A 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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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Framework

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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.

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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