves people friendly urban form, that can convert rear garages into residences as TNCs and automated vehicle use grows. 0

125

250 ft.

FORMER TITLE 25 ZONING ALLOWS 90FT MULTIFAMILY FORMER TITLE 25 ZONING ALLOWS 90FT MULTIFAMILY

INTEGRATED GREENSPACE

PROPOSED ROWHOMES FIT NEIGHBORHOOD

INTEGRATED GREENSPACE

PROPOSED ROWHOMES FIT NEIGHBORHOOD

50’

33’

50’

33’

11’

100’

11’

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Site 2: Ben White Boulevard INTERSTATE 35

S. C O N

GRESS

AGING COMMERCIAL HOSPITAL

SINGLE FAMILY RES.

S. 1S T SURFACE PARKING

SUNKEN BEN WHITE BLVD

HOSPITAL

SCHOOL

VACANT GREENSPACE

Above: Existing conditions at the intersection of South First Street and Ben White Boulevard. Currently, this intersection and the surrounding areas are characterized by aging commercial, excess surface parking, and a channelized Ben White Boulevard that slices through the area at a sunken depth. Outside of these commercial areas, a range of single family and multi-family housing exist. A hospital complex as well as an elementary school are nearby.

Right: This proposal caps Ben White Boulevard between South Congress Street and South First Street. This highway capping becomes a public green space, with significant densification happening along the ongrade frontage roads. These high density, mid to high-rise buildings are mixed-use, containing commercial, retail, dining, and residential uses. This high-density development helps to fund the development of the public park and the green infrastructural components. This development occurs in areas where aging commercial, industrial, and parking uses are found - no residential units are displaced within this scheme. The new development ties into the existing urban grid, with densification spreading outward from the central linear park. As time progresses, further mid- and high- rise development could occur if residential blocks were purchased for redevelopment, allowing this key intersection to grow into a dense urban node.

S. C O N

GRESS

BUS TRANSFER STATION

ENHANCED STREETSCAPE

S. 1S T

COURTYARD BUILDINGS

BURIED BEN WHITE

Legend Mixed-use Infill Development Civic/Public Development Transit Development

STORMWATER PARK

Peer City Case Studies Klyde Warren Park: Houston, Texas Designed by the Office of James Burnett and opening in 2012, Klyde Warren Park is a five acre public space that is built over the capped Woodall Rogers Freeway. A model of public private partnerships, this park has crafted a progressive management strategy through its management by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. The park features a range of spaces and elements, including: • Lawns and gathering spaces • A restaurant and dining spaces • A performance pavilion • A children’s park • An urban dog park Image Source: Wikipedia, Joe Mabel

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Making a Missing Connection BRT STOPS

COURTYARD APARTMENTS STORMWATER PARK

EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD

S. C

MARKET + FOOD TRUCK COURT

BEN WHITE PARK

HOSPITAL COMPLEX

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Ben White Park: Plan

BUS TRANSFER STATION

N 0

400

Ben White Park: Section POTENTIAL FUTURE DEVELOPMENT MIXED-USE DEV.

BEN WHITE PARK

EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BURIED BEN WHITE

BURIED PARKING

800 ft.

MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC PARK SPACE

PODIUM ARCHITECTURE PROVIDES OUTDOOR SPACE

COVERED STREET RETAIL SPACE

BEN WHITE BOULEVARD

TRANSIT CONNECTIONS PERMEABLE STREET PARKING UNDERGROUND PARKING

The development of a transit-focused node along Ben White Boulevard is driven in large part by public space and green infrastructure. A large public park links South First Street and South Congress Street, creating a walkable environment for people to catch the BRT on South Congress or bus service at the transfer station. Beyond increasing the capacity for transit, this proposal focuses on significantly increasing density along Ben White. This area presents an opportunity for such densification, as the area above Ben White as well as large swaths of surface parking and aging commercial spaces could support dense, tall redevelopment. Such development could fit in with the surrounding residential and commercial uses through knitting in with the existing street layout and creating human-scale, walkable streets. Podium-style buildings help craft that human scale while also allowing for outdoor terrace spaces within the buildings. These buildings would primarily be mixed-use, though civic structures anchor the park above the buried Ben White Boulevard. This development is designed with green infrastructure in mind. Parallel parking along the frontage roads would be interdispersed

with bioretention bumpouts. From there, excess stormwater would be carried to a large stormwater park on vacant land adjacent to Ben White Boulevard. This park would act as a living laboratory and classroom for the nearby Galindo Elementary School. Phasing is central to this strategy. These developments could occur over many years and could move beyond the areas outlined in this plan. Existing single family residential blocks could eventually sell out to create further dense development. Eventually, this could become a new urban node - a downtown for South Austin.

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Ben White Park: Detailed Section

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Site 3: Akins New Neighborhood SLAUGHTER CREEK

MARY MOORE SEARIGHT METRO PARK

AKINS HIGH SCHOOL

S. 1S T

WAYNE RIDDELL LOOP

SITE BOUNDARY

Above: Existing conditions at the Akins Greenfield site. This is one of the largest remaining greenfield sites along the South First St. corridor. The site is adjacent to Akins High School, and is surrounded to suburban singlefamily home developments. The site benefits from a connection to Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park as well as Slaughter Creek.

Right: This proposal integrates a new development into an existing suburban fabric. Through inserting buildings (residential, commercial, mixed-use, and civic) that fit in with the scale of the existing building stock, this plan comfortably integrates with the suburban layout found within this area. It heavily densifies through the use of multifamily and rowhouse typologies, averaging 18 dwelling units per acre (this calculation includes green space and road right of ways) compared to the adjacent 4 dwelling units per acre. Despite significantly raising density, this plan heavily values green space, integrating multiple parks, green infrastructure, and connections to existing park systems.

CONNECTION TO METRO PARK AKINS HIGH SCHOOL

ADAPT SUBURBAN STREET GRID

Legend Rowhouse/Duplex/Triplex/Multifamily Residential Civic/Public Anchor Development ADU Alleyway Development Future Mixed-use Development on South First Street

PRESERVE EXISTING WOODLAND

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New Neighborhood: Axon

MARY MOORE SEARIGHT METRO PARK

S. 1

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Akins New Neighborhood: Plan

CONNECT TO EXISTING STREET GRID DOG PARK

AKINS HIGH SCHOOL

ADU MICRO-NEIGHBORHOOD

CREATE STREET + ALLEY GRID

PHASE OUT PARKING

NEIGHBORHOOD PARK

WOODLAND PARK CIVIC ANCHOR BUILDING

FUTURE MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT

N 0

100

200 ft.

STREETS W/ BIORETENTION AND PARALLEL PARKING PA

MIXED-USE

MULTIFAMILY

ROW HOMES

SOUTH FIRST STREET

ADU MICRO-NEIGHBORHOOD

ALLEYWAY PUBLIC SPACE + PARKING

Section: Green Space STREETS W/ BIORETENTION AND PARALLEL PARKING PA

MULTIFAMILY

ROW HOMES NEIGHBORHOOD PARK ADU MICRO-NEIGHBORHOOD

Left: New neighborhood plan. The plan creates a street grid system that integrates with the existing suburban street layout. Alleys allow ADU developments to occur, while the primary streets alternate between bioretention and parallel parking, all under a dense street canopy. Development is phased: Mixed-use along South First Street comes at a later date, once the population grows to a number that will support further mixed-use and commercial development.

Above: Sections showing typical conditions within the new neighborhood. Scales throughout the neighborhood vary, though all building typologies are at a comfortable human scale. Public space is integrated throughout, both within neighborhood scale parks and within the streetscaping along primary streets and alleys.

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Section: Building Typologies

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Future Commuter Line

TOD District Center

Resulting TOD Neighborhood Walter E Long Lake

Resulting Village Center

0.25

0.5

1 Miles

Legend Future Commuter Train Line Existing Surface Water Existing Park Space Nodal & Branch Development

0 Mile

1 Mile

500

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000 Feet

250

500

1,000

1,500

2,000 Meters

Walkable districts that support improved transit and amenities

Northeast Austin provides a unique opportunity to create human-scale, dense, walkable semi-urban communities that patch together the sporadic, sparse swaths of single family residences in the district. Concentrating this growth creates an opportunity to absorb some of the growth Austin as a city is facing and preserve the natural beauty of the region by maintaining large undeveloped areas. As shown in this map, growth should be focused around future transit stations while reinforcing the streets these stations intersect as corridors. This creates an opportunity for: 01. Affordable, multi-unit structures 02. A concentration of people that can support the viability of BRT lines on intersecting corridors and proposed stations 03. A concentration of people that can support local retail establishments of varying scales, from corner shops to a variety of grocery stores 04. Lively streets with public life These walkable districts emphasize human scaled public realm. The buildings, utilizing mixed-use and main street zones, create opportunity for a variety of commercial entities. These can range from small shops, to offices, art studios, restaurants, and workshops. Emphasis is made on flexible use so that buildings can change over time and be adapted to function as commercial or residential functions on the ground floor.

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Northeast Austin

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A Northeast Approach of Nodes & Corridors

Gather

Nodes

Incentivize a concentration of units along corridors linking to transit nodes. By focusing growth in these corridors, remaining land can be left undeveloped or used for agriculture.

Tightly focus growth in region around proposed new transit nodes.

Branches

Create attractive walking and biking branches connecting neighborhoods to corridors.

High-Density Low-Rise at Station

251 ACRES

SPACE FOR 7-15,000 PEOPLE

150 X 150 FT BLOCKS

LA LOYO

1500

2000

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1000

Peer City Case Studies Malmoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Western Harbor is a nice example of a walkable, dense project with a humanscale. The project was built in 2000 and involved seven developers instead of one. Given the overall size of the development, it would not be uncommon to sell the entire plot to a single developer, but an active decision was made to include several. Additionally, no developer could own more than one building lot in a given block. This meant that although one developer might use the same windows, doors, and building elements, each structure was dispersed throughout the district. As a result, it is very difficult notice patterns in development when one visits. This dispersal creates an effect in which the district appears to be the result of an organic process of growth and infill. Many visitors to the site believe that it was built over decades, despite its three-year construction timeline. Furthermore, developers were not allowed to use the same architect for more than two buildings. Thus, the project involved over 42 architects.

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THEME 3 | HARNESSING ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

Harnessing Environmental Systems studies the roles of environmental systems in the continued growth and development of Austin. Green Infrastructure as Public Amenity develops tactics for enhancing existing natural amenities in more densely developed districts in Austin. It also explores proactive ways for creating connected programmed and unprogrammed natural corridors. Climate Responsive Urban Design researches how the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s semi-arid climate affects the pedestrian and public realm experience. It proposes ways of orienting development patterns and selecting appropriate design styles to respond to Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native climate conditions.

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Photo: South First Street corridor in Austin. Source: Bella Purdy

Austin has a diverse range of open spaces and parks. Residents cherish green spaces like Lady Bird Lake and Barton Creek, both of which offer a natural retreat in close proximity to Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downtown. However, open spaces are not well-connected throughout the City making them less ecologically and socially valuable to the residents of Austin. Because many spaces lack recreational programming and are inaccessible, they are underutilized. How can the City of Austin implement new performance guidelines which focus on enhancing the ecological and social functions of its open spaces? This section focuses on strategies for creating a connected green infrastructure network by using an incentive-based tool kit that encourages a diverse cross-section of stakeholders to support this connective vision. It takes a robust infrastructural system to service the growing population of Austin. Infrastructure is not only rigid elements like roads, bridges, and pipes. Bioswales, flood buffers, and creek systems can also provide functionality to the City. This section recommends imagining these functional, ecological components as public amenities as well. This section is intended for city officials, institutions, developers, and homeowners. By making reasonable requests of these stakeholders in exchange for incentives, there may be opportunities to transform under-utilized open spaces. CodeNEXT requires that 15 percent of the square-footage of new residential developments is allocated back to the City of Austin as park space. This section recommends using that 15 percent to connect existing open spaces as one contiguous green infrastructure system. Ultimately, by rethinking traditional open space zoning, these spaces can function as highperformance landscapes. High-performance landscapes not only function at their full ecological capacity in terms of supporting

vegetative growth, collecting rain water, and providing shade, but they also provide a clear social function to the surrounding community. The following spread outlines these incentive based tools at extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large urban scales. The green infrastructural system conceptualizes parks as

How can developers be incentivized to contribute to a connected, programmed open space network? any performative piece of the overall system, including bioswales, sidewalk improvements and plantings, to regional scale creek pathways and urban agriculture projects. This section should be used by stakeholders as a conversation starter with the City of Austin. The guidelines put forth represent opportunities for cooperation between existing property owners, developers, and the community. Austin has an opportunity to transform its city so that residents can more easily access parks and so that stormwater and temperature are more effectively managed. Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green infrastructure network can serve as a valuable amenity while also protecting against increasing flood risks. Investment in green infrastructure benefits all Austinites. The high-performance guidelines put forth employ developer incentives, easements, and impact fees to support this connective system.

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Green Infrastructure as Public Amenity

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Stakeholders

Proposals

Home + Small Business Owners

Civic + Educational Institutions

Neighborhood Associations

Commercial Developers

City of Austin

Funding Mechanisms

• Public access easements in exchange for flood protection • Transfer of Development Rights

Public easement trade-offs and/or Transfer of Development Rights can shift the location of density to increase adjacent land value and security from flood risk while contributing to a connected open space network.

• Public Access Easements for recreational use • Mobility Linkage Fees • Community Event Coordination • Property Maintenance Fees

Selectively maintaining some areas can lead to long term cost efficiencies. Site plan circulation allows some paths to be left uncleared during off-seasons. This replaces the need for regularly mowing lawns in all areas and may help finance the strategic placement of street trees and other plantings.

• Real Estate Transfer Fees • Green Infrastructure Community Trust for new parks • Programming for existing parks • Streetscaping • Property Maintenance Fees

• Including contiguity in existing pervious surfaces requirements • Including runoff mitigation performance standards for new open spaces • Business Improvement Districts

• Consolidation of municipal facilities, alternative transportation routes, educational programming, and flood barriers into single public amenity • District-scale planning • Allotments for urban agriculture

Integrating maintenance, programming, and mobility requirements into the planning and design process rather than after the completion of the proposed design will produce designs that are more resilient, attractive, and cost effective. Real Estate Transfer fees and Trusts can generate maintenance funds from existing community assets.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) can create a coalitions of businesses working together to deliver local business-led aspirations like open space, maintenance facilities, and alternate transport. Performance Standards and contiguity requirements allow developers to build more as long as they are contributing to the City’s specific green infrastructure goals.

