The Fight Over Keeping Austin Weird (Houston, Portland: car, commuter, deal)

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

The "weird" people in Austin don't go around and advertise themselves to regular people. For the most part, they keep to themselves and their own connection of friends. Around campus, southside (and now eastside) in the parts of town suburbanites and tourists don't go or wouldn't go..as they always have.

Exactly. Counter-culture is constantly changing face. Things aren't supposed to be how they used to be.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

. Around campus, southside (and now eastside) in the parts of town suburbanites and tourists don't go or wouldn't go..

Stereotype much? You have no clue where you can find me or my neighbors on the weekends.

[BatWing]

the death of Leslie by that reckless madman that ran him over hurt Austin's weirdness, but nonetheles I saw 2 females riding their bikes topless down the drag couple days ago around 7pm. I'd say that's pretty weird, and brave...lol..damn near made me ride up on the curb......you won't see THAT in Houston guaranteeed.

[BatWing]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

The "weird" people in Austin don't go around and advertise themselves to regular people. For the most part, they keep to themselves and their own connection of friends. Around campus, southside (and now eastside) in the parts of town suburbanites and tourists don't go or wouldn't go..as they always have.

and that's the unique weirdness I like. ... everybody shouldn't try to be everybody's friend. that's fake to me. I like to keep the buggaboos and debbie downers out of the circle.

[buffettjr]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Well, commercializing the phrase certainly didn't help at all! SHAME on them!

Wasn't the phrase invented by the Austin Business Alliance?

[buffettjr]

Originally Posted by Komeht

Austin isn't weird unless you think hating Houston while emulating Houston's sprawling pattern of growth is weird.

I happen to think it's very weird, though certainly nothing to crow about.

Is that what we are doing? I thought we were developing with an explicitly stated goal of urban infill, hence all the newly approved residential towers downtown, focus on downtown amenities, focus on mixed use development instead of single use residential or single use commercial, etc.

[sxrckr]

Originally Posted by BatWing

the death of Leslie by that reckless madman that ran him over hurt Austin's weirdness, but nonetheles I saw 2 females riding their bikes topless down the drag couple days ago around 7pm. I'd say that's pretty weird, and brave...lol..damn near made me ride up on the curb......you won't see THAT in Houston guaranteeed.

I saw stuff like that in Houston when I lived there. But I frequented the parts of town where you may actually see it.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by ImOnFiya

The "weird" people in Austin don't go around and advertise themselves to regular people. For the most part, they keep to themselves and their own connection of friends. Around campus, southside (and now eastside) in the parts of town suburbanites and tourists don't go or wouldn't go..as they always have.

Same as every other city. That doesn't make Austin any weirder than any other place.

[PedroMartinez]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

Is that what we are doing? I thought we were developing with an explicitly stated goal of urban infill, hence all the newly approved residential towers downtown, focus on downtown amenities, focus on mixed use development instead of single use residential or single use commercial, etc.

Have you driven down roads like 2222 lately?

Actually, the question should be: did you drive down 2222 15 years ago?

Austin is going through a massive suburban development phase, and it has been for at least 10 years.

Austin, like Houston, is a car-centric city. As much as Houston? No. But the fact of the matter is that commuter traffic is dependent upon the car in Austin, and this is resulting in similar patterns that Houston experienced during it's booms. Look at all of the highways, road expansions and additional roads added to Austin over the last few years. They haven't been added so that the urban folks can get out of town.

[Komeht]

Originally Posted by buffettjr

Is that what we are doing? I thought we were developing with an explicitly stated goal of urban infill, hence all the newly approved residential towers downtown, focus on downtown amenities, focus on mixed use development instead of single use residential or single use commercial, etc.

That's happening in a very small percentage of the city. Austin's footprint is vast for a city of its size. a big sprawling mess of a place.

4/5 people moving to "Austin" aren't even moving to Austin at all. They're forced into Hays and Willco.

Austin pays lip service to urbanism and gorges whole hog on suburbanism.

It's nice that downtown has gradually evolved into having a modicum of urbanism -that's an improvement over what it use to be (moribund), but it's only a very very modest start. In the meantime the surrounding hill country we use to enjoy is getting paved over at an ever accellerating pace.