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Communication and expectations seen as key in move to smart cities

The term “smart cities” has a variety of roles in present-day civic planning discourse. It’s certainly a buzzword – “smart” as a descriptor appears 16 times in the titles of panels and sessions at this year’s South by Southwest conference –…

Austin • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 14, 2019

Indigent defense work group gets new chance to find common ground

Yielding to the expertise of Amanda Woog, chair of Travis County’s indigent legal services work group, the Commissioners Court swiftly appointed two private defense attorneys to the group during its voting session Tuesday afternoon. Local attorneys Paul Quinzi and Michael…

Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 14, 2019

Planning Commission OKs taller building in West Campus

The Planning Commission granted near-unanimous approval for a rezoning in West Campus to allow an old student housing complex at 2408 Leon St. to be replaced with a new, larger apartment complex. The property owner, Arlington Capital Austin, wants the…

Zoning • By Jack Craver • Mar 14, 2019

BoA ponders historically zoned multifamily

For the owner of 608 Elmwood Place in the Hancock neighborhood, perhaps the third time in front of the Board of Adjustment will be the charm. After being postponed last month to allow for more discussion with the neighborhood about…

Land Development Code • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 14, 2019

Lessons for Austin abound in cities where crises produced affordable housing

The good news about Austin’s growing housing affordability crisis – if there can be such a thing – is that the city hasn’t suffered a natural disaster or a financial meltdown that would serve as the impetus to build new…

Housing • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 13, 2019

County ready to consider options for designated behavioral health authority

After bouncing the idea around for several months, Travis County is ready to start exploring options to dedicate a local behavioral health authority as an overlay to its existing local mental health authority under Integral Care. The local behavioral health…

Public Health • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 13, 2019

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CTM’s Office of Design and Delivery: Corporate workshops should not be awful

As Austin grows and city officials begin to question how their jobs are evolving to meet the demands of the tens of thousands of new residents every year, it stands to reason that the city of Austin would ask for…

Austin • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 13, 2019

front of City Hall

Council rules unlikely to change despite opinion

Despite a ruling by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismantling a provision of the Texas Open Meetings Act that prevents local government officials from meeting in small groups in what is known as a “walking quorum,” it seems unlikely…

Courts • By Jo Clifton • Mar 12, 2019

Europe offers a road map for moving from cars to bikes and scooters

As Austin continues to grapple with managing the growing commercial fleets of electric scooters available on its streets, other questions about urban mobility multiplied at this year’s South by Southwest Conference. In a pair of short talks on March 9…

Transportation • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 12, 2019

APD investigates causes of traffic fatalities

As busy and congested as Austin streets have become, drivers have managed to keep the number of traffic fatalities from rising over the last few years. “We’re on a four-year downward trend,” Ron MacKay, Austin Police Department’s crime analysis division…

Public Safety • By Jessi Devenyns • Mar 12, 2019

City to consider franchise model for dockless mobility

Austin Transportation has been steadily slowing the stream of dockless units coming into the city and is now considering a 50 percent cut to the number of dockless mobility operators licensed to deploy their scooters and bikes. In a presentation…

Transportation • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 11, 2019

Council OKs full $12M for creative space preservation, creation

The city’s creative leaders will have a full $12 million in bond money as their conceptual modeling clay later this month when the community begins to consider how best to protect Austin’s shrinking stock of arts spaces and music venues.…

Bonds & Propositions • By Chad Swiatecki • Mar 11, 2019

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