Over the past year as the President and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA), I’ve learned that the challenge of Downtown Austin isn’t managing decline — it’s managing growth and uplifting our community along the way. Fueled by catalytic public infrastructure investments, we’re experiencing the the maturation of Downtown Austin. During this time, DAA is firmly committed to inclusiveness and making downtown a place for everyone.
To ensure this, we’ve evolved our strategy to focus on innovative and collaborative programs. A vital aspect is construction mitigation to support downtown businesses during development, offering grants and financial resources to improve storefront facades, access and business development so they can pivot and thrive. New initiatives have also been rolled out to remove barriers to downtown visitors, such as Uber and parking vouchers. Homelessness is another challenge facing downtown, and the DAA is always seeking practical ways to deliver humane solutions that uplift those citizens, while maintaining economic development and prosperity.
Fear of displacement is a valid concern with any city going through rapid transformation, and the DAA has increased our partnerships and stakeholder engagement to make sure everyone has a seat at the table. Through our Downtown Austin Space Activation program (DASA), we’re also removing barriers for creatives and entrepreneurs, leveraging the DAA to showcase their work and connect them to new audiences. We are listening to and meeting more regularly with affinity groups, such as hotel general managers, brokers, property managers and owners, retailers and folks in the entertainment industry to understand their pain points and needs so we can effectively support them with on-the-ground tactical support. I’m proud of our increased communication, engagement and the value we’re providing.
Like all downtowns, Downtown Austin is a living, breathing organism that changes with time. We want to make sure it remains open for business throughout this coming phase of extensive infrastructure construction and accessible to all. We can’t rely on the old playbook — we must lean into the innovation that is the ethos of the Austin community. Notably, we have embraced economic development as a pillar of our strategic plan. The work we do is not accomplished in a silo — we’re all in this together, and successful change requires ongoing imagination and collaboration.
The Downtown Austin Alliance is entrepreneurial by nature, and we strongly believe in the vision of downtown’s future. The time is now to seize the moment and opportunity — let’s go!