Creative and cross-functional financing sources could include direct income from renewable energy, food production or events, or indirect savings by reducing flood risk and cutting the cost of cooling during hot weather.

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Planning Tools

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Water Systems and Open Space as Critical Elements for the Landscape of Austin Both South First Street and Northeast Austin share a common trait with all of Austin. Creeks crisscross the landscape, providing open space corridors but also bringing floods that can cause devastation. Additionally, urban stormwater pollutes these creeks causing adverse environmental impacts that spoil the beloved landscape of Austin. This section suggests coupling the need for greater flood infrastructure, open space, and other productive landscapes with additional housing and greater access. By focusing on the need to rework flood infrastructures across the City, the focus can include creating spaces for added density.

Legend Major Street Network Existing Park Space Study Areas Existing Surface Water Flood Plains All Other Land Uses

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Northeast Austin

South First Street

0 Mile

6 Miles

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Legend Existing Open Space Along South First Proposed Connective Green Network Creek and River System Open Space Outside of Study Area Parcels

0 Mile

1 Mile

“Ideally, any time there’s new development, there needs to be development of infrastructure as well,”

Connected open space networks as both protection and public realm

South First Street is a unique corridor that connects downtown to new development areas in South Austin. The character of the corridor varies widely, but the environmental systems along the corridor are a consistent thread. South First Street has a strong physical connection with water systems in Austin. The corridor originates at the Colorado River and Williamson Creek intersects the corridor at several locations.

These tools can also be applied to protect homeowners from risks of floods. When homeowners, small commercial property owners, and institutions allow public access easements, the city, in exchange, can create ecological and constructed flood buffers along the creek. The enhanced streetscape, increase in parks, and creek trail all come together to form one contiguous system that benefits residents and visitors of the South First Street corridor. These natural resources already exist along the corridor. By providing incentives to enhance the performance of them, they become a valuable, district scale park system. The tools are put forth in this section in order of scale. The visible continuity of this green infrastructural system will create a new identity for the South First corridor. There is an opportunity to provide residents with a public amenity that will contribute the health, happiness, and well-being of their life in South Austin.

How can flood risk mitigation catalyze opportunities for public amenities and alternative transportation? However, there are few ways for residents to physically and visually interact with the creek system from South First Street. The creek bed is an underutilized ecological resource that could be repurposed as a flood buffer for adjacent homes and a public, recreational amenity for residents.

This sub-section focuses on creating a contiguous green infrastructure system that Implementation residents can more easily access and enjoy. This green infrastructure 01. Develop an integrated approach to open space maintenance as network will also function as a part of the planning process flood buffer, provide more shade in 02. Create performance requirements for each category of green response to rising temperatures, infrastructure to inform design and will provide pathways for 03. Plan for connectivity and synergy with existing community, alternative, non-vehicular mobility. educational, and mobility resources The incentive-based tools outlined in earlier are tailored for South 04. Seek creative and cross-functional funding streams for the First Street stakeholders who implementation and upkeep of green infrastructure facilities will not only benefit from green 05. Tie risk management and flood mitigation measures to infrastructure but also can help landscaping at every scale of the public realm to create it. The tools put forth in this chapter rely on public access easements and development incentives to enhance the presence of public rights-of-way to enable this green infrastructure system. By providing a connected, highly-visible system of pathways to existing park spaces, the corridor can act as a more comprehensive urban system.

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South First Street

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Home + Small Business Owners

Local parks and greenway access cater to healthy living activities including sports and opportunities for learning through connecting with nature and employment in green space management. These spaces also improve property values and reduce flood risk through natural drainage and catchment systems.

Civic + Educational Institutions

Easements providing access to spaces for relaxation and healthy living encourage social interaction and neighborhood events, building community cohesion and making settlements comfortable and livable. These activities are part of a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vitality, including neighborhood festivals, farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets, and spontaneous events.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Owners grant to Holder an easement in perpetuity to establish and make available for public use a trail, [specified] feet in clear tread width, in the location within the Property shown on the easement plan... If there is no easement plan attached to this grant, Holder may determine the location in its reasonable discretion. The easement includes the right to install footbridges, retaining walls, and other structures as necessary to prevent erosion and facilitate passage through wet areas; and install markers and other signs related to the trail.â&#x20AC;? Source: Pennsylvania Land Trust Association, 2018

Peer City Case Studies The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership collaborates across jurisdictions and disciplines to engage communities and to protect and restore the South Platte River from the headwaters to the Denver metropolitan area. The interdisciplinary partnership for the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shared development and management was a holistic approach that not only benefited local water resources, but also improved and strengthened the community as a whole. Additionally, regional (as opposed to merely local) messaging advanced the goal of realizing an interconnected network of ecological and green infrastructure for a healthier waterway and for social and economic gains to adjacent communities. The costs and, more importantly, the financial and social benefits of this project were shared across local, citywide, and regional authorities. Source: South Platte River Urban Waters Federal Partnership, 2016

Public Access Easements

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Peer City Case Studies

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Neighborhood Associations

Attractive settings encourage inward investment, incorporate sustainable transport, urban drainage, rainwater collection and wastewater cleansing. They create attractive and distinctive workplaces, contributing to a vibrant local economy, reducing flood risk and the impact of climate change, and creating space for nature.

Commercial Developers

The CodeNEXT 15 percent square-footage park space requirement can be better used to strategically support existing neighborhoods.

Peer City Case Studies The Queens Plaza pocket park in Long Island City, NY addresses an urban condition common in New York and around the world: the intersection of multiple infrastructure systems that create a forbidding and sometimes hazardous environment for people. The project attempted to filter street runoff in more sustainable and innovative ways (using hydrodynamic separators, detention tanks, permeable pavement, and rain gardens). The designers sought to integrate these stormwater management tactics with art and ecology, transforming what was residual or leftover space into public space that people will want to occupy, and a place that performs ecological functions. Source: 21st Century Parks for NYC, City of New York Parks & Recreation

Pocket Parks

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Streetscaping and Bike Paths

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Re-Imagined Urban Relationships Between People, and Nature Proposed Williamson Creek Flood Intervention

Proposed William Cannon Streetscaping

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Legend North East Austin Greenway Trail Connected Open Space Network Bike Network

It really makes living here something special.â&#x20AC;?

Production Land Existing Water Body Existing Park Land

0 Mile

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I moved to Austin for the green space.

1 Mile

Environmental sensibility as a framework for development

Northeast Austin is poised to grow. There is ample land to absorb thousands of new residents; however, there are critical environmental conditions that must be considered prior to new communities being

open space. S2. Utilize a shared impervious surface strategy for increased water quality and reduced infrastructure costs.

The goal is to create a connective tissue of programed and productive open space as a framework for development.

This strategy utilizes the benefit of aggregated pervious space for storm water, flood protection, and public benefit. For areas of new development, property owners and developers would be given density credits for providing increased buffer space around existing stream beds and for providing public access through those spaces. There would be additional credits given for new communities that provide an integrated green storm water strategy to reduce hard infrastructure cost, thus creating

developed. Additionally, much of the current designated park space is not adequately programmed and is isolated from the residents that need it. These two issues create the need for a comprehensive strategy that both preserves future open space and provides connections to existing parks. In creating this new open space network, five key strategies are deployed. Informing these overall strategies is an environmental suitability analysis that provides Policy Implications an understanding of what lands would be most suitable for future For small area planning to be effective in preserving a connective network of open space development. Each strategy with community benefits while offering incentives for developers to build more densely, there needs to be forward-thinking strategies. In Northeast Austin in particular, the large growth described below makes a connection and consumption predictions and currently undeveloped land offer an opportunity to institute between new development and the an environment-first policy. A policy like this would require future development to be built role it can play in providing both within the larger network of desired open space. It would facilitate the creation of future future and current residents with a public lands in a more proactive way. This would require the City to produce, as part of small more complete open space network. area planning, a future parks and open space master plan that would define the desired conditions in Northeast Austin. That master plan could be utilized in the design and planning Additionally, these strategies of individual projects to ensure that the new developments begin to link open spaces employ a multifunctional agenda for together. This work can be done through a number of different legal mechanisms such as this connective network. The five conservation or public access easements, acquisitions, land swaps, and right-of-way usage, strategies are: among others. S1. Create public easements through residual open space. This strategy capitalizes on the existing drainage networks within many of the planned developments or larger parcels. Similar to the affordable housing density bonuses that are given throughout Austin or the density bonuses that are granted in downtown, this strategy would offer the land owner increased development rights contingent upon them providing an activated public easement through their site. This two-fold benefit increases the housing stock while providing additional public

additional percolation and downstream water quality benefits. S3. Preserve agricultural land through Transfer of Development Rights. Northeast Austin contains lands that are prime for agriculture. There is a hedonic and economic value for maintaining and increasing agricultural production in this area. This strategy offers the ability to transfer development rights from one land owner to another, contingent

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Northeast Austin

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Development Suitability Existing Site

Composite Highway 290

Slopes Least Suitable

Most Suitable

Biological Buffers 100ft Minimum Setback

Existing Park Space

Restricted

Flood Plain Buffers

Tree Canopy

Existing Tree Canopy = Not Ideal

Legend Colony Park Development Existing Park Space Existing Development Open Water Least Suitable Most Suitable

Blvd

Poor Drainage = Not Ideal Agriculture = Not Ideal

Ed Bl ueste in

Soil Conditions

ck er

Variable Setback: Restricted

KB lvd 0 Mile

1 Mile

Above: The development suitability map guides the development zones for Northeast Austin as well as creating a framework for future park connections.

Peer Case Studies The state of Michigan utilizes a tax incentive deed restriction program to preserve existing agricultural lands. This program allows property owners to enter into an agreement to maintain the farmland temporarily as a means to protect existing open space and agricultural resources for a tax benefit. This system has been utilized in concert with other policies related to cluster development, green infrastructure, and natural lands to reduce fragmentation of open space .1 In addition, this Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program also utilizes conservation easements, local open space easements, and designated open space easements to help build a connective system. 1 | https://www.planningmi.org/downloads/mspjune2004_final.pdf 2 | https://www.michigan.gov/mdrd/0,4610,7-125-1599_2558-10301-,00.html

S4. Create connections along existing utility right-of-ways through density incentives.

S5. Provide open space and development transition guidelines. This strategy provides a series of design principles for the threshold space between parks and development. It prioritizes active frontages, “eyes on the park,” increased connections, placemaking, and community character. In concert with the four other strategies, it will help provide connected, programmed, and productive public open space throughout all of Northeast Austin.

Within Northeast Austin there are miles of electrical utility corridors that have minimized development along their edges. This strategy upzones undeveloped parcels to incentivize missing middle Implementation housing along these corridors and requires public access to be created 01. Create a district-wide parks and recreation master plan to and maintained. It also facilitates a leverage in development conversations. partnership strategy between utility 02. Create standard development incentive package for inclusion of companies and the adjacent property the five strategies presented here. owners to maintain the spaces next 03. Start conversations with property owners to transfer development to their homes, creating a unique backyard extension for community rights from desired open space to adjacent properties. gardening or active purposes. 04. Establish linkage fees and tax revenue structure for district-level

maintenance, new design, and construction efforts. 05. Establish a “friends of” community organization at the district-level as a body for ongoing management.

S1. Residual Open Space Public Easement Strategy

Above: This strategy can be used within existing developments with a unified property owner. Increased development capacity is given to that property in exchange for providing public easements and program improvements to stream corridors.

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upon the land being put back into production for either agriculture or wind or solar energy production. This strategy could be used to create dense village clusters throughout Northeast Austin while preserving the agricultural character of place and providing public access.

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S2. Shared Impervious Surface Development Strategy

Above: This strategy is used for new developments to negotiate for an increase in shared, programmed open space that can be used to decrease minimum parcel sizes and reduce hard infrastructure costs. The result is more community open space and protection for the valuable floodplain functions.

S3. Agriculture - Development Transfer Strategy

Above: This strategy allows for the negotiation of development rights transferred from one piece of land to an adjacent piece of land for the purposes of protecting productive farmlands. The Transfer of Development Rights could be used to create dense village clusters on adjacent properties while maintaining rural characteristics.

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S4. Utility Corridor Community Connector Strategy

Above: This strategy upzones currently undeveloped parcels for missing middle housing to locate it near existing utility corridors where housing development has stagnated. By offering increased development potential, the strategy negotiates public access and maintenance agreements to put these residual spaces to better public use.

Multi-Unit Buildings Along Open Space

Water Quality Buffer

Pedestrian Promenade

Parking in Rear

Naturalized Creek Edge

nt rF o h rc Po Active Park Space

Private Backyards â&#x20AC;&#x153;Great Streetsâ&#x20AC;? Along Park Edges

S5. Active Frontages Development Guidelines

Above: These design principles create a safer more activated series of public park spaces. By defining the threshold between development and open space, a more complete network of public realm can be achieved.

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The open space in Northeast Austin must serve multiple functions. With green networks serving as a framework for development, it is important that infrastructure services, such as storm water and agriculture, couple with recreation, leisure, and pedestrian and cycle connections. Shown here is a vision for the Walnut Creek Central Park in the north-central portion of the site.

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Photo: The current development pattern aggravates the urban heat island effect and results in increased energy expenses and a less attractive urban environment.

Guidelines for building in Austin’s hot climate Climate change is contributing to rising maximum temperatures, heavier precipitation in storm events, and extreme weather events occurring with greater frequency. In the longterm, though urban settlement patterns may be difficult to predict, an increased number of natural disasters along the Gulf Coast may contribute to an increased number of Texans moving inland. The City of Austin has done a tremendous job of preparing for climate change-related impacts already. Given the City’s projected growth along with the spate of known and unknown climate-related factors that will impact the City’s residents, the climateresponsive urban design strategies presented here are meant to serve as a set of suggested strategies for sustainable growth and risk mitigation. Specifically, strategies detailed in this section support urban growth by reducing public and private expenses on energy and infrastructure over the long-term. They also support communities in leading healthy lifestyles by providing suggestions for the design of livable, climateadapted streets and parks. This chapter addresses the increasing severity of Austin’s climatic conditions by responding to current solar and wind patterns, with an eye on how climate change will impact Austin’s rising temperatures and extreme weather events.

