Rising pressure on local water infrastructure, with prolonged drought, declining inflows and rapid population growth were the focus of a recent Urban Land Institute Austin panel. Speakers called attention to ongoing water policy shortfalls at the state and local levels and warned that continued development could outpace available supply unless legislative and planning reforms are […]
Urban Land Institute
Posted inPlanning
Panelists look at the airport’s future of ‘perpetual’ construction
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is expected to remain in a near-perpetual state of construction for the next several decades, as city officials and regional leaders prepare for sustained, long-term growth in air travel demand and economic activity across the Central Texas region. That projection, shared during a recent Urban Land Institute of Austin panel, helped the […]
Posted inWater
Infrastructure panelists ponder tactics for stretching Austin’s existing water supply
Facing limited prospects for new water sources, Austin officials are advancing a broad strategy centered on water reuse, conservation and storage to meet the city’s long-term needs. At a recent infrastructure summit hosted by the Austin Chamber of Commerce, water planners described an array of initiatives designed to extend the capacity of Austin’s existing supply […]
Posted inAustin
UT hopes to play leading role in Austin’s evolving development scene
At Wednesday’s Urban Land Institute Austin breakfast discussion, interim University of Texas President Jim Davis offered a candid assessment of the university’s evolving role in Austin’s booming development scene. Once regarded as one of the city’s largest builders and employers, Davis said UT now finds itself competing for attention alongside tech giants and multibillion-dollar infrastructure […]
Posted inAustin
Real estate leaders hear options for assisting Austin’s threatened creatives
Members of the Austin real estate and development community got a look Wednesday at how unstable many local arts and cultural organizations are – and how they are being threatened by the growth pressures in the city’s hot market for commercial space. Urban Land Institute Austin’s monthly breakfast panel was focused on how to preserve […]
Posted inHousing
Real estate trends point toward stable growth even after Austin loses ‘supernova’ status
While Austin has moved out of the “supernova” growth phase among real estate markets across the nation, real estate and development professionals expect the Central Texas region to remain a hot spot in 2025 for many types of construction and property development. Urban Land Institute Austin’s monthly breakfast panel last week looked at what’s forecast […]
Posted inHousing
Panelists discuss how to solve Austin’s workforce housing crisis
While discussing the housing affordability crisis and its impact on Austin’s essential workers, a local EMS leader captured attention Wednesday morning with her account of how emergency services staff are pushing themselves beyond reasonable limits because of their long commutes into the city. With roughly 70 percent of Austin EMS Association members living outside the […]
Posted inAustin
Developers join city in considering climate resiliency as Austin grows
While the city considers its options for dealing with extreme weather and increasing resiliency across the area, the same questions about the role of climate change in large-scale building projects are top of mind for developers and financial leaders active in Central Texas. In addition to policies affecting building standards and public financing for needed […]
Posted inHousing
Panelists offer cautious optimism on HOME and other city land use changes
Local real estate and development professionals weighed in Wednesday on the potential impact of the city’s many recent changes in land use policy, which were intended to add housing stock and address the affordability problem that has affected the area for roughly a decade. At the monthly breakfast panel held by Urban Land Institute Austin, […]
Posted inAustin
Workforce leaders talk how to grow skilled trades pipeline to 10,000+ workers annually
In February 2021, when a deep winter freeze caused burst pipes in homes and businesses all over Austin, a city staffer looking for available plumbers called Tamara Atkinson, CEO of Workforce Solutions Capital Area and one of the local experts in training for skilled trades jobs. The news she had for them wasn’t good. “They […]
Posted inEnergy
Panelists: Transmission lines, local generation needed to meet Austin’s energy demands
Keeping up with aggressive business and residential growth throughout the Austin area is a persistent challenge for those involved in supplying energy reliably to the city while also trying to move away from fossil fuel sources for generation needs. Speakers at a recent Austin Chamber infrastructure summit said the demand coming into the area means […]
Posted inRoads
Summit panel looks at possibilities and challenges of I-35 cap-and-stitch program
While intense construction on the lowering and widening of Interstate 35 isn’t scheduled to begin until mid- or late 2026, local business and political leaders want the public to know that decisions and talks taking place now will have a dramatic effect on how the project reshapes Austin’s future. Transportation and commerce experts discussed the […]