Using a public drinking fountain is just about the last thing anybody wants to think about in the midst of a viral pandemic, but Austin’s increasingly hot weather makes a pretty good case for their existence on a longer-term scale — along with well-serviced public restrooms, they’re essential tools for building more equitable public spaces. Unless you…
design
Meet Zilker Studios, Bringing 110 Affordable Apartments to South Austin
A seven-story, 110-unit studio apartment development by local affordable housing developer Foundation Communities will fit just fine on a half-acre tract at 1508 South Lamar Boulevard — not a bad reminder that small spaces can hold a lot of homes. An aerial view of the office and parking lot that will soon become the Zilker…
West 12th Residential Tower Plan Brings 31 Floors to the Downtown Time Forgot
Barring a few notable exceptions, in terms of development action and overall height the region of Austin directly west of the Capitol could be considered “the downtown that time forgot” — despite being very much within the boundaries of downtown, convenient zoning limitations and other preservation-related protections keep this area pretty low to the ground, which is part of the…
Here’s How Longhorn Dam Is Getting Safer for Cars, Bikes, and Yes, People
After substantial public engagement and a final engineering report issued back in July, the City of Austin’s Transportation Department has nailed down its plans for a pedestrian bridge crossing Lady Bird Lake near Longhorn Dam in East Austin — and as we’d hoped, the “Wishbone” bridge option presented alongside several others last year is the prize pig, ready to enter…
Flying Over Austin in Microsoft’s ‘Photorealistic’ New Simulator
The 2020 edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator, released for Windows last month by developers Asobo Studio, sets a new bar for realism and visual fidelity in the world of simulation software. Providing a 3D representation of the entire planet (and 37,000 airports) using Microsoft’s own satellite imagery and other visuals from Bing Maps, the simulator’s detail is…
The Lost 1980s Dream of a 100-Foot Metal Star Over Sixth Street
East Sixth Street in downtown Austin isn’t always the nicest place to be, but the architectural character and central location of the district has inspired advocates to push for its revitalization in various directions for decades — in the 1970s, the main concern was a lack of retail business in general, while the more modern complaint relates to…