Presentations and Reports

Congress Avenue is the "Main Street of Texas." But does it measure up to the standards of the great streets in the greatest cities of the world? On April 29, 2010, the DAA presented the initial findings from the "Enhancing the Congress Avenue Experience" charrette held on February 26. We continue to gain momentum on the re-imagining of Congress Avenue and invite you to be a part of the transformation. Join the "Congress Avenue" Facebook Group.

This Downtown Austin Alliance presentation provides interesting, up-to-date facts on downtown residential, office, retail and tourism.

The City of Austin Transportation Department has announced plans to put 300 new bicycle racks on downtown sidewalks. The installation would coincide with the installation of parking pay stations, scheduled to begin this summer. The pay stations will replace single-space meters, to which cyclists often lock their bikes if there are no nearby bike racks.

The City has asked the DAA to provide feedback on the proposed locations for new racks. The sites were chosen based on the number of nearby racks and the demand for bike parking in a particular block.

A representative of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program will attend the DAA Streetscape and Transportation Committee meeting at noon on May 28 in the second floor conference room of 211 East 7th Street to discuss the plan. You are invited to attend the meeting to provide feedback. If you are unable to attend, please, send any comments or questions you have to Thomas Butler at tbutler @ downtownaustin . com.

Some questions for consideration:
- Do any racks interfere with building access or operation?
- Has City staff looked asked property owners about possible off-street locations for racks?
- How do the proposed locations relate to benches, planters, trees and the specifications of the Great Streets Master Plan?

Viewing transportation demand management as a powerful economic development tool, Mr. Williams, supported by district business people, formed The Lloyd District TMA in 1997. Since then, the percentage of people in the district commuting by transit has increased from 10% to 41%, and bicycling commuting has increased from 1% to 5%. During this special Issues and Eggs presentation, Mr. Williams discussed the tools and strategies his organization used to accomplish those increases and the growth the Lloyd District has experienced as a result.

  • Transforming the Form of the City - Wendy Feuer, Assistant Commissioner of Urban Design and Art for New York City Department of Transportation, April 23, 2009 (104.5MB PDF)

    • Ms. Feuer helps to realize the vision of creating world class streets for NYC where street designs are rebalanced to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists. Through her guidance, New York streets have become galleries, alleys are welcoming gathering places, and mass transit a canvas. Ms. Feuer is responsible for developing permanent and temporary visual and performing art programs for the MTA's subway and commuter rail systems that include almost 600 stations that serve almost 5 million commuters daily. During this Issues and Eggs, Ms. Feuer shared the ideas and accomplishments of her department that has injected art and vitality into New York City's urban fabric.

  • Downtown Austin Condominium Study - Capitol Market Research, April 2, 2008 (3.2 MB PDF)

Downtown Austin Condo Myths Debunked

  • Myth #1: They're building too many condos in downtown Austin.
  • Myth #2: No one is really going to live downtown; the condos are all being purchased by investors.
  • Myth #3: All the people moving downtown are from California.

You've all heard the chatter. You've seen the construction cranes. You've wondered if anyone is really going to buy these downtown condos, and if so, who are these people? The Downtown Austin Alliance and Capitol Market Research bring you a report that provides an accurate snapshot of downtown condo buyer demographic and sales data.

 

  • Wooldridge Square Site Study, conducted by a team from the University of Texas School of Architecture. Download the historic and site usage report (33.5 MB PDF) or the presentation the research team gave to DAA members for the June 21, 2007 Issues & Eggs (33.5 MB PDF).