Recommended strategies at the individual building-scale include the introduction of passive bio-climatic solar design elements such as a wide south-north facade to allow for passive heating in the winter months and a narrow east-west facade to avoid overheating and glare. These proportions are important as we move on to explore neighborhood-scale strategies. Similar considerations are applied at the urban block-scale. Here, south-north facade area for all buildings on the block should be maximized. The second important aspect of a street’s orientation is the direction of prevailing winds in the summer, which, in Austin, hail from the southeast. Adding trees to southeast-oriented streets can reduce temperature by 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, making it possible for Austin’s residents to feel comfortable in the

Designing Resource-Efficient, Appealing Cities Researchers at the MIT Sustainable Design Lab are supporting the sustainable growth of cities by developing tools that architects and urban planners can use to design neighborhoods—including buildings, parks, courtyards, and trees—that are energy efficient, environmentally friendly, appealing, and comfortable for residents.

As a first step, the MIT project team studied climate-related aspects of current Austin developments. This analysis showed that the urban heat island effect is aggravated by limited shade on streets and a high percentage of heatabsorbing materials like asphalt. In addition, building orientation, lot proportions, and block sizes are often not oriented to maximize solar gains or shade effects. Thus, energy expenditures on heating, cooling and electricity are high. Changes suggested here are meant to address these crucial issues in moving urban design toward climate responsiveness.

public realm and reducing energy consumption for cooling in adjacent buildings. Conceiving of streets as a formative infrastructure rather than merely a passive surface can expand functionality to include cooling the urban environment. This can also help manage storm water and create friendlier, safer urban environments. These strategies lead to a new pattern of development that takes advantage of natural resources, reduces energy expenses, and increases the quality and amount of public open space, all essential for complete communities.

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Climate Responsive Urban Design

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Austin Climate

Summer Solstice

Winter Solstice

Prevailing Winds

Horizon line

Above: This diagram shows the difference between the low-angle winter solstice and the high-angle summer solstice. These differences impact the design of homes and neighborhoods since people want to embrace the winter sun and seek protection from the summer sun. Prevailing winds during the summer months come from the south and southeast direction. This information is critical for street and park orientation in terms of mitigating the hot summer temperatures.

High Low Precipitation

Source: USA Climate Data:

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/austin/texas/united-states/ustx2742

Days With Maximum Temperature above 100Â° F

In the near term (present-2040), Austin can expect to experience a nearly three-fold increase in the number of 100 degree Fahrenheit or hotter days. In addition, Austin can expect a higher frequency of extreme precipitation events and more frequent drought conditions in summer.

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Climate Graph of Austin

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Case Studies For Climate Adaptive Design Strategies

Courtyard Housing (Phoenix, Arizona) Vegetated and shaded courtyards improve outdoor comfort as well as beautify spaces for the residents in adjacent buildings.

Cooling Avenues (Tel Aviv, Israel) Capturing the summer breeze in treerich avenues significantly cools the urban environment.

Ben Gurion Avenue (Tel Aviv, Israel) Having a cooler space in the hot summer month contributes to urban life. This avenue is always filled with people who are enjoying the trees, benches, and corner coffee shops nearby.

7th Street (Downtown Austin) Shade, vegetation, and water features improve outdoor thermal comfort and support businesses who rely on street vitality like retail, coffee shops, and restaurants.

Austin Public Library (Downtown Austin) Rooftops can be used as an extra space or private outdoor spaces that can have vegetation and shade. Installing solar panels on the roof is a great example of multifunctionality.

101 Congress Avenue (Downtown Austin) A green plaza surrounded by mature trees provides a cool space people can enjoy throughout the day.

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Case Studies For Climate Adaptive Design Strategies

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Building Strategies Decrease energy consumption by implementing a passive solar design

E Performing Roof + Efficient (white color reflects sun rays) + Regulating (vegetation) + Producing (solar panels) + Extra space + Roof garden

Regulating Basement + Ground temperature under 6 feetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is constant throughout the year and can regulate indoor temperature

Summer

North Facade

East/West Facade

South Facade

+ Small windows + Up to 10% of floor area

+ Long and narrow windows + Up to 10% of floor area

+ Large windows + Up to 20% of floor area

Minimizes heat loss

Minimizes glare and undesired heating

Shade prevents undesired heat

Winter

+ Passive heating in winter

Mitigate hot climate by Increasing shade and tree cover

01 Use shaded streets and white roofs. Mitigate urban heat island effect and reduce overall energy consumption for cooling in the summer months.

02 Protect solar rights of buildings and open public space Reduce energy bills by: + Allowing passive heating during winter months + Reducing the amount of time lights are turned on + Supporting vegetation growth in parks

03 Plant trees in the direction of prevailing winds. Mitigate urban heat island effect by: + Reducing overall energy consumption for cooling in the summer months + Providing outdoor places that are comfortable to use even in the summer month through reducing temperatures by 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit

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Neighborhood Strategies

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Neighborhoods Strategies

Climate adaptive vegetation as an urban design element

This planting palette is adapted from the City of Austin Watershed Protection and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s “Grow Green” Guide. The palette is a first step towards considering the diversity of native and adapted plants that can enhance Austin’s public realm, both in terms of the scenic quality of the civic realm, but for containing and managing urban storm water flows in both public and private spaces. The palette contains a reference key that identifies where each species is native to in the region (helping to identify which soils a plant might thrive in); whether the plant is evergreen, semi-evergreen, or deciduous; how much direct sunlight is preferable; what the relative heights and sizes are; and how much water is needed during the growing season once it is established. The plants identified in the palette are arranged by seasonal interest, with larger plants (trees, small trees and large shrubs) on the outside and smaller plants (small shrubs, perennials, yuccas, agaves, succulents, cacti, sotols, and ornamental grasses) on the inside. Most of South First Street is located in the Intermediate Zone, which falls between the Edwards Plateau to the west and the Blackland Prairie to the east. The Intermediate Zone contains a mix of shallow to moderately deep soils intermingled in areas with soil brought in during construction. Due to this variability, identifying soil types on specific sites in this area is likely necessary to determine the best approach. Northeast Austin is located in the Blackland Prairie. Sites here will likely consist of deep, dark, clay prairie soils that do not drain easily. Therefore, adding compost or expanded shale improves aeration and drainage. Source: City of Austin Watershed Protection and Texas A&M, “Native and Adapted Landscape Plants: An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas”

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Planting Pattern Typologies

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Legend Cooling streets Existing parks and open space Areas with large amount of paving Water bodies Water bodies outside of site scope Parcels

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We walk most places.â&#x20AC;?

The climate responsive urban design strategies focus on ways of making improvements to the existing urban fabric. This section recommends ways to optimally cool homes, save energy, and enhance the streetscape to create climate adapted urban conditions. There are many simple ways to mitigate the effects of climate on Austin’s built environment. For example, increasing vegetation in yards and streetscaping can contribute to passive storm water management, reduction of heat island effects, and natural cleansing of the air. By planting more trees in yards, around parking lots, and along the corridor, temperatures decrease and wind movement is enhanced. “Wind boulevards” are an effective tool for reducing heat island effects at a district-wide scale. Property owners, neighborhood associations, developers, and city agencies are all pertinent audience members for these recommendations. This section aims to clearly outline these possibilities in terms of policy, design, and implementation with these audiences in mind. The previous sections first looked at propertylevel tools for climate mitigation. These tools include placement and orientation of windows, material selection, incentives for solar panel installment, energy saving techniques, as well as an Austin-specific planting palette. The next scale of tools featured strategies for the block-level. These recommendations focus on the streetscape and how the urban form functions in section. The final set of tools, explored here, is situated for new development. New developments can capitalize on the opportunity to orient their streets to optimally address sun and wind. The South First Street recommendations address how these streets may intersect with the existing corridor. Climate change mitigation is an important aspect of planning in an era in which millions will be displaced by sea level rise and natural disasters. Heat island effect contributes to an increasing death toll each year.

Austin must consider the implications of these changes on their residents. By making incremental and scalar adjustments, the City and the City’s residents have an opportunity to prepare for climate change. Climate responsive urban design makes residents safer while also helping to reduce their impacts on climate change.

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South First Street

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New Development Guidelines

’

’ 120

160

24 0

’ 24 0

’

Street Orientation

Streets oriented to capture the southeast summer breeze. Block proportions are wide to the south and narrow to the east and west.

Performing Streets Collective green space Alley + community space + cooling + water Community connector pedestrian path Shaded street

“Cooling Streets”

Street orientation, trees, and shade reduces temperature by 15 to 20 Fahrenheit.

Storm Water Management

Storm water is collected at the streets and absorbed into the ground in parks.

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Climate Responsive Block Typology

Alley

Shaded, commercial pedestrian mall

Shaded street

Street typology

Traffic Corridor

Pedestrian Mall

Green Alley

Shared Yard

Green Alley

Pedestrian Mall

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Climate Responsive Block Typology

No recreational programming in park No bike path or support for alternate mobility

Little vegetation for soaking up rain water

Asphalt absorbs heat and warms the entire area

Little to no shade along South First Street

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Climate Responsive Block Typology

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Legend 0.25

0.5

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cooling avenueâ&#x20AC;?

1 Miles

500

Shaded street, main street

1,000

Shaded street

0 Mile

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250

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New development guidelines and incremental Improvements to existing neighborhoods Northeast Austin is projected to take on much of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth in the near future. To support these changes, this section focuses on climate responsive urban design strategies for responsible growth. Through incremental changes to existing neighborhoods, improved street orientation, and design in new neighborhoods, the Northeast Austin district can provide a higher quality of life for all residents. Existing conditions in Northeast Austin include low-rise neighborhoods alongside vast open space and park areas. These neighborhoods include mostly single family housing, heavily relying on private cars for the daily commute. Roads and parking spaces take up around 30 percent of the neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land cover, contributing to the urban heat island effect by absorbing heat and slowly releasing it into the air during the day. The resulting environment is hotter than undeveloped land in the same area, making the streets less pleasant and increasing energy expenses on cooling for all housing. Improving the design of existing streets is essential for climate responsive urban design. Incremental changes can include planting trees and installing shade over bus stops and street crossings. Large parking spaces that are active only for a few hours a day can be rethought as spaces with informal activity at other hours of day. The extra utility can justify providing shade in these area. These areas can also be where parking occupies the ground space and solar panels are integrated into a shading element. More substantial changes will involve upgrading the street infrastructure to include rain gardens which collect storm water for watering vegetation. Performance guidelines for improving the quality of public space can be incorporated into any new design. Planning the urban grid with an eye on orientation and direction of prevailing winds can contribute significantly to mitigating excess heat and creating more comfortable and pleasant streets. Since summer breeze arrives from the southeast in Austin, orienting the streets to capture this cooling wind can cool the urban environment by 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This small gesture saves a lot of money on energy expenses and medical bills. Other than cooling the urban environment, streets and

parks can also collect storm water and provide gathering places. All these aspects can be evaluated when approving a new development design. In this section, three street typologies are introduced: The Linear Park: These are main streets which use surrounding buildingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; height for shade on the southern side with a linear park to provide cooling on the northern side. These streets should be oriented at the direction of the prevailing summer wind. These are active and vital streets where people work, live and play. Shared Space Alley: In the spirit of incorporating multiple uses for streets, alleys are envisioned as places that offer neighborhood interaction in small gardens and spaces. Since cars only use alleys at certain hours of the day, it makes sense to introduce more uses. Aligning the allies with the direction of the prevailing summer wind will support their role as communal spaces. Community Connectors: These are shaded and narrow streets that can be in any orientation. These streets link different community centers and public buildings to a cohesive public network.

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North East Austin

30 120

60 120

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Development Analysis With Respect To Climate Adaptation

Existing

Housing units: 32 Density: 4 units per acres

New

Housing units: 64 Density: 8 units per acres

30% Asphalt

25% Asphalt

70% Housing

75% Housing

Challenges Urban heat island effect is aggravated by limited shade on streets, high percentage of heat absorbing materials like asphalt. Buildingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; orientation, lot proportion, and block proportion are not responsive to the sun, thus increasing energy expenses for heating, cooling, and lighting.

60 Reduce energy spending

60 Reduce infrastructure expenses by Implementing Passive and Adaptive Infrastructure

100

Alternative

Housing units: 128 Density: 16 units per acres

20% Asphalt 15% Park 65% Housing

Opportunities Support urban growth by reducing public and private expenses on energy and infrastructure. Support communities and healthy lifestyles by designing livable streets and parks adapted to climate.

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Encourage a healthier lifestyle and enhance connection to the outdoors by providing climatecontrolled public space that is usable more hours of the day and more days per month

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Strategies for Existing development Before Very hot sun

Narrow Sidewalks

Huge right of way Asphalt absorbs heat and warms the entire area

After

Solar bus station

More space for walking &cycling

Trees provide shade and cooling

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Before

Divide between neighborhood and school

Asphalt absorbs heat and warms the entire area Parking space is not used 24/7

After

Solar canopy provides shade and energy

Different uses for different hours of the day

Policy Implications The City of Austin can adapt to increased heat by changing the landscape and physical structure of existing developments, thus improving the performance of existing public space. Policymakers can establish clear criteria for built environment materials aimed at mitigating the urban heat island effect. Such criteria may include cool roofs, green roofs, cool pavements, and urban forestry. This policy can be promoted through diverse tools, such as building code, mandates, incentives, and educational programs where the City provides information about the benefits of climate adaptive strategies to the public. Additionally, the City can lead by example and incorporate these recommendations into all new infrastructure projects. Interventions like the examples shown above can serve as case study projects where the new strategy is demonstrated and communicated to the public.

Introduction / / / 192

Introduction / / / 193

THEME 4 | (RE)PROGRAMMING COMMUNITY SPACES

(Re)Programming Community Spaces explores methods of programming and reprogramming social spaces throughout Austin, further enhancing the cultural vibrancy and diverse social activities that make Austin an exciting place to live. Nurturing Cultural Amenities studies the landscape of Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dispersed cultural amenities. It develops frameworks for cultivating existing spaces to host new cultural activity and social connections. Retrofitting Suburbia explores methods for systematically transforming sparse suburban development patterns along Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edges into more dynamic district centers that accommodate anticipated population growth.

