Students in coffee shops

One of the real challenges in Austin is probably going to be coffeeshop culture. Now while it's true that McDonald's is starting to have some lattes and mochas that other coffee shops offer, the real challenge is how the independent coffee shops do business. One huge issue with coffee shops especially in a city like Austin is the number of students and workers who come in to coffee shops to do work. While it's important that coffee shops cater to everybody, the real challenge is going to be making sure that coffee shops can stay in business while workers come into them, and do homework for hours at a time. Many different independent coffee shops have had problems with this in the past, or at least the ones I've seen, when people don't order that many items from the menu, but they stay in the coffeeshop for hours at a time. That is helpful insomuch as there are people inside the coffeeshop, but it's a bad aspect for the coffeeshop business because there aren't enough people who can sit in a coffee shop which is being taken up with students with laptops doing homework. Some students need to be around other students to focus and study. However, if someone needs to be around other people to do his or her work that person needs to go place where there isn't a business that's expected to be run and where other people are sitting.

My solution is this: there need to be some larger coffee shops that have space specifically for students, but they need to disallow the rest of the space to be used for people who take up space with laptops. For example, if a student comes in and sits for half an hour to 45 minutes, that's not the worst thing in the world. Even regular patrons will probably sit for 30 to 45 minutes because we have such a strong coffee culture. The real challenge is when the student sits there for hours. A good tactic in that case would be for the manager to say after about an hour, especially if the coffeeshop is filled up, "Please move to the student section of the coffeeshop. We need the space for other customers, and there are too many people in here for you to sit here and not order anything for an extended period of time." Some people may say that this is fascist, largely because they fail to recognize that a table that only makes $12 because of three students for six hours can be the real death of a business. I guess that's one thing that McDonald's can do for us: they can offer a space where the business doesn't suffer just because students are sitting with WiFi and not order anything new.

The "Supplemental Income" Job

In Austin, there is a tendency to believe that there are enough jobs for everyone. This, in fact, is true. The challenge in Austin, however, is the ability to distinguish between what is a liveable job, and what is a "supplemental income" job. A liveable job is a job that allows two things: 1) financial stability, in which one is able to save, pay all bills, and potentially purchase a home; and 2) personal freedom, or the idea that one should be able to choose to ride a bus, have a roommate, go to additional schooling, participate in community activities, etc. Most of these jobs are located in many of the fields that Austinites do not practice: technology (no, not everyone is a "techie"), healthcare (more people, but takes a lot of education, and so not many), and law (that's lawyers, not support staff).



Much of Austin is consumed with what I will call the "supplemental income" job. These jobs are positions that 1) do not require much schooling, but the hiring department is frequently impressed by schooling; 2) do not offer many marketable skills which allow people to get promoted or transition to other careers; and 3) do not pay very much. The reason that I name them "supplemental income" jobs is that they are mostly taken by women, and the idea is that there is another income, a spouse, that makes the real money. Young people of both sexes are starting to make up these positions, and therein lies the problem.

While it is good to have a number of positions that are available, Austin looks antiquated when determining that some positions are worth so much less than others. Administrative assistants do quite a bit of work running an office, but only executive assistants get a living wage. Cashiers are, perhaps, the most important people in a restaurant because they make sure people get the money to be paid, but cashiers make little money. All careers start at entry-level, but too many entry-level jobs require experience. Nowadays, I see paralegal positions, which are executive assistants to attorneys, being offered $9-11 an hour, and those jobs require experience or, often, a certificate.



Austin needs to recognize that it needs new ideas to mesh with the old ideas. There can only be so many cheap employers before the city realizes that it's starving its own economy. I think the only reason people want to continue to think of Austin as a "cheap" city is to keep wages low. One thing that can be said about many of the new businesses is that they create more liveable jobs. It's better to have people living in the city and contributing than it is to say, "We have lots of jobs," and none of them support a household. Not to mention that as the city transitions to a more dense environment, those "supplemental income" jobs will not pay the cost of living, even without a car payment.





