Communities within Austin are disproportionately affected by climate change based on their social vulnerability. Social vulnerability refers to a community’s sensitivity to natural hazards and community members’ capacity to rebound from natural disasters. In a study by Patrick Bixler with the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, 18 variables of social vulnerability were […]
Austin
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Local efforts helping with 2020 census
City Council members heard an update on 2020 census preparations at Tuesday’s work session. The presentation emphasized the importance of the census and efforts the city and Travis County will undertake to make sure that communities at risk of being undercounted are counted to the greatest extent possible. Although many people may not realize the […]
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Real estate group’s $1M donation will help fuel expansion plans for Community First! Village
A $1 million donation from the Austin Board of Realtors will help the Community First! Village of Austin with its plans to expand and add more homes for the chronically homeless throughout Austin. In an announcement made Monday, the professional organization’s charitable foundation will provide $100,000 per year over 10 years to the village operated […]
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Commission recommends ban on cashless retail
Human Rights Commissioner Garry Brown noticed recently that more and more businesses across the nation are going cashless in order to make doing business safer, cleaner and more efficient. But for millions of people without bank accounts or with limited access to banking services – disproportionately people of color and those over 65 – the […]
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Austin Public Library is checking out whether to stop charging for overdue materials
The Austin Library Commission is looking into eliminating overdue fees for all materials in the city’s public library system. The Austin Public Library stopped charging fees on overdue materials checked out for kids in 2018. Now the commission has created a three-person working group to analyze the feasibility of a completely fine-free system. Penalties for […]
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Arts community hears feedback on city’s diversity goals for cultural funding
The initial summary of feedback on how the city should consider diversity and equity in funding decisions for Cultural Arts found a wide array of concerns shared from more than 600 participants in recent community input sessions. The presentation Saturday at the Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex in East Austin was attended by roughly 100 people, […]
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Austin may get an economic development corp.
City Council appears to be moving cautiously toward creation of a local economic development corporation that would be totally separate from the city but governed by a Council-appointed board of directors. People unfamiliar with such entities may naturally wonder why the city would need such a corporation. Council heard a presentation about such corporations at […]
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Asian chamber program looks to open contract opportunities for airport expansion
Small businesses owned by women and minorities can get an up-close lesson next month on how they can bid on contracts related to the ongoing expansion work taking place at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce will host the Connect Forum Airport Opportunities session at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at […]
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County sets up new committee to put pressure on city leaders over Expo Center
Travis County leaders want to put pressure on the city of Austin to help them rebuild the aging exposition center. On Tuesday the Commissioners Court voted unanimously to set up a nine-member committee tasked with “engaging and educating Travis County residents and community leaders about the value of redeveloping” the facility on Decker Lane. Rob […]
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Downtown Commission hears fundraising plans for 300 new shelter beds
A partnership between the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce has identified 14 sites that could become the location for a new large shelter to serve the city’s homeless population. At last month’s Downtown Commission meeting, representatives from those groups, which are working to register a new nonprofit group called ATX Helps, […]
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2019: Austin’s year in review
Homelessness If there was one topic that dominated local news coverage this year – and there was – it was homelessness. In June, City Council voted to lift ordinances that essentially criminalized homelessness in the city, and most significantly, prohibited camping in public places. Council also announced the city would be building a new shelter […]
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Austin’s opportunity zones expected to see increased investment, development in 2020
Real estate professionals and the investment community expect development activity to increase in the 21 census tracts in the Austin area that qualify as federal opportunity zones. Those zones, created as part of the 2017 federal tax cut, were designed to promote investment in distressed communities and adjacent tracts by allowing investors to reduce or […]