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Photo: “The Art of SHOES.” Source: Jeff Jamawat

“In Austin, culture matters.”

This chapter explores a strategy through which cultural amenities can be equitably expanded across every neighborhood in Austin.

Austin is unmistakably unique. From the Cathedral of Junk off South 1st Street to perfectly legal graffitiing at HOPE Outdoor Gallery downtown, Austin fully celebrates its character. A fundamental part of this identity is rooted in the city’s continued interest and investments in culture. As the City prepares for growth, culture cannot be left out of the equation.

What Are Cultural Amenities? There is no universal definition for cultural amenities, let alone for culture. There is general consensus that culture can be physical—such as products, events, or activities—or it can be interpersonal—such as connections or social groupings between people. Whether culture is rooted in the physical or interpersonal, having a place to cultivate it is essential for building a city’s identity. These places can broadly be defined as cultural amenities. A cultural amenity can range from local spaces in which people can bump into each other all the way to a space in which people experience meaningful programming. A cultural amenity could be as simple as a grocery store in one context or as elaborate as a big bandstand concert in the park in another.

community-based cultural master planning process, spearheaded by the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office. This initiative—CreateAustin—emphasized

How does CreateAustin Define Cultural Amenities? CreateAustin took particular interest in arts, culture, and creative industries embodied by: • • • • • • • • •

Architecture + Landscape Arts Education Community Arts Crafts Culinary Arts Dance Design and Graphic Arts Fashion Design Film and Video

Beyond contributing to a city’s identity, cultural amenities are critical to forming complete communities. In other words, cultural amenities have the potential to improve the quality of life for individuals and their communities.

Existing Efforts to Strengthen Austin’s Cultural Amenities Culture matters so much to Austinites that in September 2006, the City began an extensive

• • • • • • • • •

Gaming and Digital Media Heritage Literary Arts Music + Recording Performance Arts Photography Slam Poetry Theater Visual Arts

the economic importance of programming related to arts, culture, and creative industries. CreateAustin also set the stage for expanding and sustaining cultural amenities through funding, policies, and civic infrastructure. Through extensive stakeholder research and community engagement, the CreateAustin cultural master plan identified six key strategic areas in which to focus their recommendations. These included Support for Individual Creativity; Built Environment; Creativity and Learning;

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Nurturing Austin’s Cultural Amenities

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Communications and Collaborative Ventures; Financial Resources; and Cultural Infrastructure. Across the sections, the cultural plan provided 34 concrete recommendations ranging from establishing task forces, an Arts and Culture Department, and stakeholder partnerships for providing assistance and learning services to expand the presence of cultural programs.

The Cultural Asset Mapping Project One of the most important recommendations the CreateAustin puts forward is about developing “affordable and accessible cultural spaces of all types.” This recommendation has been a primary motivation for investigating how Austin’s cultural amenities are distributed across different parts of the City. Though CreateAustin officially ended in 2017, the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan has picked up where CreateAustin left off. As part of Imagine Austin, the City’s Cultural Arts Division began a Cultural Asset Mapping Project—CAMP. Participants in each district of the City were asked to help identify “cultural assets” in their community and categorize them. CAMP produced a set of district-by-district maps that revealed the locations of cultural amenity clusters and scarcities. It is important to note that not every amenity shows up on these maps, as CAMP purposefully displays only cultural amenities identified by communities. The citywide map of cultural assets shows that cultural amenities are largely concentrated in the band between Interstate 35 and Route 1. East and west of this band, the density of cultural amenities decreases.

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Each dot represents a cultural amenity, as defined through the Cultural Asset Mapping Project.

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Ben White

William Cannon

Slaughter

Places like Northeast Austin, for example, have very few amenities and amenities are nondiverse. The CAMP maps showed that cultural amenities are primarily located on the periphery of Northeast Austin. This may be a result of historic disinvestment in minority communities. South First Street is at the other end of the spectrum: Here, there are many cultural amenities that help concretely define unique identities along the corridor.

0 Mile

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Publication

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Educational Institution

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Cultural amenities outside of the site area

Business or Organizations

Festival

Place of Worship

Restaurants

1 Mile

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Photo: SXSW Music 2011 - Austin, TX. Source: Kris Krug, flickr

A one-size-fits-all cultural planning strategy may not be most effective in Austin.

CreateAustin and CAMP have done tremendous work to make cultural planning a priority for Austin. The City’s efforts have revealed, however, that there are significant inequalities where cultural amenities are located. These inequalities complicate the way certain neighborhoods gather, experience Austin’s culture, or even build their own identity. There is a continuum of access to cultural amenities in Austin, resulting in heavy concentration of amenities in some areas and little to no amenities in others. Similarly, a continuum of strategies could increase both the number of cultural amenities and the opportunities to build place-based identity in contextually-appropriate ways. A one-sizefits-all cultural planning strategy may not be the most effective in Austin. For this reason, this chapter explores three strategies that target the different needs of Austin’s different communities. The first strategy is about building basic amenities. Basic amenities, which broadly include places for nutrition, education, open space, retail, finance, civic participation, and health, are essential for initiating moments of interpersonal interaction and identity building. In places that lack cultural amenities, a robust network of basic amenities can create opportunities for informal or unprogrammed gathering. The second strategy is about enhancing third spaces. Third spaces are the places that people use between home and work. By enhancing third spaces with thoughtful programming and design, they can become vibrant spots for gathering, relationship-building, and connections. For third spaces to exist, the basic amenity infrastructure needs to be strong. The third and final strategy on the continuum is about knitting in arts, culture, and creative

There are three different strategies presented in this chapter to address the different cultural amenity needs of Austin’s different communities: STRATEGY 01: Building Basic Amenities

STRATEGY 02: Enhancing Third Spaces

STRATEGY 03: Knitting in Creative Industries

industries (what Austin traditionally considers “cultural amenities”). Once basic amenities are in place and third spaces have been enhanced, cultural amenities—everything from art to dance to music to festivals—can be meaningfully incorporated. Furthermore, each of these strategies can be woven into the zoning code to ensure that elevating the importance of culture and identity is possible in every community.

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A Continuum of Amenities

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01 Building Basic Amenities

Basic amenities serve as key spaces for community-building and, subsequently, cultural exchange.

In Austin, communities that lack cultural amenities also seem to lack basic amenities. This is partly because the population or housing density in these areas is not large enough to support the economic viability of certain businesses. At the same time, there is a basic mix of amenities that should be accessible to every community, especially if resource equity matters. Basic amenities certainly address community needs, but they also serve as spaces for organic interactions between people. Activities as simple as picking up a gallon of milk at the local grocer or taking the dog for a walk in a local park can generate interactions between people within a community. These moments of interaction are critical to strengthening a community’s connectedness, which is why building basic amenities is the first stage in nurturing Austin’s cultural identity. This strategy primarily targets areas in Austin that are missing cultural amenities, but as Austin grows, basic amenities will need to expand or scale up to meet demand.

NUTRITION: Corner stores, grocery stores, farmers markets EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: Schools, preschools, job training facilities, colleges, learning annexes OPEN SPACE: Parks, playgrounds, fields, trails, community gardens, plazas RETAIL: Restaurants, stores, kiosks, flea markets FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: Banks, ATMs, tax preparations services, lenders HEALTH INSTITUTIONS: Urgent care facilities, primary care offices, pharmacies, hospitals CIVIC INSTITUTIONS: City halls, police stations, government offices, libraries, non-profit services

What Are the Basic Amenities? At the very least, communities need places where nutritional, educational, open space, retail, financial, civic, and health needs can be met. These needs can be met through a variety of businesses and services, including:

“There are a lot of amenities missing from the neighborhood. We need a civic center, health clinics, day care, grocery stores, restaurants, library, community garden, the list goes on.”

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Current Amenity Mix

Amenities not scaled for communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s density

Limited amenities within 15-minute walking radius

Insufficient mix of amenities

Ideal Amenity Mix

Larger and more diverse amenity mix to match scale

Small-scale amenities within walking distance

Appropriate scale and mix

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These examples listed are by no means comprehensive, but they provide a sense of the diverse businesses and services that can address community needs. They also help describe how amenities range in scale. A community with a smaller population and lower density, for instance, may not be able to economically support an HEB grocery store, however, a corner store selling fresh fruits and vegetables may sufficiently meet nutritional needs. Similarly, a full-scale hospital in a densely-populated area may need to have a satellite clinic in a moderately-sized community..

A Role for Zoning In an ideal world, zoning code would mandate the ideal mix of amenities in every community and provide the appropriate scale for each amenity depending on the zoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned density. Questions of economic feasibility and neighborhood preference, however, make modeling this complicated. Expanding the number of areas designated as mixed-use zoning may help provide flexibility as to where basic amenities can be placed. Mixeduse zoning does not have to be solely reserved for high-density areas. In fact, by assigning low-density mixed-use overlays or districts, predominantly residential communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;like those in Northeast Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;can unlock the ability to open more community-based businesses and build the basic amenities needed to thrive.

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Photo: La Mexicana Bakery. Source: Elizabeth Haney

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02 Enhancing Third Spaces Vibrant third spaces can encourage connections, culture, and community identity-building.

There is a consensus around the idea that spaces in between home (the primary place where people spend their time) and work (the secondary place) need to be built with more thought and care. These spaces—what sociologist Ray Oldenburg coins as third spaces— are critical for leisure and social interactions, which help build community and establish neighborhood identity. A third space could be as simple as a coffee shop or as complex as on-line social networking sites.

other parts of the City, such as Northeast Austin, there are several community schools on massive plots of land, yet few spaces for organic interaction among residents. By enhancing their public qualities, these existing spaces can be reconceptualized as vibrant and inclusive areas for communities.

To facilitate Austin’s creative culture, it is particularly important for physical spaces to be designed to promote connections. By enhancing a robust basic amenity infrastructure through programming and design, third spaces can become vibrant places for people to connect, create, and grow in the spirit of complete communities.

Time Guides Multifunctionality

Thinking Beyond Conventional Third Spaces When people think about typical third spaces, they usually consider: • • • • • • • • •

Community parks Cafés Libraries Gymnasiums Churches, mosques, and temples Bars and nightclubs Community and senior centers Shopping centers Local business

There are also third spaces that do not fall into these conventional categories. One potential spot for new third spaces is the bus stop. Bus stops along South First Street, for example, are sterile and considered simply waiting areas despite being opportune points for organic interactions between people. In

These are two examples of enhancing third spaces that highlight the possibilities for multifunctional space over the course of time.

These strategies must take into account how people use space over the course of the year, seasons, months, weeks, and even days. Time can influence the different types of activities people participate in or the spaces that they visit, and these patterns have an impact on how third spaces are used. The temporal nature of activity in Austin, as depicted in the time wheel, provides the motivation for enhancing third spaces for multiple purposes. Flexibility and multifunctionality are important for adapting spaces for different activities, whether they serve a more standard purpose or they are pointed cultural amenities. Furthermore, this multifunctionality gives communities that may have less amenities a way to repurpose or reuse existing spaces in innovative ways. With small investments, creative energy, and considerations for temporality and multifunctionality, these enhancements to third spaces can be achievable in the near-term in Austin.

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Example: Bus Stops as Cultural Hubs As the City of Austin expands its transit service along corridors and nodes, bus stops can be programmed to facilitate organic connections.

Standard Use

Uninspired bus stop surrounded by bleak parking lot

Sidewalks do not have an inviting public realm

Enhanced Use

Bus stop enhanced with landscaping, programming, and art Sidewalks can become spaces of their own, enhancing the public realm

Design of space allows for flexible and multifunctional programs

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Example: Schools as Gathering Spaces Elementary and secondary schools are one of the few amenities that are equitably distributed across Austin. Given the importance of schools to communities, they serve as a natural location for gathering. Small architectural enhancements allow multifunctional use, such as rearrangeable walls and landscaped outdoor spaces. Further, these spaces provide the flexibility for both daytime school uses and evening community events.

Standard Use

Typical classroom layout during the daytime

Unused open space on school grounds

Enhanced Use

Flexible walls can allow spaces to transform Permeability between inside and outside events depending on time and season

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A Role for Zoning As with adding basic amenities, increasing mixed-use designation through overlay zoning could help existing third spaces build out the infrastructure necessary to sustain enhanced programming. Another role that zoning could play in enhancing third spaces is through creating cultural planning overlay zones. The City, for example, would identify areas across Austin that could benefit from enhancements to third spaces, apply a cultural planning overlay zone to those areas, and use the overlay district as a way to protect and cultivate culture in those areas. Overlay zones could help incentivize local businesses and organizations to make small, incremental investments in their communities, ultimately enhancing third spaces. Further the City could encourage builders to collocate cultural amenities (as discussed in the next strategy) next to each other. Floating zones and density bonuses could also be useful zoning tools for cultural planning. Beyond zoning, there are other regulatory measures that the City of Austin could take to build vibrant third spaces. Tax credits or incentives for adaptive reuse of existing buildings for cultural uses could push developers and others to create multifunctional spaces for communities.

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“What we need is some kind of arts or community gathering space. It’s all commercial down here.” Photo: Cranes on a Tree, Austin, TX. Source: Elizabeth Haney

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03 Knitting in Creative Industries

Collaboration and collocation can help incorporate more traditional cultural amenities throughout Austin.

Efforts to build basic amenities and enhance third spaces are critical to creating moments for both programmed and unprogrammed connections between people. These interactions are important for nurturing a community’s identity, but they also set the stage for adding more traditional cultural amenities everywhere across Austin. These traditional cultural amenities, which include everything from music venues to theaters to design studios, give Austin the unique identity for which it is well known. The final strategy presented considers ways to knit creative industries into communities. Knitting in creative industries can happen through two primary mechanisms: collaboration and collocation.

cultural amenities are built and maintained in the City. In order to efficiently knit more cultural amenities into the landscape, stakeholders, such as local businesses or organizations, could collaborate. These collaborations could be as simple as a local retailer sponsoring students at an adjacent elementary school to paint a mural on the side of their building. Or collaboration could take the form of a multi-party investment in a citywide festival. In theory, collaborations are straightforward. In practice, however, the City should consider facilitating connections between stakeholders interested in contributing to Austin’s mix of cultural amenities. Additionally, the City could consider incentives for stakeholders who do collaborate.

