The ATX 10

Item List Disclaimer

The results of this list reflect exclusively on Austin policy and lawmaking. The most relevant and important policy issues at both the federal and state levels may or may not appear on the following list. Although issues such as immigration, education, women’s rights, and democracy are immensely important at the federal and state levels, they are often out of the hands of city government. The research conducted and the questions asked during the interviews were focused solely on city policy and government. We acknowledge the significance and severity of all policy issues at all governmental levels that did and did not make it onto this list.

The ATX 10

Transportation & Development

Austin’s dramatic population growth has led to a variety of development issues. Development is at the core of all the issues communicated by residents. The number one most common expression is that infrastructure is not keeping up with Austin's quick development. Throughout time, Austin has had a variety of development plans that were not successful, and while there were disagreements on how to go about development, the city’s population was continuously growing. As one of our participants, Erin McCormick, a UT Austin student, says, “Austin wasn’t built for scale, and we see the consequence of quick development now.” While the city council is looking for solutions, the problems have worsened, and residents are feeling the impacts. Now that population growth is not as high as in previous years, the city should take advantage and let development catch up. The one issue that residents seem to be challenged with daily and frustrated with most is transportation. Cars are the main mode of transportation around the city, which causes very congested roads at many hours of the day. A large portion of our interview participants commented on how it can take around 30 minutes to go 5 miles around downtown or using I-35. The car dependency often comes from a lack of public transportation options. Just about every big city faces traffic issues, but those cities, such as Chicago or New York City, provide popular public transportation options. As Mayor Pro-Tem and City Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes says, “We can not build our way out of traffic, we have to provide options.” Austin has two public transportation options: CapMetro Bus and CapMetro Rail. The CapMetro red line has 10 stops from Leander to downtown. The red line does not go far east or west, and in most cases, you need to take a bus to the train station and then take a bus from the train station to your destination. This is an option for many residents, but it would also take an exceptionally long time. The city has started the early stages of Project Connect, a new light rail that goes from Crestview all the way to the Austin Airport. This light rail would include a few popular destinations, such as a UT Austin stop and a Cesar Chavez stop. This would be a great addition to public transportation options for residents and could be a first choice for many. If there was a light rail, many could live outside of Austin and still commute here for work at a reasonable time. However, beyond public transportation, participants even detailed that traffic lights are not synched up, bike lanes take up too much room, or even mentioned how in popular areas there are not enough parking spaces. Transportation is a very difficult and important issue for residents, and the city has taken steps in what many believe to be the right direction.

Housing & Affordability

This consistent population growth has consequences that go beyond just transportation; one of its most impactful effects has been on the unbalanced supply and demand of housing. Even if you find an apartment or house, you are left with a price tag that will swallow the majority of your monthly or yearly income. While our interview participants have identified housing as a major issue, few gave solutions or steps to take towards progress. Jack Craver, founder of the Austin Political Newsletter, tells us, “There is not enough diverse housing, and zoning makes it harder to build cheaper housing.” Land use or zoning has dictated what can be built and where in Austin, which has partially led to the shortage of housing. In recent events the city council has relaxed zoning laws, which will allow for cheaper housing options. Jack Craver says, “There has always been housing barriers but pro-housing won.” While prices are still high and quantity is still low, these new zoning laws will hopefully open Austin to branch out to more housing options. The affordability of housing is the majority of the burden, but the cost of living in Austin is astronomically high. Three of the highest expenses for Austin residents are housing, childcare, and transportation. As transportation and housing issues are being worked on and progressing, the city has tackled childcare. In our interview with Mayor Pro-Tem Vanessa Fuentes, she tells us how the city council has made childcare more affordable by relaxing zoning and passing development fee waivers, which has offset the cost of childcare. For many households this will be a more affordable form of childcare than before. As John Ory, a UT Austin student, says, “Austin’s efforts in affordability are unique, but the issue is not.”  While Austin deals with affordability, an issue for many developing cities, city council members are tackling expenses they can change the cost of. With Project Connect, new zoning laws, and now more affordable child care options, it is possible for Austin to get a handle on its affordability crisis.