If you want a graduate, check the debt for today's graduate, and then decide your salary, because too many people are choosing to stay in school rather than face bad jobs that don't pay enough for people to live. If you want experience, ask yourself why someone who has experience doing something elsewhere has experience with you. Most companies, departments, etc. have their own software and their own procedures, and just because someone did anything at another company doesn't mean that person is better than someone who can be trained for the job they're in, rather than the job they had. If your position is in a remote location, don't scrimp on the salary, because people most likely have to drive to get there, which means a car, gas, insurance and maintenance, and most people don't own their own cars.

Living in Bryker Woods

A lot of Austinites like to talk about the good ol' days. I am not a fan of such rampant nostalgia, but I will say one thing that I miss about Austin: kids on bicycles. When I was in my later years of elementary school (yes, assume 4th-6th grade), I was an avid bike rider. I would ride to friends' houses when I could, my friends and I would ride as the school on the black top, my sister and I would ride to what was recently Lucky's but what was then 7-11. Friends and I used to play at the school, and I remember being particularly proud of myself for babysitting and getting the money I needed to pay for clothes at summer camp.

One time that shaped my opinion of a healthy neighborhood was when I decided that riding my bike with my eyes closed was a good idea. Well, of course it's not, but to a six-year-old, the idea is absolutely brilliant. So there I was, in my school's back parking lot, showing how well I could ride, and I promptly fell over and hurt my right hand. If you see me, ask me about my crescent shaped scar on my left hand. My hand was bleeding, I was crying, and I was scared because I was three blocks away from home. There were two landscapers at the school who noticed me crying, and without being asked by anyone (for it was only three of us), they helped me into the back of their truck, put up my bike, and drove me to my house. My parents were very grateful, and I learned that riding my bike with my eyes closed equals stitches.

I don't see this attitude in Austin anymore. Not only do I not see kids riding their bikes (and determining their independence), but I don't see this attempt to reach out to one's neighbors like they did 20 years ago. There is a real feeling that there are people who "understand" Austin, but don't understand that everyone's needs matter. Many of these people feel that Austin is being "infiltrated," as if human beings don't belong with other human beings. I wonder if these people would help a child if its parents lived in a condo and supported a streetcar system.

The reason I support density is that it supports an attitude of Austinites looking out for each other, small business owners, neighbors, visitors, etc. South Congress has had a number of break-ins, and that's largely because people don't see that the feeling of neighborhood closeness isn't something developed by businesses alone or neighborhoods alone. It's the attitude that we're all in Austin together, and we should look out for each other, from the grungy musician to the skipping toddler. We're all here anyway.

The Truth About Roads

Check out the Austin Chronicle issue of September 11, 2008. Cul-de-sacs, those curvy roads, and those big expressways are more expensive than rail, both to build and to maintain. Here's the secret: EVERYONE KNEW THAT.

Growth or...?

Refer to MarketPlace.Org Morning Report, September 5, 2008. Here's an example of what happens when cities don't grow, don't attract new residents (and businesses), and keep things the way they've always been for decades. We may not be the poorest county in Texas, but some Austinites would do well to remember that there's a reason to be careful about one's wishes. Like I said, thank goodness we have more residents so that we'll be forced into caring about our public transit system.

Change in Austin

One thing I would like to see change about Austin is the way that neighborhood organizations think that they speak for everyone in the neighborhood. It is unfair to penalize the rest of one's neighbors who might think differently, and claim that they are "conservative" and "don't know how things ought to be." An example of confused leadership is a group of people who talk repeatedly about cookie-cutter houses. To those people (including myself on occasion), I say this: custom made houses are like custom-made cars, and cost more. These "cookie-cutter" communities are the reason that some low income households are able to afford homes, and live near schools and businesses. As a density advocate, I know that these houses are also the reason why sprawl exists. The problem with looking at everything as if there is an easy answer, though, is that the easy answer usually excludes a large portion of the population.

Beautiful Sunday, September 7, 2008

One of the great things about life is that you absolutely have the right to see what's going on in the city. Today, just for kicks and giggles, I walked in Hyde Park along the 45th street area. What I can't help but admire is the way that this area is clearly an example of density, but that there are old and new houses, old and new businesses, and people are genuinely pleased. It's interesting that there are so many people in Austin against density, but that density is where you always find people in Austin, both old and new neighborhoods. Similar locations are on Northloop and Duval, along S. 1st and Mary, Manor Road (near IH-35), and S. 5th and Mary.