Case Study: Collocation and Density Bonuses Density bonuses are commonly used as a way to allow developers to build for greater density in exchange for providing a public amenity. The City of Seattle, Washington’s Olympic Sculpture Park, a revered cultural amenity in the area, was actually built as a result of density incentives. As was the case in Seattle, offering density bonuses in exchange for delivering cultural amenities could be a way to increase the number of amenities and collocate them next to other important civic or social institutions. Source: “Density bonuses: Giving back for building up.” The Real Deal. Collaboration is about strategic partnerships between different stakeholders, while collocation is about the thoughtful use of land for locating cultural amenities.

Example: Collaboration to Expand Cultural Amenities Because culture matters in Austin, community stakeholders have an interest in ensuring that

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Example: Collocation of Cultural Amenities Civic and social institutions across the City of Austin are generally situated on large pieces of land. Ostensibly, this “extra” land could be used to collocate creative industries that work synergistically along with the land’s owner. Again, schools present an amazing opportunity for collocation of cultural amenities as the presence of creative industries on school grounds is mutually beneficial.

Standard Use

Taking advantage of underutilized open area around other amenities

Knitted Use

Collocating creative industries on open lots to foster engagement in Austin’s culture

Enhancing existing landscapes for community use and gathering

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Strategies in Action Once the three strategies (building basic amenities, enhancing third spaces, and knitting in creative industries) are in place, communities can better participate and contribute to Austin’s unique culture. Here, a vibrant cultural ecosystem is imagined around the Atkin’s High School along on South First Street, providing an example for how communities across the City can nurture Austin’s cultural identity.

Collaboration with local creative partners to reflect Austin’s identity in space

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Using existing spaces in different ways at different times creates vibrant third spaces

Open lots near civic and social institutions offer opportunity for collocated cultural amenities

1S H T U

New development offers an opportunity to add a diverse mix of amenities for communities

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Photo: The suburban strip mall parking lot.. Source: Danya Littlefield

Strategies to re-imagine Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parking lots

Suburban spaces favor the automobile over the pedestrian, providing more parking than is needed but little in the way of sidewalks, open space, and places to sit or spend time with friends and family.

Across Austin, much of the urban form is suburban in nature: sprawling, single-story malls, shopping centers, arenas and event spaces, and other buildings that face expansive parking fields are typical of the built environment outside of Downtown. These suburban spaces favor the automobile over the pedestrian, providing more parking than is needed but little in the way of sidewalks, open space, and places to sit or spend time with friends and family. Further, many of these structures were constructed in earlier decades, following design guidelines that reflect an outdated set of priorities and best practices. Although some of these places still contribute to an atmosphere that is uniquely Austin, retrofitting these aging structures offers a means to incorporate new housing into neighborhood centers, reimagine the landscape, expand neighborhood green space and amenities, and enhance key neighborhood assets. This section focuses on strategies for updating these aging suburban complexes into walkable, mixed-use neighborhood centers that align with the complete communities goals outlined in Imagine Austin. The ubiquity of suburban centers across Austin seen against the backdrop of a changing future for retail calls into question the long-term viability of car-centric shopping complexes and commercial storefronts. This uncertain future requires planners, designers, and developers to consider innovative ways to re-incorporate these spaces into a growing Austin and better connect them to new and existing neighborhoods. Aging commercial complexes have the potential to complement Imagine Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal of establishing Growth Centers, transforming single-use strip malls over time into true mixeduse neighborhood centers. Specific complete communities goals relevant to the retrofit strategy include creating accessible community centers; enhancing access to employment, food,

and housing options; planning for sustainable, compact, and walkable development; and establishing community partnerships with schools. Retrofitting the suburban fabric of Austin requires multi-phased processes across neighborhoods and time. Retrofit efforts are already underway in Austin (see Austin Case Study below), and these catalytic developments can offer guidance on incorporating the complete communities goals into a retrofit development, as well as urban design considerations. Furthermore, retrofitting aging suburban centers can complement the strategies and goals described in the Social and Cultural Amenities section of this chapter by providing physical locations throughout the city for crucial community spaces and amenities.

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Retrofitting Aging Suburban Centers

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WILL

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HEB SITE

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Legend Potential sites for retrofit

“I never go Downtown...There’s nothing for me down there. Those days are behind me, its all about family now.”

0 Mile

1 Mile

BEN WHITE

Retrofit for an updated public realm

The shopping center at the intersection of South 1st Street and William Cannon Drive represents a prime example of a site that is ready for retrofit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an L-shaped strip mall sits at the back of the lot, with a huge parking lot in front. In the immediate area are Bedichek Middle School, two smaller shopping centers, and residential neighborhoods. Currently, the roughly 500,000 square-foot site hosts nearly 25 commercial storefronts with an HEB grocery store as the anchor. (At the time of this writing, the site

in the pages that follow. These strategies provide a glimpse of how retrofitted suburban centers could look; however, the following two considerations are over-arching retrofit development principles for Austin.

Parking Today, much of Austin is car-dependent, but this is slowly changing. New BRT routes, commuter rail lines, and increased bus service are paving the way for a shift to public transit. Further, increased efforts to include sidewalks and bike lanes throughout the city are transforming Austin into a true multi-modal city. As Austin changes, the sprawling parking lots that once surrounded these aging shopping centers will become less necessary, and instead can become prioritized locations for public engagement, living, and commercial activity. In response to the shift in transit modes, the phased nature of retrofit development will reduce the amount of parking over time, incorporate transit hubs into new development, and consolidate the land dedicated to parking through structured parking garages when possible.

Surrounding neighborhoods could benefit from connecting pedestrians to the site through an enhanced public realm and walkable block structure. had one large vacant storefront.) Despite the large area of the parcel itself, the buildings on this lot take up less than 150,000 square-feet, leaving a full 400,000 square-feet for parking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; approximately 1,000 parking spots, with no safe pedestrian areas or usable open space. Visiting the site revealed that although the public realm and pedestrian access to the space was limited, people who live in the nearby neighborhoods do walk or take the bus to the shopping center. The opportunity for retrofit in this case became clear. Surrounding neighborhoods would benefit from connecting pedestrians to the site through an enhanced public realm and walkable block structure. Additionally, a retrofit strategy also provides a framework for housing development and new types of commercial and office spaces.

Retrofit Considerations and Design Principles There are several design, development, and economic context implications that are crucial to the success of suburban retrofit projects in Austin. These principles, gathered from research, fieldwork, and case studies, are outlined and applied to individual sites along South 1st Street and within Northeast Austin

Economic Displacement While redevelopment offers an opportunity for innovative programming and communityoriented uses, every effort should be made to ensure that new retrofits do not come at the cost of existing economic activity. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable, as changes in commercial activity, rising rents, and temporary closures associated with development could drastically impact business viability. Carefully planned phasing as well as an assessment of current business activity are key elements of this strategy.

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South First Street

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Process The first development phase features a reconfiguration of the space itself, both in terms of parking and lot subdivisions. As a first step, the large lot is subdivided by connective streets to create smaller, more walkable blocks. In doing so, plans for phased construction can be developed in coordination with one another. Street trees and landscaping efforts can begin early in the process and in anticipation of development in order to put connective green networks in place. The existing parking in the large open lot is re-accommodated within parking garage structures. These garages can be integrated within each phase of development to create complete blocks. During the next development stage, construction begins for new mixed-use blocks. The large lot is subdivided into three parcels for phased development over time. Each parcel is intended to be a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with ground floor retail and a mix of commercial and residential uses. Ground floor programming of

buildings helps create an active streetscape with connective greens and larger park spaces for the community. Buildings vary in height with a mix of low and mid-rise structures to ensure a diverse, but cohesive built fabric that is quintessentially Austin. Demonstrated in the sectional drawing, buildings accommodate commercial, office, residential, and community uses. With commercial activity occurring on the ground floors, office and residential space occupy the top stories of the low- to mid-rise buildings. The new construction also features an interwoven green network with native trees and shrubs. These green courtyards establish a sense of leisure and protection by creating an intentional separation from the busy thoroughfares beyond the walls of the buildings. Although not all structures will be created at once, the diagrams in these pages show the potential of a fully-realized lot. As a third phase of development, the large HEB shopping center itself would be redeveloped into the block structure with mixed-use development.

Existing Condition At left: The existing HEB building faces a large parking lot along South First Street and William Cannon Drive

Opposite Page: Proposed site plan showing the potential for development on the existing H-E-B site. The big box structure is retained and the parking lot is redeveloped into a vibrant, mixeduse neighborhood with walkable connections and a network of green infrastructure. The public realm is transformed from an underused parking lot to an active community space.

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Proposed Site Plan

WALKABLE CONNECTIONS STITCHING NEIGHBORHOODS TOGETHER

EXISTING H-E-B

IAM

WALKABLE CONNECTIONS ACROSS WILLIAM CANNON DR

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BEDICHEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

As the shopping center footprint is subdivided Parking Lots and Aging Buildings into smaller spaces, new uses, street connections, The properties highlighted in this section share some key characteristics: the size of their parking lots and pedestrian avenues and the age of the buildings on the site. On both primary sites in this chapter, concrete parking accounts should be woven into the for 80 percent or more of the total parcel land. In addition to parking, the complexes highlighted in surrounding neighborhood this section represent a range of ages, built between 1965 and 2015. Retrofit best practices highlight the need to design parking lots for present or future development that better connects to surrounding fabric and connected to neighborhoods. neighborhoods. Although this particular phase of retrofit might occur years in the future, earlier retrofit phases would plan for the flexibility to allow for this transformation.

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Retrofit Design Strategy

EXISTING BIG BOX STORE WITH LARGE PARKING LOT.

SUBDIVIDE LARGE LOT INTO MORE WALKABLE BLOCKS.

RECONFIGURE PARKING FROM PARKING LOTS TO PARKING GARAGES WITH PHASED DEVELOPMENT.

PHASED DEVELOPMENT OF MIXEDUSE, LOW TO MID-RISE BLOCKS WITH INTERWOVEN GREEN NETWORK.

LIFE AFTER HEB: SUBDIVIDE STORE FOOTPRINT TO STITCH INTO SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS.

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Phased Strategy

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

Highland Mall Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first indoor mall, Highland Mall, closed its doors in 2015 after being purchased by Austin Community College. Once home to over 130 stores, redevelopment of the 44 year old mall has begun and will ultimately host a new satellite campus, as well as residential, commercial, and office spaces. This mixed-use project aims to achieve many complete communities goals by incorporating environmental sustainability into the design, connecting residents to new transit options, and establishing communities close to work, home, and activities. Despite the promising benefits of redevelopment, however, the mallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closure resulted in business termination and unemployment for some longtime vendors. Having heard firsthand accounts of this displacement during stakeholder interviews, the strategies presented here consider ways to prevent this outcome. Across Austin, future retrofit projects will need to account for the effects of redevelopment. Photo: Austin Monthly

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Before

H UT

R ST

FIR

H-E-B STORE

LLI

OFFICE

COMMERCIAL

Site Area : 565,000 sqft (13 acres approx.) Before HEB Parking

OFFICE

RETAIL

135,417 sf 304,000 sf

After HEB Parking

135,417 sf 150,000 sf

Residential

230,000 sf

Retail

28,000 sf

Office

146,000 sf

Open Space

100,600 sf

RESIDENTIAL

PARKING

RESIDENTIAL

PARKING

COMMUNITY

CONNECTIONS TO GARRISON PARK NEIGHBORHOOD

HEB GROCERY

EXISTING st HEB 1 h

u So

WALKABLE BLOCKS WITH LINKS TO BEDICHEK MIDDLE SCHOOL

WILLIAM CANNON DR

EXISTING HEB

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After

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DELCO CENTER

Legend Potential sites for retrofit

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There used to be nothing here no stores, no trucks.â&#x20AC;?

0 Mile

1 Mile

Retrofit for active and connected development

Stakeholder interviews in Northeast Austin revealed a strong desire to include welcoming community spaces that would allow residents of Northeast Austin to engage with amenities in their immediate neighborhood. The

to other parts of the neighborhood via public transportation. During the second development phase, additional pathways establish walkable connections through existing residential and green spaces. The diagram on the following page shows these footpaths from the new Delco Center development that permeate the neighborhoods, extending behind the new structures and creating active uses in the green space behind the new buildings. Not only do the footpaths circle behind the structure, but they also extend across Highway 183 via an existing overhead footpath to connect with the HEB shopping center. By establishing a new method of connectivity to the surrounding commercial centers, this corner of Northeast Austin acts as a link with outside neighborhoods.

By establishing new connectivity to the surrounding commercial centers, this corner of Northeast Austin acts as a link with outside neighborhoods. following proposal takes inspiration from the ideas presented by residents committed to strengthening the built and social fabrics from within their community. Owned by Austin Independent School District (“AISD”), the Wilhelmina Delco Center was built in 2001. The center itself is used in a variety of ways, hosting various sporting events, acting as a temporary shelter during emergencies, and serving as a site for community health screenings. Despite the variety of uses for the Delco Center itself, the parking lot does not meet the same level of use. Furthermore, the concrete lot periodically undergoes heavy maintenance worth thousands of dollars. Given the size of the parking lot, high maintenance costs, and lack of community and commercial spaces in Northeast Austin, the following proposal outlines a phased strategy for developing a segment of the Delco Center’s parking lot into a mixed-use destination for commercial, educational, and residential purposes.

Phasing The first phase of development for the Delco Center includes the construction of a community library and transit stop. Given Wilhelmina Delco’s role as Austin’s first Black elected official and longtime champion of education, the library presents an opportunity to appropriately honor her place in Austin’s history. The transit stop connects to the bus re-routing strategy discussed in Chapter 3. The goal of this first retrofit phase is to establish a new neighborhood destination at the Delco Center that is connected

Following the establishment of a connected activity hub, the third phase features construction of commercial spaces and residential structures, as demonstrated by the blue buildings behind the library in the diagram. These newly created structures offer opportunities for Missing Middle housing typologies as well as local economic activity along the ground floor. By connecting with the neighborhood’s existing character, potential programs for these structures could include youth training that connect with the local high school, quick cafe options that serve nearby residents, and affordable office space for local small businesses. In addition to the new built spaces, landscaping plays a crucial role in this phase. By planting native trees and shrubs in the spaces between the new buildings and throughout the parking lot itself, the new community complex takes advantage of climate adaptive vegetation and reduces impervious surface while creating a sense of home. The small patio space in

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Northeast Austin

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Before: the Delco Center

GREEN SPACE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

HEB

NEW MONTESSORI SCHOOL

between the residential and commercial buildings activate the public realm, creating a shaded, pleasant space for Northeast residents to enjoy the outdoors in a protected manner.