Public Safety, Homelessness, & City Services

Many struggles hit all big cities, and Austin is no exception. One of those being public safety. Austin hosts many events, such as South by Southwest (SXSW) and Austin City Limits (ACL), and these events require a lot of security. Hugh Forrest, the former president of SXSW tells us, “Emergency response time is not prompt, especially during SXSW.” Emergency response time could be slowed because of traffic or the number of on-duty officers; regardless, residents have identified this as a concern not just for the police but for first responders in general. Recent events in counties near Austin and in Austin limits, including the Central Texas floods and fires, have residents rethinking the state of our safety. Students also expressed concern about safety on campus. Over the past couple of years there have been a variety of protests on the University of Texas at Austin campus. These protests have grabbed the attention of both the Austin Police Department and the State troopers, which has had a negative effect on the student protestors participating on campus. A continuous concern brought up by residents is the homeless population. While this is not unique to Austin, as many big cities have a similar situation, this is visible all around. Our interview participants note that this concern is not as simple as giving this population shelters, but it extends to the sustainability of living in the city. Simply adding housing and lowering the cost of living is not going to improve this. What many people need are consistent resources. Our interview participants emphasize how certain services being provided by the city government would benefit the population. Services such as mental health care would benefit the residents to sustain a positive lifestyle. The majority of our participants mention the great work our city council members do in transportation, childcare, and other areas. However, this is a continuous area of work that residents would like to see improved.

Climate Change and Sustainability

Austin’s population growth has taken a toll on the green space of the city. Macy Zander tells us, “I'm heartened to see some initiatives from the City of Austin to counteract climate change, but I'd like to see more ambitious efforts considering the gravity of this issue and the impact it'll have on all Austinies.” Austin taking care of its city covers more than taking efforts against climate change; it is also important to keep Austin's roads clean and watch our water sustainability. Both the water quality and quantity are important to our populated city and deserve attention in all parts of Austin. As our interview participants point out, it is important to keep our cities' environment in mind as Austin continues to develop.

Correspondence with the State

Austin’s popularity can give partial credit to the fact that it is the state capitol. However, the relationship between the state and the city is not on good terms. As Bryan Jones says, “The state has a grudge against Austin.” Austin is often described as a blue pond in an ocean of red since Austin's city council members, delegation, mayor, and overall population identify as Democrats, while Texas is a red state. Some of our interview participants believe it is up to the city to develop a better relationship with the state, but what would a compromise look like? Mayor Pro-Tem Vanessa Fuentes says, “Our state has abandoned many of its duties to help ensure the well-being of Texans and they have left local leaders holding the bag.” The city council members represent the population of their districts well, and a compromise may mean disrupting how well this population is represented. As a UT Austin student, John Ory says, “There is pride in city government.” Keeping Austin’s true values at the core of city government should remain the priority.

Culture

Throughout this whole process, it often feels as if the Austin culture has been left behind. While Austin's diverse population has not gone down, they are not fully represented. As Brittney Rodriguez, a well respected business owner and leader, said, “There is no representation of minority communities in downtown Austin.” Businesses have been expanding or relocating to Austin, and while a great asset to development, this has pushed many residents out of Austin, and Austin has a tendency to condense our resources where these new businesses appear. Marisa Vickers, a business leader here in Austin, tells us, “We are building so much infrastructure it's pushing out our creatives because they can no longer afford to live here.” Residents are worried about the pattern of pushing Austin communities of color to East Austin and then not giving them equitable access. Brittney Rodriguez expressed the importance of equitable access to job opportunities, food, transportation, schools, and more. She tells us that “Equitable access should be a priority and we need to protect the communities who built this city.” Austin's attractive qualities, its bright culture, affordability, and booming opportunity are what brought so many people here in the first place. Fast development and our lively cultures are what defined this great city for many years and it is something we should protect.

Conclusion

These important issues are connected to one another and prioritizing certain issues could possibly get in the way of others. Project Connect requires more railroads, train stations, bus routes, and bus stops. Originally this plan was unpopular amongst some because it would demolish many businesses on Guadalupe Street, including the beloved restaurant and bar “Dirty Martin’s Place.” These businesses, which have been around for decades and have many loyal customers, have significant attachments to voters, so many are against a policy that will demolish the business. Project Connect revisions have since removed these businesses from danger of being demolished, which was a determining factor for many Austin voters. However, as we prioritize these issues, we find ourselves choosing between a fully developed plan and the early stages of a plan. Often we develop policy plans in early stages in areas that were easier to enforce these policies. This tendency can lead to the exclusion of Austin areas such as East Austin. Is it more responsible for voters to vote on an early plan and make sure it is enforced, or should voters wait until a plan has equitable access for all and then vote a more expensive plan into place? These are all questions and scenarios we need to consider as voters going forward because The Wall Street Journal did an analysis of the metro areas best for young professionals and Austin ranks in the top 5 best cities. The cities that made the list did so because they are affordable with enormous opportunity. If Austin keeps getting marketed as one of the best cities for young professionals, then we will reach populations that match cities like Houston, Texas. If we are going to be a booming city, then it is important we make these crucial development decisions now and as voters we need to consider our priorities as we cast our votes for the future.