I'm somewhat back.   I'm training for the Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas, and some of that process is eye opening.  And I don't mean the distance.

Good Bye for a While

Between two jobs and graduate school in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), I am conceding to the need to focus. I'll start up around this time next year, but until then, remember that everything that makes Austin a wonderful place to be is for everyone who is here, not just people who have been here. Thanks for reading.

Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee Concepts

Austin is developing a comprehensive plan for the first time in thirty years, which already allows a multitude of challenges. One of the main challenges is that many people are not participating in city policies, but the vocal minority continues to speak for the city's citizens. I went to a meeting on to discuss how to address this, and met so many people who really want to change how Austin is working. Several ideas were presented, but these ideas struck a particular cord with me.

To change current public participation, many people strongly advocate meetings in multiple places, because Austin has grown beyond the capabilities of getting downtown by 6pm. Also, people have families, and providing childcare sends the message that the City of Austin is not just for young, single people who work downtown, but the hundreds of families who have resided here for years. Austin has been pro-family, and should continue to represent that image. Technology which allows people to view meetings in live time is excellent, but input could be much more effective with actually allowing people to send messages to a monitored discussion board on a consistent basis. Finally, one particularly intelligent person from London recommended that the city develop a paid internship program for students from junior high through graduate school to participate in planning policies. A shoot-off of this conversation that is found with yet another advocate group, Transition Austin: http://www.transitionaustin.org/

The reality is that people care how the city works, and fortunately, many more people are talking about how to participate and when to participate, making the public input much more important. We can no longer be ruled by the politics and the mentalities of previous decades, and it is important for the next generation of participants to step up, as well as the previous participants to delegate. Our city can go in many directions, and we have to make sure that we get people communicating with each other rather than communicating for each other.

Why Gentrification is a Nasty Word

There are multiple Austins, but there are two which stand out more than any others: Poor Austin and The Rest Of Austin. In Poor Austin, there are no bank branches nearby, forcing residents to drive/bus elsewhere lest they fall prey to predatory banking practices like payday loans and check cashing fees. Grocery stores are distant, and smaller "local" stores rarely have fresh produce and what families need to stay healthy and without diabetes. Poor Austin residents, who can barely afford to pay rent, must make car payments because the neighborhoods are designed for reliance on cars. It rarely matters in Poor Austin that the residents be educated: there are few opportunities for a skilled workforce in jobs that pay actual wages, and such a stigma on location that educated people can barely keep businesses afloat when located in Poor Austin. Low wages for younger, newer residents make homeownership and home maintenace distant dreams. Political participation? Forget it, not with working multiple jobs (all of which are inflexible about time off), no cars, and no daycare facilities.

This is the Poor Austin story that many residents of The Rest Of Austin fail to understand. Hate those developers? Well, if developers build in East Austin, most of their workers would be closer to homes and families. Mad at the rise in taxes? At least there are more jobs in The Rest Of Austin which can support more of that rise, as opposed to the retail/food service jobs for barely more than minimum wage with no benefits in Poor Austin. Annoyed at the rise in CapMetro rates? A bunch of folks would enjoy having more money instead of throwing it into their cars they can barely afford. Unfortunately, The Rest Of Austin would rather speak for Poor Austin rather than actually listening to it.

We need more diverse income groups in Poor Austin neighborhoods for a number of reasons. First of all, people who make more money can afford to care more about their neighbors and neighborhoods, so crime is more difficult. After all, more wealthy people are working from home, so they probably want to be comfortable in their homes/offices. Secondly, trained and educated citizens - or at least citizens who graduated from high school - help eradicate the notion that being uneducated is some sort of "rebellion against the system" and therefore helpful for social growth. Diverse incomes generally encourage the introduction of handy things like banks, medical clinics, frequent transit routes and smaller, healthier grocery stores within walking distance. Lastly, neighborhoods with more diverse incomes generally have some people who can attend meetings, giving voices to communities which have been shut out simply because they are far from public forum locations or work too much.

Posting inspired by:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/17/AR2009051702053.html

A Dream Realized

If you haven't checked out a copy of Community Impact (http://www.impactnews.com/), do it. On October 1, 2008, I wrote a piece about business collaboration, which basically encouraged businesses to seek out properties simultaneously, and have several fill a new structure instead of having to market independently. Clusters of Austin starting to abound, and I was very pleased to see that Amy's Ice Cream and a few other businesses decided to stake out some land together. We have to become a less selfish city to thrive, and although developers market to and negotiate with businesses before they build, we have to take initiative and build communities while they build buildings.

Thanks to a bit of collaboration, that community will experience three things: 1) Property values will rise. Yes, this will lead to higher taxes, but it will also lead to even more neighborhood amenities and improvements. 2) Other businesses will see how quickly the space was filled, and may contact other businesses to fill the spaces in other buildings. Quite frankly, it's daunting to be the first business in a new development, so it's better to talk to other businesses and fill the space all at once because someone might back out, but the building wouldn't be empty in its first round. 3)Multiple businesses mean that employees have diverse skill sets, and that means that people in the area have opportunities to learn new skills to be employed in their own neighborhoods. Nothing makes employees more valuable than having diverse skills, and structures like these provide more opportunities for young people to have jobs and learn skills.

Story appeared here:

http://www.impactnews.com/northwest-austin/local-news/4881-amys-ice-cream-owners-develop-in-north-austin

Rediscovering Central Texas

In a time when airfare is ridiculous and gas requires a mortgage loan, now seems like the opportunity to discover Central Texas. There are so many bed & breakfasts in this region that someone could get exceedingly tired of them, so drive around on a weekend and check in, and see why these places stay in business. Also, remember that house that was way too big to begin with since the kids moved out? With some cooking classes and some creativity, there's a business opportunity to be had, or a rental opportunity for special events like SXSW, ACL, UT vs. A & M, the Pecan Street Festival, etc.

Also, there are natural wonders that can spur on conservation efforts, like Natural Bridge or Inner Space. Central Texas is built on so much limestone that caves have probably yet to be discovered, and to the brave adventurer, there is plenty to see in the well-known caves. Creeks need visiting, even when they don't have water, and there are plenty of rivers that still have water, such as the Guadalupe River. For all those jobless college graduates, those are foundations waiting to be set up or led, hint, hint. When visiting those out-of-reach places, it becomes apparent why some places need cars while Austin could rely on transit.

Central Texas has a lot to offer, so I would recommend visiting many of the places within this area, just to remind us why we live in Austin, and visit other places.

Open House Tactics

Who doesn't like to go to open houses for fun sometimes? I have enjoyed several in the past, and I hope to enjoy several in the future. One thing, though, is that people need to start cross-promoting in venues like open houses, like the group that's promoting some of the condos on South Congress: http://www.2020congresscondos.com/. A friend and I were going to skip this event, but I was so happy that she told us to go ahead.

First of all, there were several artists who were allowed to both demonstrate their crafts and display their wares. In effect, it was very similar to the East Austin Studio Tour - and if you haven't been to that, you better go. One artist was doing a graffiti demonstration, which was decidedly the largest. Other artists had set up the condos with their wares, so one could literally walk through an art gallery that was an entire apartment complex. A catering service provided lunch for the event, so people could stay for a while, and if one had the capital, condos could be purchased.

So, for all those real estate agents who looking for exposure: stop expecting the properties to sell themselves and make your job easier. Austin loves art, so let some artists tout their wares since there are plenty of artists in this city. Also, give new businesses the opportunities for exposure, especially if there's a mixed use project to sell, because hey, you might sell the bottom floor in addition to the top. Basically, make the buildings into public spaces and indicate how people will be growing their communities by living closer together.