Austin has collected a mélange of historic architectural styles at the end of 2009, and as the pace of development slackens here, as elsewhere across the country, it’s a good opportunity to think about where these monuments to the past came from and what kind of monuments we want for the future. The real estate development cycles of the past weren’t too different than the ones in more recent living memory: it was through familiar boom and bust cycles that much of Austin got built, and it was through similar boom and rust cycles (wrecking ball and neglect cycles, that is) that Austin lost monuments. Let’s take a look at some of this history. more ›

Buildings and cities get grouped together in our collective perspective. Planners and architects are often educated in the same school and it is not uncommon for architects to take on the role of planners at some level. But indeed they are very different. Author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig, wrote in his later book, LILA, something to the effect that cities are not for people…people are for cities. He observed that people were literally consumed by cities. In a city, there is a dearth of opportunity for people to subsist…and living requires economic engagement. Cities and Economy are essential components of the Human paradigm. more ›

Lets face it, language is important. Sure, the title ‘Comprehensive Plan’ is accurate but it doesn’t exactly foster an atmosphere of possibility, imagination or openness. In fact, it rather suggests something ‘definite’, something to be fought over and battled around instead of ‘Let’s think how we want our city to look, feel and function for the next couple of decades’ . Unless I am mistaken it is actually a framework and a series of goals, right? So why not change the name or modify it. Austin Tomorrow, the previous plan’s name is more interesting but in my opinion it’s not action oriented or suggestive of the distance that we should be looking in the future. How about Imagine Austin or Envision Austin or Re-Envision Austin or Austin 2040 or my personal creation that is admittedly dead in the water, Make Austin Weirder. Seriously though, if you want imagine and talk about the future, you’ve got to set the stage for it. No better way to get the ball rolling than to re-brand the entire affair. Have a City-wide competition to name it as well as raise awareness of the process. Someone out there can do a heck of a lot better than my, Envision Austin. more ›

The concept of sustainability has become a hot button issue in the design field within the last few years. So much so that “green” architecture has found its way into the mainstream. Clients are now requesting, if not demanding, LEED certified projects. The general public seems to have begun linking sustainability to architecture. I believe that this trend will continue and eventually the concept of sustainability will be codified both the theory and practice of architecture. But for now, the problem is that most people have a limited view of what it means to be “green.” They have equated sustainability solely with material choices and energy savings/efficiency. more ›

Back-to-School, an event annually hosted by Manos de Cristo, will take place in a former Chair King warehouse, offering the first glimpse of an impromptu collaboration between Travis County, Ridgetop Neighborhood Association, and AIA Design Voice. Holding this event in this empty big box began as a “what if” posed by motivated and altruistic citizens, but rapidly revealed a rich and exemplary beacon of hope for all of Austin. more ›

When I came moved back to Austin with my wife and son nearly 10 years ago, I quickly realized that picking my dream house was going to be wrapped up in the big question I never had to deal with before: “Where are the good schools?” As a UT Architecture student, this was outside my small community awareness bubble. As a single architectural intern, I could pick from nearly anywhere in the city that met my criteria: near services (grocery), near parks for my dog, and near fun things to do. more ›

If you only knew them as dots on a map, you might expect Austin and San Antonio to be very similar. With downtowns a mere 70 miles apart, you would be correct in assuming they share similar geographies and climates. Studying the map further you would note both cities are bisected by rivers and, depending on how detailed the map, you might also see that while Austin has lined its river with hike and bike trails, San Antonio has surrounded its water feature with restaurants and bars. While this would seem to imply San Antonio is the hipper, cooler place, you do not need me to tell you it is not. MTV has yet to shoot a season of “The Real World” in a pimped-out mansion on the Riverwalk. There is no “San Antonioist” blog. Indeed, for all of its layered history and cultures, San Antonio as it exists today is a much less compelling place than its younger sibling to the north. more ›

A city’s downtown comprises the heart of the community, and its streets form the primary public arena for interchange and commerce. Downtown Austin belongs to all of the city’s residents, and its streets serve as the primary public place. Although it has always represented the community culturally, economically, and politically, downtown Austin has traditionally lacked the vibrancy engendered by numerous pedestrian-dominant and multi-functional commercial corridors that define other cities. more ›

I have plenty of time to think about the progress of Austin as I pass exit-after-exit during my shorter-than-average commute from Northwest Austin to South Austin. Sometimes I wonder where the “cool” part of Austin stops and the “sprawling” part of Austin begins, or why I would never, ever walk (or bike) from my neighborhood to the two large grocery stores near my home, even though I would have happily walked over a mile to the market during my six-month stay in Munich. more ›