Throughout each of these phases, developers will need to consider the impact on Delco Center parking and resident responses to change.

Implementation 01. Identify additional sites that may be ready for redevelopment based on the age of the shopping center and the vacancy rate of the storefronts. 02. Discuss possible redevelopment and retrofit projects with the land owners. 03. Conduct surveys with current complex tenants to understand current commercial activity and concerns with redevelopment. 04. Host community charrettes to gain resident input on redevelopment options for the sites. 05. Issue RFP for first phase of site redevelopment.

Phase One Construct community library branch and transit stop adjacent to the Delco Center.

Phase Two Pathways connect new development to surrounding neighborhoods and amenities. Parking lot is retrofitted with trees and plants to keep it cool and incorporate pervious surfaces into the large parking lot closest to the highway..

Phase Three Residential and commercial development is completed, forming a new neighborhood center and opportunities for missing middle-density housing.

Delco Center Existing Conditions

Image Source: Google Maps

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Phasing the Retrofit

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After: the Retrofit NEW MIDDLE-DENSITY HOUSING OPTIONS

GARDEN PARKING LOT

LIBRARY BRANCH

TRANSIT STOP

NEW LIBRARY BRANCH EXISTING: WILHEMINA DELCO CENTER

COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL

MID-RISE RESIDENTIAL AND ROW HOMES

Total Development Area : 812,000 sq ft (18 acres) Before

After

Delco

60,294 sf

Delco

60,294 sf

Parking

681,600 sf

Parking

187,000 sf

(~2,000 spaces)

(~580 spaces)

Residential

370 units

Library

18,900 sf

Office

9,000 sf

Commercial

19,000 sf

Community space

14,000 sf

New open space

60,000 sf

EXISTING NEIGHBORHOOD FABRIC

EXISTING: LBJ HIGH SCHOOL

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Total Parcel Area : 1,916,640 sq ft (44 acres)

Introduction / / / 232

Introduction / / / 233

PLANNING IN PARTNERSHIP

Planning in Partnership / / / 234

Photo: The single family residential landscape. Source: Joshua Brooks

Cross-cutting Partnerships for Solving Complex Urban Issues

This concluding section explores the formal networks and relationships that influence the flow of social, economic, and political power that ultimately shape a city. In discussing civic ecosystems, civic infrastructure or civil society, the chapter refers to one or more of the following: established, socially influential families; non-profit and advocacy groups; politically influential individuals and coalitions; established industries and employers; anchor churches and community centers. Each of these entities plays a unique role in urban life. Established families affect cultural identity and philanthropy. Non-profits and advocacy groups convene and collaborate to solve complex urban issues. Politically influential individuals and coalitions coordinate the governing process and establish connections to achieve political goals. Industry and employers fund and support their city through corporate responsibility efforts. Anchor churches build and unify communities while serving residents’ physical and spiritual needs. These relationships with each other are non-tangible, yet are often the intersections of innovative and actionable social change and support. These are the stakeholders that work together to fund parks; sustain festivals and institutions that are integral to community identity; promote positive behaviors associated with local community; and vocalize support or opposition for social, political, economic, and physical change. They have the funds to develop real estate and build civic institutions. They have the social capital to push forward controversial, but beneficial initiatives. When a community’s civic ecosystem is diverse, established, and collaborative, the physical and social infrastructure to develop complete communities is present. In large cities, there are often many foundations that work together through the coordination and facilitation of a central community foundation. These

How can Austin’s civil society work to facilitate complete communities? community foundations may not have the largest endowments, but they are traditionally positioned as neutral parties whose sole loyalty is to the benefit of the entire city rather than one family, specific neighborhood, business or industry.

Civic Networks In 2014 the Detroit Institute of Art leveraged its network to fundraise $800 million to help ease Detroit’s bailout settlement. A significant portion of those funds came from 9 other local philanthropies. They understood the irrevocable social and cultural loss to the people and city of Detroit if the Museum’s world class art collection was sold and auctioned off in order to pay of the city’s debts. The strength of Detroit civic infrastructure preserved a valuable cultural institution

Planning in Partnership / / / 235

Convening Civic Catalysts

Planning in Partnership / / / 236

Collaboration

Centra

Existing Civic Partnerhsips

Civic Actors

alized Convener of Civic Activity

Other Conveners of Civic Leaders

Planning in Partnership / / / 237

ns Initiated by Centralized Convener

Planning in Partnership / / / 238

A distinct history creates a distinct civil society

Austin’s civic ecosystem is unique for a city of its size. Unlike many of its peer cities - Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Columbus or Portland - it does not have a noticeable industrial past. Austin’s population growth and ascension into the 11th

Many other Texas cities, however, already have their own means of wealth generation. For example, Houston’s civic ecosystem was cultivated by the oil industrialists and the city’s role as a major rail and maritime transportation hub. Other capital cities, such as Columbus, do not face Austin’s same challenges. Similar in size and home to a flagship, public research university, Columbus benefits from an industrial past and transportation activity. As such, legacy wealth and civic financing were established early in the city’s lifetime.

Neither [the government nor the university] tend to create the multi-generational wealth seen in industrial cities largest city in the United States has been fueled by the presence of tech employment. The waves of tech industry growth began in the 1980s, and as a result, have generated relatively recent wealth. Prior to tech, however, Austin’s primary industries were government and higher education - neither of which lend themselves to establishing influential, multi-generational wealth of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Despite these challenges, Austin has existing partnerships for civic betterment. The Dell Foundation partnered with the University of Texas – Austin to plan and construct one of the nation’s most advanced medical districts. In 2016, Austin CityUP established itself as a consortium of public and private stakeholders to coordinate efforts and develop Austin as a smart city.

Austin’s civic ecosystem is unique in that its efforts and collaborations are decentralized. There are a number civic groups and The following pages present case studies of organizations funding and advocating for a other cities that have leveraged a robust civic myriad of causes, ranging from the performing ecosystem to address complex community arts to urban innovation and green space. Unlike issues. Each case study is followed by an larger cities’ community foundations, however, exploration of how a similar partnership might there is no single institution that focuses on benefit the City of Austin as it continues to grow Austin’s overall civic development, nor is there a and develop complete communities. single institution recognized by others as having the financial and organizational capacity to lead Austin’s philanthropic landscape. Burgeoning Collaborations The Austin Community Foundation’s (ACF) Austin CityUP convenes a consortium of civic leaders from different sectors in order financial capability is relatively limited. leverage smart city technologies for the betterment of Further, unlike other legacy community Austin and its residents. organizations from the early 1900s, ACF As it continues to grow, Austin can look to other smart was founded in the late 1970s. Given this urbanist efforts in different cities such as Boston and relatively young age, ACF has not had the Oakland. Specific actions will need to be taken to ensure time to establish institutional relationships that these collaborations result in a more just, equitable, or an inextricable association with civic life and complete Austin. in Austin. Austin’s civic ecosystem is further challenged by being the Capital of Texas. In Austin, a larger share of the philanthropic and civic organizations tend to focus on statewide interests as opposed to Austin-specific needs.

Planning in Partnership / / / 239

Austin’s Civic Ecosystem

Planning in Partnership / / / 240

Invested Employers Engaging business for citywide prosperity

Since 2009, Austin has seen incredible economic growth. Between corporate relocations, entrepreneurial start-ups, and individuals moving to become part of Austin’s economy, the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area is the second fastest growing metro region in the United States. Despite these incredible gains, economic prosperity has not reached all Austinites equally. In order to engage residents across all corners of the city, Austin will need to strengthen its civic capacity, a move that will require meaningful investment from the local business community. Austin has no shortage of dynamic and innovative companies, and while many are already establishing communitydriven partnerships, the City of Austin could better support this effort to ensure longevity, sustainability, and equity.

Pittsburgh Roadmap for Innovative Inclusion

“The plans and programs overlap, intertwine, and build from one another demonstrating the multitude of individuals working for an inclusive, diverse, innovative, and resilient future of our city.” - Pittsburgh Roadmap for Innovative Inclusion “For Austin to continue as a

Like Austin, Pittsburgh is a city that has experienced tremendous growth in tech-sector jobs; however, many longtime residents have not experienced the prosperity of their growing city. With this similarity in mind, the following case study examines Pittsburgh’s Roadmap for Inclusive Innovation. The City of Pittsburgh, the Department of Innovation & Performance, and the Urban Redevelopment Agency created the Roadmap with the goal of providing a framework for Pittsburgh to convene residents and partners across the technology, civic, education, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors.

cultural beacon in the state, we

Prior to the Roadmap’s development, longtime Pittsburgh residents felt that the growing technology sector was ushering in a new city that did not include a role for them in its vision. While the Roadmap has not solved this issue, in the three years since its development, there has been a concerted effort to convene Pittsburghers from all corners of the city and catalyze a civic environment that is proactive, inclusive, and for the benefit of all. As a framework for action, the Roadmap is designed to engage residents through multiple avenues, including community

that give people the chance to

need to be intentional and make sure that we are bringing along all Austinites. That means we need to be creating good, safe jobs that provide opportunities for more than a living wage grow and develop professionally into careers that can help their families thrive.” - Council-member Delia Garza [in CitiesSpeak]

The Austin Context

Most relevant to Austin, Pittsburgh’s Roadmap offers an example of a multi-stakeholder engagement process that was formed deliberately out of a community-identified need for connection and equity. Considering both Austin’s growth metrics and anecdotal evidence, similar needs for connection and equity exist in Austin. Given the influence of Austin’s technology sector, tech-based businesses and employers stand to play a meaningful role in engaging with longtime Austin residents, building workforce connections to local schools, and coordinating with the City of Austin to support partner-based action.

At the municipal level, the Office of Equity, the Office of Innovation, and the Economic Development Department work on strategies that address these challenges and could serve as potential partners. To date, the City has identified similar needs and recommendations in various reports including Imagine Austin, The Einstein Challenge, and The Final Report from the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities. The existing efforts to address citywide economic inequities suggest a willingness to pursue the work. The good news for Austin: the passion for place, creative and innovative mindset, and multisectoral players already exist. While bringing together the disparate ecosystem of

Pittsburgh Roadmap Partners

Hillman Family Foundation

Richard King Mellon Family Foundation City of Pittsburgh

PGH 61

external partners Dept. of Innovation + Performance Urban Redevelopment Authority

Planning in Partnership / / / 241

engagement, digital storytelling, program development, and strategic planning.

Planning in Partnership / / / 242

civic actors is challenging, it is not impossible. Under the leadership of interested employers and City offices, the first step is to convene stakeholders to begin developing an Austinspecific, business-focused framework with actionable strategies. Using the input from businesses, residents, philanthropy, and nonprofit agencies, the framework could lead to

specific initiatives that address challenges such as training through the community college system, mentorship and technology instruction in low-income Austin schools, and tech-specific summer programming to keep youth engaged.

Potential Austin Partnership

Equity Action Teams

Quality of Life Commissions

City of Austin Office of Equity University of Texas - Austin

Kapor Center Level Playing Field Institute

Employers

Chamber of Commerce

ATX Austin Indepdendent School District

Economic Development Department

Small Business Program

The Einstein Challenge

City of Austin Office of Innovation

Office of Innovation + Development Design, Technology, + Innovation Fellows

Planning in Partnership / / / 243

Photo: The single family residential landscape. Source: Joshua Brooks

Planning in Partnership / / / 244

Festival City

A case study on Edinburgh’s Festival Forum & Thundering Hooves strategic plan

Similar to Austin, Edinburgh, Scotland is a vibrant city known for multiple festivals. Edinburgh is host to 12 major festivals, including Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival. A plan for sustainable festivals In 2006, public, private and nonprofit entities came together to create a strategic plan for festivals in Edinburgh. This plan, Thundering Hooves, called for ongoing evaluation and action towards Edinburgh’s festival success, set within a strategic context of the city’s long-term development and competitiveness. Thundering Hooves used Austin, Montreal, Venice and Manchester as comparison profile cities to analyze Edinburgh’s status as the global festival city leader. A guiding commission

Edinburgh during Fringe Festival. Image Source: Martie Swart.

Thundering Hooves precipitated the creation of a high-level strategic commission of festival stakeholders, known as the Festivals Forum. This cross industry collaboration is an example of best practices in bringing public funders together with festival organizations in the city. Edinburgh’s Festivals Expo Fund has given organizers freedom to innovate in new ways. A 10 Year Festival Plan In 2015, the city released an updated Thundering Hooves plan. Thundering Hooves 2.0 identified six themes of focus for the next 10 years of festival planning, including: • The Festival City - prioritize infrastructure and operations at the city level; • Deep & Wide Engagement - support educational and social justice aims; • National & Global Positioning - develop international partnerships to market the festival; • Digital Ways & Means - anticipate technological changes in the ways people access culture and entertainment; • Investment & Enterprise - innovate for financial sustainability, business, and tourist investment in festivals; • Developing & Delivering - evolve the governance and planning structures for the festivals.

Edinburgh’s updated strategic plan for festivals, Thundering Hooves 2.0.

In a city known for arts, culture and music, Austin’s many festivals have thrived. Festivals like South by Southwest (SXSW) and Austin City Limits bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city annually. In 2017, SXSW and Austin City Limits contributed $255 million and $348.6 million to the economy, respectively. Alongside this economic impact, the robust festival culture affects daily life and the infrastructure systems of the city. Road closures and detours proliferate around festivals, and a lack of hotel capacity increases prices and concerns festival conveners. As the United States’ leading festival city, Austin finds itself with an opportunity to position its festivals and their relationship to the city for longterm sustainability.

