Category Archives: Development

LDC Rewrite Success

Posted on August 2, 2018 by JGA

Metrics for a worthwhile LDC rewrite.

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There’s no free kicks

Posted on June 28, 2018 by JGA

City-owned land should maximize resident happiness. The City of Austin’s Hancock Golf Course, located in central Austin. Image courtesy of Brandon Tucker. 

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CodeNEXT Cake

Posted on April 17, 2017 by JGA

A high-quality CodeNEXT result requires diligent measurement.

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Make Austin Roads Great Again

Posted on June 27, 2016 by JGA

City Council’s mobility bond embraces futile road populism instead of much-needed mode shift. City Council’s mobility bond funds the corridor plan that will expand this section of FM 969 from four to six lanes. The design speed is 50 mph.

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From the East to the West

Posted on July 29, 2015 by JGA

Solving the involuntary displacement of East Austin’s long-term residents requires a new shared prosperity approach. Modernizing Austin’s housing development policies and increasing local affordable housing subsidies will ensure Central and West Austin do their fair share to meet regional housing … Continue reading →

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MoPac, Mo Problems

Posted on May 13, 2015 by JGA

Important changes are coming to MoPac. But they won’t help you safely get places faster. For real improvement, we need a shift away from car-centric, low-density policies.

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Anti-growth pains

Posted on January 7, 2015 by JGA

Proponents of ‘slowing’ or ‘managing’ Austin’s growth typically advance policies that will improve the City’s desirability. As a result, while their discourse concerns itself with growth deceleration, their implied solutions are actually additional sprawl and unnecessarily high prices.

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Hahn Shoots First

Posted on December 22, 2014 by JGA

Amy Everhart of Hahn Public wrote a fantastic memo on what to expect from the next Austin City Council. Here are three points to add to her mix of high-quality insights.

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Better Billion

Posted on July 28, 2014 by JGA

November’s urban rail and road package aims to “do something” as Austin clamors for transportation solutions. Sadly, as blog readers know, the proposal will not be effective at reducing congestion or promoting car-independence. It will, however, exhaust our reserves of … Continue reading →

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CodeNEXT Pitch

Posted on June 18, 2014 by JGA

Yesterday, I joined an enthusiastic group of solution-minded Austinites at a CodeNEXT community input session.  There were many great pro-reform speakers. Here’s the presentation I delivered.  Let’s turn to the main points of the presentation and some additional ideas generated from … Continue reading →

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