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Regional Treasures:
Rhapsody in East Austin
Central
Texas is fortunate to have many outstanding examples of
public art for its citizens to enjoy. Pictured above is a portion of
the mosaic mural Rhapsody, by John Yancy, chairman of the Art
and Art History Department at the University of Texas
at Austin. Yancy's intricate mural took three years to complete and
both celebrates the history and preserves the cultural heritage of East
Austin. The mural was funded by the Austin Revitalization Authority, the City of Austin and Capital Metro. It is installed at the Dr.Charles E. Urdy
Plaza at East 11th and Waller Streets. Dr. Charles Urdy, a former professor and community leader, is also a long- time member of the
Envision Central Texas Board of Directors. |
Boom to BEST? The Future of Central Texas
Central Texas is one of the fastest growing regions in the US. What will it take to make the region home to the most dynamic, sustainable cities of the 21st century?
- How can the region foster
development in compact, walkable communities -- both downtown and in the
suburbs?
- How ready is the
region for additional transit options?
- How can Central Texas boom economically and grow sustainably at the same time?
- What is the impact
of successful mixed-use, urban development on housing prices and
affordability?
Come hear what promises to be a lively and stimulating discussion about the future of the region at a luncheon Friday, October 19, 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Austin, hosted by Envision Central Texas, Congress for the New Urbanism, The
Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and The Real Estate Council of Austin. The featured speakers are preeminent planners Andres Duany, principal, Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, and Hank Dittmar, chief executive, The Prince Charles Foundation for the Built Environment. The event will be moderated by Austin Mayor Will Wynn. Tickets are $45 and Sponsor Tables for 10 are $600. To register online, visit the ECT website or call 512-916-6012.
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Charting Progress Toward  the Vision
It has now been five
years since ECT began the visioning process and the region has experienced many
changes. Significant new roadways have opened and commuter rail service starts in 2008.
Plans and policies are emerging that will shape growth in new ways, several major bond initiatives have
passed, and throughout
the region, numerous development projects have been completed or are under
construction. ECT leadership believes that it is an ideal time to assess the progress that the region has made toward the concepts and principles described in the Vision, identify barriers to implementation and determine the key priorities for moving forward. Read more...
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Dell Children's Medical Center leads the way
This is the second in a series of articles about the 2007 ECT Community Stewardship Award recipients.Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas was awarded the 2007 ECT Community Stewardship Pioneer Award. The Pioneer category recognizes "an entity that has left familiar territory and taken a different path that reflects the ECT Vision." Combining cutting-edge medical technology, innovative "green" building design and an extraordinary healing environment, Dell Children's Medical Center turns its groundbreaking vision into reality. Read more... |
Third Annual ECT Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon set for May 2, 2008
The outstanding people, projects and intiatives that are "making the Vision real" will be spotlighted once again at the Third Annual Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards Luncheon set for Friday, May 2, 2008 in the Governors' Ballroom at the Hilton Austin at 500 East 4th Street in downtown Austin. Watch for information about submitting applications for the awards in December. Luncheon Table Sponsorships will be available. For more information email Diane Miller at dmiller@envisioncentraltexas.org
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Walk This Way
Curious about how walkable your neighborhood is? Try this easy-to-use tool called Walk Score™ and find out. This online program calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. It uses a patent-pending algorithm to calculate the walkability of an address based on:
- The distance to walkable locations near an address.
- Calculating a score for each of these locations.
- Combining these scores into one easy to read Walk Score.
You can check out Walk Score at walkscore.com. While there are certainly limitations to this technology, this is a fun and easy way to see how your area stacks up on the "walkability scale." Who knows, you might even find some cool new destination to walk to! |
| News from Around the Region
Weigh in with Downtown Austin Survey As the urban core of the region, downtown Austin has a big impact on Central
Texas and the way the city grows and changes in the next 20 to 30
years matters to us all. Currently, the City of Austin is developing the "Downtown Austin
Plan" to capture the community's vision for how downtown should look, feel and 'live"
in the future. As part of that process, they are asking citizens from around
the region to take part in a community preference survey and weigh in with their
priorities, concerns, and ideas. Make sure your voice is heard.
Click here for more details and to complete the survey.
Shape the Future of Education
One of the most critical challenges facing our region is
closing the achievement gap in education. A new collaborative effort called the
E3 Alliance is heading a regional effort to determine a common vision for the
future of our educational systems and better align these systems in order to
increase global competitiveness, economic vitality and overall quality of life
for Central Texans. In
October, a series of community conversations will take place around the region
to help shape this common vision for education. Your input is critical to
ensure this vision reflects what is most important to you. Click here to get involved.
Transform your Commute with Rideshare September is Commute Solutions Month in Central Texas and it's a great time to explore alternative approaches to your daily commute. Enter the Commuter Challenge Contest and you may even win some great prizes along the way! An excellent new tool for finding commute alternatives is the River Cities Rideshare program which provides carpool and
vanpool matches, biking and pedestrian information and public
transportation options. This partnership of Austin and San Antonio area organizations gives residents one-stop commuter information services and instant rideshare
matching for the 22 counties in the Austin/San Antonio corridor. Click here to learn more.Exploring the Texas Triangle Megaregion "Megaregions"
are networks of metropolitan areas linked by economic and trade relationships,
transportation infrastructure, large natural systems, and growth concerns.
Regional Plan Association and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy convened
scholars and planners at a research seminar in Healdsburg,
California last April to explore this concept
and examine case studies of four megaregions in California,
Texas, the Midwest, and Western
Europe. The resulting compilation of papers are included in this
report, "The
Healdsburg Research Seminar on Megaregions",
including an interesting and thought-provoking study of the Texas Triangle Region by University of Texas at Austin faculty Fritz Steiner (2007 ECT Chair), Ming
Zhang and Kent Butler. Click here to link to a copy of this report.
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Newest ECT Contributors
Other Recent Contributors:
Wade Cooper
David Foster
John Langmore
Rod Reyna
Craig Smith
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