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Austin context

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Austin’s festival atmosphere differs greatly from the structures of Edinburgh’s sponsorship. In Austin, the three largest festivals are run by different operators with different interests. • South by Southwest is a privately owned and operated festival running annually since 1987. • Austin City Limits is a festival run by the global events company C3 Presents. C3 Presents is responsible for over 15 other festivals across the world and prides itself on its ability to “coordinate and maneuver a major U.S. city’s complex infrastructure and logistics surrounding high-profile events.” • Pecan Street Festival is an event managed by the Pecan Street Association and run by Special Events Management. • Austin Rodeo is one of the oldest festivals in Austin, run by a nonprofit organization of the same name starting 1940. Though Austin’s CreateAustin Master Plan envisions cultural initiatives throughout the city, it does not put forward a comprehensive vision for the future of Austin’s festivals. Each of Austin’s festivals has unique needs, but also shared interests around transportation, traffic, city services, and sufficient accommodations for patrons and event spaces. While Austin has some of the largest festivals in the United States, there is no comprehensive vision for how to sustain this position or leverage the festivals’ success to benefit all Austinites. Potentially, an initiative sponsored by City Council, the Downtown Austin Alliance, and festival organizers could convene to holistically address these needs. Edinburgh’s Thundering Hooves report provides a framework for how Austin’s festival stakeholders might come together around common goals. If the festivals continue to be economic catalysts in the city, their ongoing success is essential to the success of the city has a whole. The resources of the festivals, leveraged with those of the city, have the potential to be used strategically. In a city with nascent private philanthropy and small cultural nonprofits, a coalition with businesses, nonprofits and private individuals has the potential to bring unlikely partners together. These partners are bound by events of unity, music, culture and the spirit of “weird” that pervades Austin. Festival owners, city officials, and arts and culture organizations all have a common interest in ensuring the ongoing success of Austin’s festivals.

In order to sustain the unique qualities that make Austin special and successful, community-wide action continues to be marshaled to unite the creative sector and the broader community to nurture Austin’s culture of creativity. - CreateAustin

“My sense is that half of Austin has never been to the rodeo...They don’t know what we do or why we do it.” - Rob Golding, Rodeo Austin

Austin is at the leading edge of understanding the breadth and depth of its whole creative sector, but has yet to develop networks and mechanisms that enable synergies across nonprofit and for-profit sectors. There are few community, organization, corporate, or government leaders that bridge across cultural sector boundaries and speak for the whole arts and cultural community. - Create Austin

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Austin Context

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Conservation & The City A case study on Washington’s Forterra

As in Texas, Washington residents appreciate their wild lands. In 1989, Washington conservationists formed the Cascade Land Conservancy (later renamed Forterra) in order to conserve wild lands. This organization slowly expanded its mission, noting the interconnected nature of wild and working lands and the need to protect vital agricultural land and forestry against urban sprawl. Initially Forterra worked on the preservation of trails and estuaries, but eventually supported communities’ efforts to preserve timber forests in the face of sprawl. Today, Forterra is Washington’s largest independent land conservation, community building, and stewardship organization with its work centered around two regional 100-year plans, The Cascade Agenda and The Olympic Agenda.

consider possibilities for the region’s future growth. One of the most powerful tools in this exercise was unveiling maps with alternative growth futures for the year 2100 to help spur visioning of growth and choices. These conversations continued in townhall meetings, insight panels and even included “teen dialogues” to incorporate the next generation’s perspective. Forterra’s staff synthesized these dialogues into “The Cascade Agenda” for King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kittitas Counties. This ambitious plan had two major goals: 1. Save the landscape, including 1.3 million acres of farms, forests, parks, habitat. 2. Enhance the communities as affordable, compact, and thriving.

These efforts were supported by major, local employers, such as Boeing, tribal leaders, and public utilities. The strategic plan has been used across jurisdictions and has anchored The sprawl map scared the hell out the expansion of Forterra’s work. Work of people. They saw the spreading in the four original counties was later replicated in more rural, economically population without open spaces, struggling counties on the Olympic subdivisions creeping up the U.S. 2 Peninsula, resulting in a separate Olympic Agenda. corridor toward Stevens Pass, and

jumping the Cascades on I-90 and enveloping Cle Elum. - Joel Connelly

Starting in 2004 Forterra began a series of conversations called the “Cascade Dialogues.” These conversations brought together citizens, scientists, politicians, and business people to

Image Source: Swenson, Skip. “Cascade Agendas: Implementing a Vision.”

This work has resulted in a statewide push to enable the use of Transfers of Development Rights for cities to sign on as “Cascade Agenda Cities.” Additionally, the Strong Communities Fund was created to leverage Forterra’s real estate expertise and support economic development in cities.

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Strategies from Cascade Agenda:

• Feed citizens’ and funders’ hunger for long-term (100-year) vision. Offer “alternative futures” to help people grasp concept of choices. • Essential to create a “big tent” supporting the plan with buy-in from experts (i.e. scientists and users and managers of land). • Leverage conservation easements and the transfer of development rights regionally. Purchase land for conservation, sell development rights & use select land for sustainable forestry to generate income. • Land conservancy supports partnering cities in developing projects and legislation in alignment with agenda goals

In Austin, stakeholders have begun to see the interrelation of conservation, the preservation of working lands, and compact growth. Having started much later than in Washington, these efforts are still evolving. The Texas context is far different, with different types of working lands and values associated with open space. Texas and the Austin region face massive losses of agricultural and prairie lands. A

study by Texas A&M University revealed that between 1997 and 2007, more than 1.1 million acres of working lands were converted to nonagricultural use. There is a possibility for realistic, longer range visioning than provided in the 20-year comprehensive plan, Imagine Austin. Current growth in Austin is unaligned with the vision of the comprehensive plan. As of the spring

Land conservancies in Washington have evolved over 30 years

LAND CONSERVANCY HAS EVOLVED TO CREATE A 100 YEAR REGIONAL STRATEGIC VISION, SUSTAINABLE FUNDING AND CONNECT THE INTERESTS OF STAKEHOLDERS FROM URBAN TO RURAL

LAND TRUST FOUNDED TO CONSERVE WILD LANDS

EXPANSION TO HARNESS & CONSERVE WORKING FOREST AND FARMLAND

CASCADE & OLYMPIC AGENDAS PRIORITIZE RECOGNIZE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF CONSERVATION & URBAN, BUILT DEVELOPMENT

1989:

1989

s: 1990

1990’s

2003

Today

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Conservation & The City of 2018, seven out of 10 indicators related to creating a “compact and connected” Austin were headed in an opposite direction, including: • developed land area • annual unlinked transit passenger trips • vehicle miles traveled per capita • percentage of trips by biking and walking • transportation system total annual delay • percent of new residential units within growth centers and corridors • percent of new non-residential development within growth centers and corridors

“Great communities, great landscape, a sustainable environment — they can only work in tandem. Built right, attractive, affordable city neighborhoods will be our best hope.” - Gene Duvorney

Existing coalitions in Austin, especially environmental advocates, have divergent opinions on the future of growth. Environment Texas is part of the EvolveAustin coalition, a nonprofit whose mission is rooted in pushing forward the Imagine Austin’s goals. Other environmental groups, such as the Save Our Springs Alliance, have aligned with Community Not Commodity, a group advocating against the latest drafts of CodeNEXT

due to concerns around proposed densification and flood risk. Other groups have released research on the benefits of compact and connected communities. An example is a Fall 2017 report, “Growing Greener: The Environmental Benefits of a Compact and Connected Austin,” from Environment Texas, Clean Water Action, Texas Public Interest Research Group and funded by the Meadows Foundation. Other statewide environmental, wildlife groups have yet to come together around visionary planning. There is great opportunity for a regional conversation about the benefits, risks, and desired visions for growth. In Austin alone there are 70 million acres of agricultural land within the city limits, and 10% of all land is in a flood zone. Forterra’s initial efforts in the Cascade Dialogues involved several years of outreach across four counties, through work supported by major employers in Seattle’s King County. This dialogue and additional outreach eventually made its way into a 100-year regional plan, supported by multiple cities west of the Cascade Mountains. Thus far, long term planning along this time horizon has only been considered in terms of Austin’s Integrated Water Resource 100-year plan, known as Water Forward. Despite challenges, opportunities are abound.

70M acres 70 million

acres of agricultural land

agricultural land

10% all land 10% of all land in the flood plain

in flood zone

Austin Flood Plains & Agricultural Lands, 2017.

Austin Building Permits, 2017.

• Sponsor dialogues regionally across stakeholder groups around the long-term future of growth • Bring together state land trusts focused on conservation as well as the preservation of agriculture • Explore the possibility creating a cycle of funding from using conserved lands as working lands profitably • Conduct research and produce maps that depict the status quo future of growth in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop, Lee, Burnett, Blanco Counties

Austin is growing and water will become an even more vital resource. Aging land owners will cause a massive shift in agricultural land ownership across the state. Austin residents face daily challenges of traffic and rising housing costs. A collective vision led by Austin’s environmental coalitions will need to address divergent perspectives. Some organizations are most concerned with the impact of development in the central city on flood risk, while others are focused on conservation on the city’s edges. It is unclear whether a mirror organization to early Forterra exists in Austin and whether such an organization could enjoy the regional support Forterra found in the Cascade region. The possibility remains untested, of what the region’s residents would envision if they were asked to picture their vision of the region in 100 years.

“After all, when the land is gone, it’s gone. Asphalt truly is the last crop.” - Bob McCan, Texas State Agricultural Land Trust

Potential Austin Stakeholders: • Heritage Land Bank • Texas Land Bank • ACT Land Bank • Texas Conservation Alliance • Environment Texas • Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center • Environment Texas • Interfaith Environmental Network • Keep Austin Beautiful • Maximum Potential Building Center • Save Barton Creek Association • Save our Springs Alliance • Sierra Club - Austin Chapter • Texas Environmental Center • Travis Autobon Society • Treefolks • Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

Texas’s land conservancies are still evolving HILL COUNTRY LAND TRUST FOUNDED

BUT A LONG TERM COHESIVE VISION IS YET TO BE ENVISIONED FOR THE REGION

STATEWIDE TEXAS AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST FOUNDED

EVOLVE AUSTIN HAS BEGUN TO BUILD A BROADER COALITION IN SUPPORT OF IMAGINE AUSTIN

1998

s: 1990

2005

2018

Today

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An Austin Approach:

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Austin’s Civic Ecosystem A distinct civil society to complete a distinct community

Austin’s civic ecosystem is young and decentralized, posing some immediate challenges to establishing partnerships and innovation capacity. However, this current structure provides Austin the freedom to design a network of civic collaboration uniquely responsive to its social and cultural history as well as its future needs. Civic leaders could attempt to fund and equip the Austin Community Foundation to play the role of primary civic convener. Alternatively, this ecosystem could remain decentralized, but with reinforced communication, partnership, and coordination through increased funding and public attention. Regardless of the path Austin’s civic leaders choose to pursue, a robust and connected civic ecosystem needs to be nurtured in order to better address the needs of the people. With its continued population and economic growth, Austin has transformed from capital city, college town into one of the nation’s top metros. The quality of this continued growth will only be enhanced if there is equal commitment to growth in civic health and identity. A healthy civic ecosystem will only support the development of complete communities and a healthy Austin.

Image Source: Jeffrey Bridgman

Sustained engagement and committed leadership can have boundless benefits. As described in the pages of this handbook, these include a cultural shift towards increased transit and bicycle use, and redefined urban form for new development along Austin’s edges. Further, engagement and leadership can help anchor the diverse array of cultures that make Austin a unique and thriving place to call home, and nurture complementary relationships between the built and natural environments. None of these tasks can be tackled by one party or one sector. It will take a robust ecosystem of Austin-focused leaders communicating and collaborating to not only keep Austin weird, but to also keep it complete.

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Collaboration to Address Urbam Issues

Collaboration to Convene Civic Actors

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Community Engagement

Empowering the Community Through Innovative Engagement Recognizing that community engagement is neither a check-box at the beginning of a development project nor simply a busy exercise for the planning team and stakeholders, this section emphasize outreach strategies that put people at the forefront of design and policy and bring people outside the conventional community meetings environment. This section provides a one-page summary of innovative community engagement ideas for each chapter. It also includes resources and references for funding, technical assistance / advisory services programs, and relevant publications that can help bring the ideas to fruition. Getting community engagement right will not only ensure the success of a project, but also contribute to the larger conversation about inclusive growth and shared prosperity that Austin strives to achieve in its plans.

Create opportunities for the community to experience firsthand creative conceptions of ADU spaces to highlight their potential

Idea Partner with retailers, churches, neighborhood libraries or other local businesses to set up popup Additional Density Units in their parking lots. The pop-ups could be conceived as stand alone model residential units or as a series of different ADU typologies to illustrate the full spectrum of their potential.

Resource • Bloomberg Philanthropies innovation team funding

Case Study: Making Room New Models for Housing New York City, Washington DC The Making Room project started as an initiative of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. Micro-housing units were conceived as part of their efforts to create innovative housing typologies for New York City. A pilot project to implement and test the idea of micro-units launched during the mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg. The Making Room approach was showcased in the Museum of the City of New York as an exhibition from January to September 2013. In addition to photos and videos providing background on the City’s changing demographics, the exhibition also highlighted housing policy in New York and existing building regulations. It also highlighted five design proposals from a competition that explored new housing types through plans and models. In order to give visitors the actual experience

Source: makingroomnyc.com

of a micro-unit, a fully-furnished 325 squarefeet apartment was built in the exhibition space. The unit was built in partnership with Resource Furniture and Clei s.r.l, an Italian transformable furniture company. The life-size unit helped visitors interact with the space and imagine life in them. Based on the success of the life-size unit and the exhibition in New York City, the Making Room approach has been showcased in other cities as well. In 2017, the ‘Making Room: Housing for a Changing America’ exhibition was organized in the National Building Museum in Washington DC with a 1,000 square-foot home as its centerpiece for visitors to experience.

Source: glenwoodnyc.com

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ADU Pop-ups

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Walking Tours

Create opportunities for the community to learn about planned development of creeks & green networks through on-the-ground walking tours

Idea

Resource

Organize walking tours for the community to learn about planned developments in Austin neighborhoods that are integrated with visions for green infrastructure as a public amenity. Tours could be led by planners, architects, city officials or other professionals with knowledge of the built environment of Austin.

