Ten Projects That will Change Austin's Skyline (Dallas, Spring: condo, home)

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Cities mired in the past like NY, Miami, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Rome, San Francisco, Vancouver. . .wouldn't want to be mired in the past like those dead to the world cities that time forgot.

What?

Nice hyperbole. We aren't any of those, and none have been created since the 19th century. And no matter how any times you ask Santa, we won't become any of those.

Personally, I'd much rather be like Charleston, Santa Fe or Santa Barbara than any place on your list.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by scm53

Nice hyperbole. We aren't any of those, and none have been created since the 19th century. And no matter how any times you ask Santa, we won't become any of those.

Personally, I'd much rather be like Charleston, Santa Fe or Santa Barbara than any place on your list.

Those oh so stuck in the past 19th century cities are the leading financial and cultural centers of the world.

Gosh - it would SUCK SO HARD to be a GRACIOUS and VIBRANT city filled with OPPORTUNITY and DIVERSITY - such 19th CENTURY backwardness. . . wouldn't want to be that.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by WDaleHerring

Why the demeanor? I've been doing an immense amount of research in all aspects regarding my future home and I think Austin might be it. Growth and development is good. Certain people don't like their "small cities" getting bigger but that doesn't mean everyone feels that way. I'm always looking forward to the future, growth, innovation, et cetera. That's just who I am. These projects are exciting!

No, I'm tired of people who don't live here thinking they know what's best for our fine town like the unchecked ugly sprawl upwards and outwards. You do not live here. You have no vested interest in Austin's long term future, nor do most of the 200 people moving here everyday who will be buzzing on to the next pretty flower once this one has withered and died.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

No, I'm tired of people who don't live here thinking they know what's best for our fine town. The unchecked ugly sprawl upwards and outwards disgusts me. You do not live here. You have no vested interest in Austin's long term future, nor do most of the 200 people moving here everyday who will be buzzing on to the next pretty flower once this one has withered and died.

I've lived here longer than you - likely by decades.

Austin is better today than it ever has been. It will be better ten years from now than today. The recent growth of the past decade has brought tremendous new and interesting life to the city that was badly needed after the 80s'-90's doldrums.

I love the vitality, interest, perspective and enthusiasm that new people bring to our city. It makes it a much more interesting place and helps to drown out the constant din of the aging hippies muttering to themselves trite aphorisms ("did you ever hear the one about killing the goose that laid the golden egg. . .").

Give me the enthusiastic newcomer who can't wait to get into town and help build its future over the bitter old timer who long ago bolted for the suburbs any day of the week and twice on sundays.

[A-Tex]

Originally Posted by Komeht

I've lived here longer than you - likely by decades.

Austin is better today than it ever has been. It will be better ten years from now than today. The recent growth of the past decade has brought tremendous new and interesting life to the city that was badly needed after the 80s'-90's doldrums.

I love the vitality, interest, perspective and enthusiasm that new people bring to our city. It makes it a much more interesting place and helps to drown out the constant din of the aging hippies muttering to themselves trite aphorisms ("did you ever hear the one about killing the goose that laid the golden egg. . .").

Give me the enthusiastic newcomer who can't wait to get into town and help build its future over the bitter old timer who long ago bolted for the suburbs any day of the week and twice on sundays.

Who lives in the suburbs? Not me. And I'm not bitter. I'm concerned.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by scm53

Just because I didn't make YOUR judgement doesn't mean that I did. You want central planning to evolve a city into YOUR vision. I want people to make choices that are best for them - just as Houston has. You want to smugly avoid "waistlines that auto-dependent households have", go ahead. Just don't impose them on people that vote for different choices.

It's not about my judgement as I didn't contradict myself like you have.

Vision? Did you ever stop and think that I chose Austin b/c the leadership here had roughly the same ideas as what makes a livable city as I do? That is I saw their vision and decided I wanted to be a part of that. That I wanted X and not Y......So I guess you are alluding to Houston's lack of zoning and coherent planning? The notion that an individual makes the best decisions not only for himself but also for his neighbors and the larger community? Sorry that might be a libertarian ideal that sets your heart aflutter but it doesn't work in the real world. West, Texas is a good example do-what-thou-wilt development patterns.

And I visited Houston a few weeks ago and stayed in the Montrose area. It costs about the same as central Austin and has roughly the same vibe, but sorry I wouldn't trade my house for one there. Signs (both kinds) like these give me all the info I need:

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by A-Tex

Who lives in the suburbs? Not me. And I'm not bitter. I'm concerned.

I didn't say you were - but there's a lot of them around and they comment on the Austin board ALL THE TIME even though they don't even live here. I like the new energy of people who are coming here and want to be part of the community - those are good things to be encouraged, not insulted for not being here long enough and dismissed.

But to the car loving suburbanites who don't like urbanism in an urban city and wish Austin were more like 1996 or 1986 or 1976 or whatever - good riddance - they made their choice and left the city - so go away and leave Austin to those who care about Austin enough to make it our home.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by scm53

Just because I didn't make YOUR judgement doesn't mean that I did. You want central planning to evolve a city into YOUR vision. I want people to make choices that are best for them - just as Houston has. You want to smugly avoid "waistlines that auto-dependent households have", go ahead. Just don't impose them on people that vote for different choices.

You're under the misapprehension that somehow sprawl occurs by choice. It absolutely does not. Sprawl is the creature of government mandate. Everything about sprawl is precisely to code: The set backs, the width of the parking spaces, the number of parking spaces, the swales and berms, the signage, the graded curb cuts, the height of the buildings. . .all of it precisely to code - a very very bad code designed by people who were not interested in building cities but supremely concerned with moving traffic.

All things being equal, urbanism is the preferred form of development for developers for the simple reason that it pays better. But coding is destiny. When building sprawl takes nothing more than filing a site plan and 3 months for the city to approve and building urbanism takes 20 variances and 5 years of fighting planning commissions and neighborhood groups is it any wonder why developers end up building sprawl?

[riaelise]

I agree. Along with these skyscrapers, there needs to be more amenities, better streets, and overall more things to do. I've been working downtown for as long as I've lived in the Austin area and despite all the pretty buildings and bars, what else really is there.

[Exult.Q36]

I am jealous. I wish Fort Worth would have a building boom like Austin.