Selling Austin

It's Spring Break, and I went home again to Texas. And a trip to Texas must include a trip home again to Austin, the city of youth, music, the outdoors, and relaxed tolerance of all walks of life. That's the advertising line, anyway, but to a certain extent, I think the soul of Austin really is special for those reasons (not that I am biased, having grown up and gone to school there). But, like coming home to find out that your grandmother has become old and frail, harsh reality has a way of intruding on my rosy, home-visit glow. Austin is a city like any other, and has every city's problems. West Austin is starting to look like L.A., as you can see--and this is one of the nicest views left. Keep Austin Wierd--don't move there!

As I visited Lake Travis, I was deeply saddened by the destruction of a hilltop view from my Middle School. Developers have built large houses up to a road that commands a 270 degree view. I spent a good chunk of my childhood staring out the window at a view that will cease to exist in two more years. I do believe that developers would build in a graveyard if the real estate was worth enough. Land is not sacred around Austin: Texans believe in a free, unfettered market, and they are inheriting the ugly, poorly planned results. When you sow the whirlwind, you will inherit the wind.

All that said, I still think the city of Austin is a great place to be, and I have some hope that Texans will wake up and solve their problems before it is too late. I don't want to see West and Southwest Austin preserved like a fly in amber, but I would like to see more agricultural zoning, purchase of public land for parks and viewsheds, and an effort to mandate conservation development. Developers could cluster developments on one corner of a property, and leave the rest to nature trails and public parks. This would increase the property value of the homes, help local endangered species, and improve the health and well-being of residents. By coordinating with each other, developers could cluster even more to create small towns that are surrounded by healthy streams and forests. That would be the best way to develop West Austin, even if it means not making the maximum profit from every acre. If development has to be done, why not do it well?