â&#x20AC;˘ Coalition for Smarter Growth, Washington DC

Case Study: Walking Tours & Forum Series by the Coalition for Smarter Growth

transit-oriented development in the near future. In an effort to engage with the community and create opportunities to learn about planned developments, the CSG has helped organize a series of walking tours in collaboration with the Wheaton Urban District Advisory Committee. The Saturday morning two-hour tours are led by professionals with active ties to the community. Past tours have been well attended by residents, business owners and officials. Designated stops are made along the way to discuss envisioned developments and large and small scale ideas like connectivity, community character, public space, greening, and affordable housing, among others. Groups have opportunities to engage with each other and professionals to raise concerns for discussion during the tour.

The Coalition for Smarter Growth works primarily in the greater Washington DC area and has organize walking tours in several cities in the region. The walking tours aim to bring together community members from all walks of life to learn about walkable, livable neighborhoods. Tours are typically organized on Saturday mornings and offer on-the-ground opportunities to engage with the community. Past tours have included the Envision Wheaton Walking Tour in Wheaton, Maryland (2016).

Envision Wheaton Walking Tour Wheaton, Maryland Located in the heart of Montgomery County, the City of Wheaton is slated to be the site of major

Source: Coalition for Smarter Growth

Activating city-owned streets as venues for public engagement

Idea

Resource

Great streets contribute to the quality of place by enhancing the public realm. They serve as events spaces for festivals and programs, playgrounds for children, and gathering spaces that supports civic life and informalities. Most streets in Austin are city-owned, presenting a unique opportunity to rethink the design and uses of streets to serve a host of functions and activities, including community engagement.

• Sister Cities Roadshows by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) (nacto.org/training-andworkshops) • Creative Placemaking Field Scan by Transportation for America // t4america. org/maps-tools/creative-placemaking-fieldscan

Case Study: Play Streets Program City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) LADOT recognizes the City’s 7,500-mile street network as the most underutilized public asset. In response, a pop-up event took place in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. Here, Fickett Street was transformed into a “play street” temporarily for local residents and their children to play outside. The pop-up event was one of 15 pilot projects implemented in 2015 for $300,000 that reclaimed the streets for civic life and inspired a new approach to community engagement. Other innovative, street-focused programs in Los Angeles with a strong public outreach component include the Mayor’s Great Streets Initiative, “People St” program for plazas and parklets, and CicLAvia.

Source: Coley Brown for The New York Times

Coley Brown for The New York Times

Source: Coley Brown for The New York Times

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Streets as Meeting Space

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Streets as Meeting Space Unpacking mobility for next generation’s transit users

Idea

Resource

One way to encourage more transit use over the long term is through fun engagements with youth. Introducing children to rudimentary mobility concepts and transportation choices they have to move around the city can influence their lifestyle later on. These engagements will also help inform parents about transportation projects and planning initiatives in the community with which they may want to become involved.

• 8 80 Cities specializes in creating unconventional engagement strategies that get people excited about new planning initiatives (880cities.org) • Better Block Foundation is a nonprofit that facilitates community engagement though rapid prototyping (betterblock.org)

Case Study: “#GetAjaxMoving” Project by 8 80 Cities Town of Ajax, Canada Ajax launched the sustainable transportation initiative in 2016 to create awareness, build excitement, and encourage residents to use sustainable modes of transportation. 8 80 Cities set up pop-up engagement booths at community centers, libraries, and popular events to talk to Ajax residents about the benefits of transit. Fun mini games were provided to educate children about ways other than cars by which to get to school. While the children were playing, 8 80 Cities staff engaged their parents and chatted about travel choices. Source: 880cities.org

Source: 880cities.org

Achieving Environmental Stewardship While Building Community

Idea

Resource

Align Great Streets initiatives (e.g., a segment of South First, MLK Boulevard in Northeast Austin) with a series of community events to plant street trees. Engage local schools, volunteer groups, immigrant community, small businesses, and senior population to participate in the hands-on, community-building exercise. Through these exercises, stakeholders can watch the fruit of their labor grow and flourish to eventually become part of Austin’s urban fabric.

• Friends of Trees is a national nonprofit that inspires community members to plant, care for, and learn about trees (friendsoftrees.org) • Check list for organizing a tree planting event (arborday.org/takeaction/volunteer/organize. cfm)

Case Study: Urban Forestry Program City of Beaverton, Oregon

Case Study: Milliken District Park Tree Planting Event City of Toronto, Canada

On Saturday, January 21, 2017, 90 volunteers planted 1,450 native trees and shrubs in Beaverton, transforming a site filled with invasive species to a healthy natural habitat. The event is part of the ongoing tree planting program with a local organization, Friends of Trees. Together, the city of Beaverton and Friends of Trees host events for volunteer groups to engage with nature and one another.

The city promotes the stewardship event as an occasion for groups, families, and individuals to learn how to “protect and preserve Toronto’s natural environment.

Source: beavertonoregon.gov

Source: City of Toronto / Matt Forsythe

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Tree Planting

Create opportunities for fun community engagement and artistic placemaking

Idea

Partner with an arts or culture organization to create an engaging an interactive event. Additionally, participate in one of Austin’s existing cultural events by setting up a booth or conducting a workshop. This is a great way to interact with community members in a positive way about changes in their neighborhood and city. Further strategies could include displaying posters, developing an interactive activity, or leading a workshop about missing middle housing and urban design in Austin to coalesce energy around the social and cultural amenities of Austin.

Case Study: Cultural Connections, Phoenix, AZ and Activating Vacancy, Dallas, TX

Phoenix, Arizona’s Cultural Connections program was created by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture to temporarily activate vacant lots and spaces along a light rail line with art works and events on a district scale. The program focused on artists who addressed local socioeconomic issues with their work, especially food access, housing, and homelessness, and required the coordination of many different arts and community organizations with city agencies for its execution. Though this project was located in the downtown Roosevelt Row, other groups have successfully activated vacant spaces through artwork and cultural events on the neighborhood scale. An example of neighborhood-scale arts and cultural activation is the Activating Vacancy project of buildingcommunityWORKSHOP [bc], which worked with artists to engage community members in the Tenth Street Historic District community in Dallas,

Source: Activating Vacancy Facebook page

Resource: ArtPlace • ArtPlace America’s National Creative Placemaking Fund awards grants to “planning and development projects that deploy arts and culture to strengthen their community” – in 2017, they awarded $8.7 million to 23 projects throughout the country. Housing is one of their ten sectors of work. www.artplaceamerica.org

TX. The Tenth Street community was founded as a freemen’s town after the Civil War, and suffered a period of decline after a highway bisected the neighborhood and community members moved away, leaving almost 150 of the 358 parcels in the district vacant. After identifying six community interests through community meetings and workshops, [bc] commissioned artists to develop six projects responding to these community interests. The planning and execution of this work catalyzed a greater level of engagement in neighborhood planning in the community, a detailed inventory of neighborhood assets and challenges, and the creation of a neighborhood activist group called Operation Tenth Street. Both Cultural Connections and Activating Vacancy were winners of NEA grants for “Exploring Our Town.” In Austin, setting up an urban design-focused table at a treasured Austin cultural event could be a strategic way to engage Austinites in discussions around missing middle housing.

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Arts and Festivals

Use creative community visioning exercises to gather ideas and create energy for re-using outdated mall structures

Idea

Developing strategies that use creative expression to envision community change is a great way to start a conversation with neighbors about reusing aging suburban buildings, including malls with vacant stores and large parking lots that dominate landscapes. Community visioning can also demonstrate to the city and to developers that there is interest in reuse, redevelopment, and re-programming among key neighborhood stakeholders.

Resources: Creative visioning & retrofit • •

• •

National Endowment for the Arts (www.arts.gov) Artplace: three grant programs for creative placemaking, community development, and research (www.artplaceamereica.org) Build a Better Burb: resource for suburban design and planning (buildabetterburb.org) Retrofitting Suburbia - Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs: leading research on suburban retrofits

Place It! with James Rojas & Project Storefronts in New Haven, CT James Rojas is an acclaimed urban planner, community activist, and public engagement specialist who uses interactive models to conduct visioning workshops with children, teens, and adults. The mixed-media models of urban environments he creates are engaging, fun and flexible, and he has made over fifty interactive models and led over 400 workshops in the course of his career. The openended nature of the models allows the community to guide the engagement process, instead of the planners or developers, and contribute to a discussion about physical space productively and with imagination. Rojas has also researched and written about placemaking and front porch spaces in the Latino community for several publications, notably for the Project for Public Spaces: https://www.pps. org/article/front-porch-placemaking-the-latinoconnection-to-the-street

Source: placeit.org

Project Storefronts in New Haven, CT was started by the city’s Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism to connect vacant storefronts with artists and creative businesses in need of space by negotiating with the building owners for free use of the spaces for the initial 90 days. The city then worked to support the new and young businesses with technical assistance programs and organized city events to promote the program and entrepreneurs. This program was designed as a way to drive economic development through increased commercial and pedestrian activity in declining areas, but this technique could also be used to try out a temporary use before a full retrofit is implemented in a vacant suburban space.

Source: Project storefronts Facebook page

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Community Ideating

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Conclusion Growth in Austin is changing both the built and social landscapes of the city. As new residents flock to the join Austin’s bustling economy, the sites and preferences associated with commercial, recreational, and residential spaces are shifting. Many corridors and centers that were once characterized by single uses are now being reimagined and reprogrammed for multiple uses. Further, the traditional prevalence of single-family homes is being reconsidered in light of fluctuating affordability, displacement, and density. While ‘missing middle’ housing typologies may address some concerns associated with work-to-home proximity and affordability, these typologies alone cannot solve Austin’s challenges. In order for communities to become more complete, the city may look toward innovative and collaborative solutions that consider both equity and history. Planning, design, and architecture will be crucial fields that usher in the changes for a growing Austin; however, stakeholders across all sectors will need to work towards shared goals in order to achieve complete communities that allow all Austinites to grow, thrive, and contribute to their city’s culture and quality of life. The Handbook for Complete Communities in Austin highlights the City’s growth-related challenges, and offers a framework for addressing them. The handbook also provides case study examples for building upon Austin’s civic infrastructure and engagement strategies. In each of the strategies presented, the district scale provides a lens that accounts for Austin’s unique character and innovative potential. By examining Austin at the district scale, there are opportunities to add context-appropriate density by increasing the number of “additional density units” and establishing new zoning paradigms. Further, the district scale offers interwoven possibilities for linking the city’s transportation to residential and commercial centers, highlights the hierarchy of streets within a given set of neighborhoods, and sets a flexible platform for considering transitoriented development options. When considering environmental systems, the district scale provides a manageable measure for devising climate-responsive designs and connecting both programmed and unprogrammed open spaces. Finally, the district scale offers a wider range of analysis when examining the current

and potential site locations for community programming and redevelopment. In short, district-scale planning will not solve all of Austin’s growth-related challenges; however, this scale – as opposed to the neighborhood or city-wide scales – allows planners, designers, architects, and stakeholders across sectors to consider unconventional linkages and connect disparate parties. The information in this handbook provides a framework for designing connected change across Austin. For AIA specifically, the handbook is a tool for instigating conversation, inspiring partnerships, and proposing proactive change. When working with civic leaders within Austin, AIA may use the handbook as a case study for specific design and policy considerations. In conversations with private entities and developers, AIA can share the handbook to inspire critical discussions around development of complete communities. AIA can also use the handbook in conversations with city residents as a visual example of planning and design possibilities. As a product from outside the Austin community, the handbook can serve as a starting point for charrette and other design-based conversations with residents around visions for density, connections, the environment, and community programming. The City of Austin has many exciting transformations on the horizon. Despite the immense potential, these changes must remain within reach of Austinites that have long called the City home. In order to plan for equitable development, residents’ voices, lived experiences, and hopes for their City must be centered, valued, and considered throughout the design processes. In conclusion, Austin is in a unique place in time where proactive interventions have the potential to significantly alter the course of the city’s development. Although facing challenges common to many urban centers across the United States, Austin can lead the way in building natural and humancentered networks that prioritize equity and sustainability while retaining its distinct culture. Through appropriate design and engagement, Austin will not need to compromise values for efficiency, new for old, or, importantly, character for complete communities.

The Team would like to acknowledge the following members from AIA Austin for their tremendous support and feedback throughout the course of the semester. Dean Almay David Carroll Ilse Frank Christine Freundl Salvador Garcia Justin Garrison Scott Harvey Alan Holt Girard Kinney Ryan Losch Eleanor Mckinney Stephi Motal Tyler Stowell Wendy Dunnam Tita Betty Trent Additionally, we would like to thanks all of the City staff and residents who participated in the creation of this work. Jim Adams Mario Cantu Donna Coates Jacob Cottingham Matt Dugan Delia Garza Carol Gibbs Cynthia Medin Barbara Scott Rebecca A. Sheller Jake Wegmann

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Acknowledgments

Planning in Partnership / / / 264

The Team

Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning This handbook was developed by 15 Master in City Planning students and two faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning in Cambridge, Massachusetts over the course of a semester. Throughout this process, the planning team received feedback from several individuals in Austin who have been instrumental in shaping the big ideas presented here. The team would like to thank Justin Garrison and the entire AIA Austin Urban Design Committee for their invaluable feedback and support; residents along the South First Street corridor and in Northeast Austin who were willing to share their thoughts about Austin’s future; and individuals along South First Street who filled out the team’s on-line survey about their neighborhood’s changing character. Without these insights, this framework plan would be missing the middle.

Mary Anne Ocampo Lecturer at MIT DUSP and Principal Urban Designer at Sasaki

Aarthi Janakiraman MCP ‘19

Bella Purdy MCP ‘19

Benjamin Turpin MCP ‘19

Danya Littlefield MCP ‘18

Jonah Susskind

Elizabeth Haney

Lecturer as MIT DUSP and a Researcher at the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism

MCP ‘19

Kavya Vaghul

MCP ‘18

MCP ‘19

Hannah Diaz

Lafayette Cruise

MCP ‘19

Jeffrey Jamawat

Nayeli Rodriguez

MCP ‘19

MCP ‘18

Joshua Brooks MCP ‘19 Teaching Assistant

Joshua Morrison MCP ‘19

Taskina Tareen MCP ‘18

Yael Nidam MCP ‘19

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Eric VanDreason