After my walk, I went down to Juan in a Million for lunch and noticed that there were condo closeouts on Chicon and Cesar Chavez. Naturally, after lunch I had to walk in that direction and find out more about the property(www.waterstreetaustin.com). There I met the owner of Mode, another business owned by people under the age of 30, who also work other jobs (modeaustin@gmail.com). I realized that new development accentuates old businesses by increasing visibility and initiating business growth in an area. There are several businesses in Austin that have existed for years, but because they are in areas that are primarily residential, there are no people and less pedestrian traffic which makes it hard to see the fruits of labor. One thing development could do is work to make sure that it encourages the start of newer small businesses around older businesses, increasing the economic development.

The Saltillo stop is an excellent example of transit oriented development. The stop itself has restrooms, a stage for live music, lots of public seating, and of course, businesses across the street. Because of the delay in service for the Red Line, one of the businesses located there had to move. There are still some businesses that could benefit from their location at the Saltillo stop if Austin would only let them, white collar businesses that would encourage other white collar businesses to be located near transit, like maybe the tech industry. For those new to Austin, you can find the stop at 1601 E. 5th Street.

Finally, I viewed an open house put on by Constructive Ventures, who had two properties with availability. The first property, 2124 (www.twentyone24.com), had amazing spaces for people looking to live central, and start a small business downstairs. What is great about Constructive Ventures is that the company is Austin-based, therefore not just developing a product and leaving the area immediately. A counter-intuitive move by them includes forgoing a gym, which the agent explained lowered the HOA fees. The property is Este Condos, which take flex space, and add a hook (www.esteaustin.com). More than the properties, I loved hearing that Constructive Ventures sold space to the University of Texas at Austin charter school (http://www.utexas.edu/provost/elementary/), and they will be constructing a 50,000 square foot school, and that the Live Strong Foundation (livestrong.org) will be locating nearby, introducing even more jobs to the area.

For the people who are completely opposed to new development in East Austin: one could question your motives, largely because job availability and affordable housing were problems before the developers appeared. Several non-profits are creating white collar jobs, and luring more businesses keeping East Austin residents safe. Southwest Key (swkey.org) moved there over a year ago, giving an example of an educated Latino leader dedicated to bringing up the youth in the community, and showing them that all minorities are all things. All those minority businesses in East Austin are getting free advertising by the people located on their streets, and including new residents. While it may be more expensive to start a business, it's more expensive not to start a business, and keep an area stagnant.

Comprehensive Planning Committee, September 2, 2008

Perhaps the most contentious conversation in Austin is the idea that Austin needs a rail. There are two problems with rail: 1) people don't want to pay for it; and 2) people are addicted to their cars.

Today, we discussed the newest cause for strife: the streetcar. Here, people are largely concerned with where it goes and how to fund it. In my opinion, because the streetcar would open more areas to new development, developers who have money would be great sources of funding, and the streetcar might open the doors for more public-private funding and remove a source of tension. Also, a streetcar allows the potential for more urban rail, provided that Austinites work with the city and the developers to make a successful experience for the first streetcar. On the other hand, there are several native Austinites (and some new) who oppose the newest addition to public transit because they don't want to make it easier for developers to take over new land, and they don't know the public impact. My understanding is that as long as there's another way for people to get to work, people will use it.

Otherwise, the Committee watched a presentation by Capital Metro that further discussed the transit plans already in progress. This was interesting largely because most of the information presented is available on their website. There was one interested citizen who was speaking for "native Austinites" who created a moment of tension for the notion that the city had numbers for transit but no numbers for development. I would argue that development spurs from the interest of people. If no one wants to live in a certain area, there would be no development. If people don't support development in a certain area, development discontinues. Obviously, if people like a certain area, there will be more development. I am interested in seeing more businesses in Austin, and I for one would try my best to support more local start ups, because we need the jobs.

The one important thing for all Austinites to remember is that even if there were no growth in Austin and no people coming, there would still be higher gas prices. A lot of people in U. S. cities that aren't growing are facing the depressing reality that there isn't justification for more public transit (or highway construction), but people still have to get to work. It's devastating that because people are married to their automobiles, life requires people who make less than $30,000 to spend 25% or more on work transit.