Boom Town

City Uses New Software to ‘Envision Tomorrow’ for South Austin

Imagine if SimCity could be used to see how land use codes would affect Austin, in real life. The City of Austin is working with just such a tool that could change the face of urban design.

City Pushes "Mixed-Use" to Make Austin More Compact

One of the ways the City and developers are enacting this part of Imagine Austin is by encouraging construction of mixed-use buildings – retail on the first floor and maybe office space on the second or third and apartments and condos the rest of the way up. Although developments like these have been sprouting up around the city for a few years now, it’s still a learning process for those involved.

City, Community Begin to Update 30-Year-Old Land Code

The last time the Austin Land Development Code was rewritten was in 1984; the population was 392,000.

Will the Austin Bubble Burst?

Austin has been experiencing unprecedented growth more or less since the 1970s, but especially since the 1990s. The population has more than doubled since then, while housing prices and the cost of living continue to rise.

Advocates Push for Affordable Housing as City Booms

In the 2012 election, Proposition 15, which would have set aside almost $80 million in bond money toward affordable housing programs, was voted down by about 2 percent. Proponents, like McFadden, say the money would have helped build more housing units and allowed non-profits to raise hundreds of millions of dollars more in grant and federal funding, so this year, they’re not taking any chances and are educating voters on the subject early.

Does Decades-Old Mueller Plan Still Measure Up in Changing City?

The City of Austin began thinking about what would replace the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport decades before it closed, holding hundreds of meetings with 16 neighborhood associations in the 1980s and 1990s to decide wh

Downtown's "Home of the Blues" Space Reopens as Community DIY Music & Art Center

Ben Riseman, proprietor and spearhead of Infest Austin, is talking on his cell phone, nervously pacing the sidewalk and smoking a cigarette in front of the Fifth St.

Jude Galligan Gets the Dirt on Downtown

If anyone has their finger on the pulse of Austin's über-dynamic Downtown, it's Jude Galligan, publisher and primary writer of Downtown Austin Blog.

"Weird" Jumped the Shark; Let's Keep Austin Unique

It was a good and useful idea at the time: "Keep Austin Weird." Now, some dozen years later, does it still make any sense as a civic slogan?

So You Think You Want to Move to Austin?

We know, you’re here for SXSW and you love it. Unlike the northern igloo you’re escaping, our March weather is beautiful, everything seems affordable and people are friendly. You’re thinking about moving here, aren’t you? Well, everyone does.

Opinion: Population Growth Isn't All Bad

Throughout the history of the United States, new arrivals to this country have told everyone arriving one minute after they did to stop coming.

Aging Population Grows as More Retirees Move to Austin

About five years ago, John Swift and his wife looked around their 6,000-square-foot Dallas-area house and decided it was just too much. Both their sons had graduated from the University of Texas and were living in Austin.

Austin's Asian American Population Booming

Asian Americans are the fastest growing population segment in the United States, and Austin is no exception. The Asian American population here doubled between 2000 and 2010 and is expected to do the same between 2010 and 2020.

Are Tiny Houses One Solution to Rising Austin Home Prices?

For many of us average lower-middle-class Austin Joes and Josies, the cost of a house and even rents in this city can challenge one's limited means.

ACC Hosts First December Commencement Ceremony to Keep Up with Student Growth

At the age of 43, Miguel Espitia will become the first member of his family to graduate college when he’s awarded his associate degree in graphic design from Austin Community College Friday.

The volunteer at the sign-in desk looked young enough to be my kid, 25 years old, tops. He smiled brightly as he looked at my name on the badge and handed it over.

“So...

I don’t often get excited by hardware, but getting to try the Leap Motion Interactive Controller felt like walking right into "Minority Report." Actually, it was even better.
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