Unlike a lot of downtown Austin developments that kick around in a state of limbo for what feels like a million years before turning dirt, the Texas Facilities Commission isn't screwing around. Commission documents from earlier this month indicate that construction on the underground parking garage component of the Capitol Complex Master Plan's Texas Mall project will begin by ...
placemaking
Five Takeaways From the Shoal Creek Conservancy’s New Trail Plan
Shoal Creek, flowing roughly 11 miles from its headwaters north of Highway 183 to Lady Bird Lake, is one of the two major creeks running through downtown Austin. That fact alone makes it relevant to any conversation about the peaceful coexistence of the natural and built environments in the urban core, but it doesn't seem to grab the same headlines as its eastern twin Waller ...
Take a Look at Three Concepts for a Redesigned Brush Square
Between the Seaholm Waterfront, Walter E. Long Park, and Austin Energy's new downtown substation, it feels like we're smack in the middle of master plan season. Next up on the list is Brush Square, one of downtown's three remaining historic public squares -- the other two are Republic Square and Wooldridge Square, also in varying stages of improvement themselves. The ...
The Scarbrough Building’s ‘Keep Austin Weird’ Sculpture Has Some Haters
Remember that pocket patio and "Keep Austin Weird" sculpture planned in front of the Scarbrough Building at the corner of Congress Avenue and Sixth Street? I ripped on the sculpture a little last time for being kinda corny, but now I feel bad about it. Turns out a significant portion of Austin's Historic Landmark Commission really doesn't like it. The project, ...
Mapping the Trail Foundation’s 15 Plans to Improve Austin’s Hike-and-Bike Trail
It's been 15 years since the Trail Foundation took over the upkeep and improvement of Austin's iconic Hike-and-Bike trail, and to celebrate, the nonprofit recently announced 15 planned improvement projects to be completed along the 10-mile path over the next five years. Two of the projects are general improvements for the entire thing -- updated signage for better ...