In those bygone, downright innocent days of summer 2019, the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department released a vision plan for upgrades to the city’s largest piece of parkland, the approximately 3,695-acre Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park located in far East Austin just west of State Highway 130. The plan for improving the park, produced by engineering and design consultancy Halff Associates, could best…
historic preservation
Austin’s First Public Bike Polo Court Wheels Into Town at Metz Park
Just as bikes offer a cost-effective alternative to car commuting without the added expenses of gas and maintenance, the game of bicycle polo represents a working-class response to the better-known “sport of kings” enjoyed by the idle rich, without the horses, oats, lawns, or stables — alongside famous local pastimes like disc golf and flat-track roller derby, it’s ideal for…
Austin’s Making Barton Springs Road Safer, One Lane at a Time
The City of Austin is currently seeking public feedback on a proposed one-year pilot program for safety improvements on Barton Springs Road after an increasing number of recent crashes caused by excessive vehicle speed, and it’s important that you offer your support to this effort — the unsafe traffic patterns incentivized by the design of…
Sticking a Camera Over the Fence at Downtown Austin’s New Brush Square
Hey, remember Brush Square? It’s pretty easy to overlook these days, what with the whole thing being fenced off for construction since last summer — but that’s actually a good thing, since it means the project by Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department to transform one of the city’s original public squares into a more accessible downtown park space is finally…
Downtown Austin’s ‘Lawyer District’ Showing Signs of Life at 10th and West
If you’re a real Towershead, you’re aware of our laser focus on the northwest region of downtown Austin as the next big hotspot for development around here. Upcoming residential tower projects like the Linden, Shoal Cycle, Annie B, 14th & Lavaca, and many more are set to bring a new population all across this region over the next few years, and we’re hoping that development…
Take a Closer Look at Austin’s New Dougherty Arts Center
Roughly 13 years since the conversation over replacing this beloved community asset began, Austin’s road to a new Dougherty Arts Center is shorter than ever. The plan presented by representatives of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and local architects Studio8 for a new facility housing the theater and art gallery, which is set to replace the aging…