Austin Public Spaces Need More Voices

Austin Public Spaces need public input. The recent planning process for downtown Austin’s Republic Park reminded us that all residents – not just 78701 – gain from making their voices heard.

Young people are moving back to central cities and away from suburbs, NBC News reports.

My experience as a real estate broker tells me that Baby Boomers feel the same way.

Young adults and boomers make up the core of downtown Austin and a good part of the central city’s population. About 87% of downtown residents either live alone or a childless couple, according to a recent Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association study (http://www.downtownaustin.org/).

One of the amenities that downtown residents look for is parks. They are useful oases in the concrete and steel maze of central cities.

Austin Public Spaces - Republic Park

Yet many of them need revitalization. And that includes Republic Park, where public comments recently were gathered on a Austin Public Spaces Renovation Plan.

Notably, the Republic Park planning process discovered that only about 1/3 of survey respondents actually lived downtown. Still, they were interested enough to respond.

The Green Metropolis by David Owen cites Manhattan as a model for an ideal urban center because it is the most sustainable. But I think the development of each one will need to be different.

Austin Public Spaces is definitely different that Manhattan (duh!).

The Central Business District makes up the heart of Austin and has since its founding in 1839. Downtown Austin’s reemergence as the city’s core is important to all of us, and for this reason we all need to be involved in some capacity.

If you want to see Republic Park revitalized into a “place that lifts the spirit,” as the plan promises, then make your voice heard. Attend one of the various boards and commissions that will be reviewing the plan between now and the end of the year.

Get involved in downtown Austin even if you don’t live in 78701!

R E P U B L I C  S Q U A R E   – E L E M E N T S

Show your support for Austin Public Spaces by getting involved on local volunteer projects and making your voice heard.