Crossing the Street

A lot of people argue that investing in a more pedestrian outlook would cost too much money. One thing that people have not considered is that there are many ways to slowly implement a more pedestrian society that do not cost a fortune. I advocate mass transit, wider sidewalks, and vertical mixed use. However, I know that those options are expensive and keep some citizens away from the center of town because of living costs. Those are ideas that take time and planning.

Right now, we have an extremely obvious problem with an easy answer: crossing the street. Why are there so many large streets in Austin, and so few crosswalks to get across those large streets? This is not the cost of widening, building or improving a sidewalk. This is paint. We have a lot at our disposal, and there is no reason why we should avoid making more crosswalks when more people are walking. Adding crosswalks would make streets with large blocks, like Lamar, South 1st, Guadalupe, Jollyville, Spicewood Springs, Burnet, Cameron, etc. much more pedestrian. Just by adding paint.

So, let's stop acting like everything that would make Austin more pedestrian costs a fortune. Let's instead make it easier for everyone to cross the street.

Argument for Private Transportation

I think one of the most important parts of selecting an argument is knowing the other side. After visiting Natural Bridge Caverns, I realize why public transportation could not work in every location. Such a cave is a geological wonder, and the stress of a train track or heavy traffic would surely be so detrimental that it would be destroyed. To be sure, there are a number of locations that would be particularly sensitive to the strain of heavy density, and for those areas, I think it makes perfect sense to reduce growth.

New Braunfels, Canyon City, Sattler, and Gruene are perfect examples of why all cities should not aspire to have heavy density. They maintain their individuality and provide nearby tourist destinations for the larger cities nearby, such as San Marcos, Austin, and San Antonio. Their profits are probably large because they exploit their value as small towns and as escapes from large cities. The biggest argument for density within large cities is that having a city of 500,000 be classified as a "town" is detrimental as far as businesses and public utility.

Presentation

Business Collaboration

One thing I've noticed about businesses in Austin is that while they'll collaborate for an activity, like a concert or a run, they don't as often collaborate about location. The real trick with all the development that has come in has been the fact that vertical mixed use buildings have empty facades for months. The credit crunch has obviously been at work, but the reality speaks of something more. Why don't businesses seek to grow together in Austin?

Instead of having independent meetings at each business about where to grow and why, Austin businesses should discuss collaboration with other businesses to fill the empty facades. There is no reason why Taco Shack, Jo's Coffee, and a bookseller shouldn't be close to each other. Nonprofits could talk to businesses for something other than fundraising, building more comraderie between the entity types. Wouldn't it be an asset for Austin if the owner of Amy's and the owner of Mmmpanadas got together and said, "Hey, why don't we go into adjoining properties with a killer deck so that we can get customers from both angles?" Property in Austin is getting more expensive, and it would probably be easier to get more revenue if the Austin businesses took a more collaborative approach. After all, two successful businesses are more likely to get a loan they co-sign for than an independent loan these days.