A lightning strike on the Austin skyline, as seen from the airport in summer 2023. Image: Brett Spangler / Flickr Creative Commons
As 2023 drew to a close last month, we asked our readers to weigh in about the state of downtown Austin — what they enjoyed, the challenges they faced, and how they’d like to see the downtown area grow in the year to come. Despite a slowdown in new construction and increased remote work leading to high office vacancy rates and a smaller daily population downtown, overall our respondents still seem optimistic about the city’s future. Here’s a look at some of our favorite feedback, good and bad, as the downtown area enters 2024.
Image: Randy von Liski / Flickr Creative Commons
What were your positive experiences of downtown Austin in 2023?
“Significantly more foot traffic than last two years. even if we’re not back to the 2019 peak.”
“Concerts at the Paramount, Veracruz tacos, the Congress bike lane succeeding.”
“Downtown is more vibrant and has more life than it used to. Some pandemic changes have been positive, like bike lanes.”
“Best daytime pedestrian vibrancy I’ve experienced in DT Austin. Much better daytime and Sunday-Wednesday night scene than when I lived downtown 20 years ago.”
“Nightlife! Lots of great times on West 6th, Rainey St, and even Dirty 6th. Food! Love the restaurants downtown such as Velvet Taco, Flower Child, Intelligentsia Coffee, Local Foods, and TacoWey. Very bike/scooter friendly, I love the 3rd street bike lane.”
“Having moved away from Austin in July of this year, I recently visited with a friend who’s never been to Austin. Just in the five months or so I was away (and having fresh eyes), it seemed much of the development downtown had progressed quite a bit. We walked from UT campus to the Capitol for the first time ever and also took a walk through the Rainey district to count cranes and specifically check out progress on the Waterline. We also walked through the Seaholm and 2nd districts, so in all, it’s enjoyable to see these pockets of walkable, *interesting* districts slowly creeping together.”
“I love the Seaholm intake revitalization and am excited for it.”
“Watching the bats on Lady Bird Lake at dusk, the current expansion of the Mexican American Cultural Center, and the start of construction of the Rainey Street Trailhead Park on the corner of East Ave and Cummings Street.”
“The Capitol Complex along with Moody Amphitheater are awesome.”
“I’ve been enjoying the farmers market at Republic Square. I’ve also enjoyed being able to take transit into downtown.”
A view of the renovated Brush Square from 2023. Photo by James Rambin
What were your negative experiences of downtown Austin this year?
“It feels empty. Both with people and with businesses.”
“Multiple construction projects in the Rainey district have made it near inaccessible. It will be an exciting time when they wrap up.”
“There is still a scarcity of “everyday essential” businesses forcing people to get in cars and travel to the outskirts to shop.”
“Littering and homelessness everywhere you look.”
“Witnessing violence on Dirty Sixth St and seeing an overwhelming number of drunk bachelor/bachelorette parties everywhere.”
“Graffiti that is just vandalism on way to many buildings and public spaces. Trash and broken glass along Shoal Creek trail after every weekend.”
“It still feels so dead every time I visit downtown! It seems like we never really bounced back from WFH; we finally built a big city, and now there’s no one here to make it feel alive.”
“Illegal left turns from Cesar Chavez into the Line Hotel & incessant foisting of non-profit agendas by vest-clad idealism peddlers on my lunch break.”
“Stepping in dog poop not picked up by pet owners in the Rainey Street neighborhood. Also, the amount of trash around Rainey and Lady Bird Lake.”
“Homelessness, endless construction, and limited public transportation.”
“First time I’ve feared for the safety of my date and myself while downtown….and I’m not easily scared….have no problem with aggressive panhandling or drunk people… Etc. There is a definite criminal element in parts of downtown that is more pervasive and new.”
Demolition underway at Avenue Lofts. Photo by James Rambin
Finally, what changes would you like to see for downtown Austin in 2024?
“Less parking; more shops.”
“More residential buildings! More nightlife options amidst the construction. More concerts or even new venues, I hate having to travel out of downtown for concerts at COTA or other South Austin venues like Emo’s or Concourse Project.”
“More people living and working downtown.”
“A nice way to bike north/south like the 3rd Street bike lane.”
“Increased occupancy in the under construction/nearly completed towers. Seems like a repricing of rent is in order to increase the number of people living in DT proper.”
“While it may be too ambitious just for the next year, seeing more housing and mixed use spaces being incorporated throughout all of downtown. That, and more public spaces. Having walkable areas on the creeks is nice, but having more public recreational space incorporated into the downtown area would make it more enjoyable to spend time there.”
“Help those that are homeless and want help to get back on their feet. It is a disgrace that the first thing visitors see to a growing city like Austin are the homeless at every corner panhandling or passed out on the sidewalks.”
“Get rid of the antiquated downtown parks overlay. Clean up and make safer for residents and businesses.”
“Continue the great work being done to the public squares, that investment will pay off.”
“Bring in more small businesses. Bring back affordability. Actually deal with the homeless crisis by building affordable housing combined with treatment programs, like Haven for Hope in San Antonio, outside of downtown.”
“All dog owners picking up their pet’s poop, and everyone walking the Hike and Bike Trail picking up at least two pieces of trash and depositing it in the widely available trash bins. ‘Pick up 2 for Texas’ would be a good slogan, or even better: ‘2 for Texas.'”
“Revived storefronts on North Congress.”
“I’d like to see fewer offices, more mixed use residential buildings, better multi-mode transit, and diversity in type of businesses seen in areas like East Sixth St.”
“More bike corridors like those on 3rd Street.”
“I would not mind seeing 6th taken in a new direction. A bigger diversity of businesses, not shot bars owned by the same 3 people, maybe some residential, keep all the old storefronts, build big sidewalks, 86 all that street parking, make it the nice street it deserves to be.”
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