Compact + Connected
The Invest in a Compact and Connected Austin Priority Program calls for coordination of capital investments, incentives, and regulations in order to support the vision of Imagine Austin. This priority program focuses primarily on:
-
investing in a transportation system that supports the Imagine Austin Growth Concept Map and decreased dependence on driving
-
using the City’s economic development toolkit and partnering with the private sector to leverage more beneficial development in support of Imagine Austin
-
aligning the overall Capital Improvement Program with Imagine Austin
Progress
The Colony Park Sustainable Community is a multi-year effort to implement the Colony Park Sustainable Community Master Plan adopted by Austin City Council in December 2014. Since 2014, the City of Austin has been working with the community to secure a Master Developer partner for 208-acres of city-owned land in Northeast Austin. In October 2018, the City Council unanimously selected Catellus Development Corporation as the proposed master developer for the Colony Park Sustainable Community and City Staff are currently in active negotiations with the developer.
The project team has also been working closely with partnering agencies and interdepartmentally to coordinate nearby adjacent and supporting projects. These efforts include the Colony Park District Park, Walter E. Long Master Plan, and Capital Metro TOD Green Line Study for which Colony Park is being considered as a station area. A critical initiative to support these efforts is the Colony Loop Drive project, which will provide a continuous complete street between Loyola and Decker Lanes through the existing and future Colony Park neighborhoods. Preliminary engineering and design for Colony Loop Drive are underway through the 2016 Mobility Corridor Program.
Colony Park Sustainable Community
Program Champion:
Mike Trimble
Departments: Corridor Program Office, Public Works, Planning and Zoning, Economic Development, Austin Transportation, Watershed Protection
Austin Strategic Mobility Plan
The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan (ASMP) is the City of Austin’s first locally-focused, comprehensive, multimodal transportation plan. Called for by Imagine Austin, the City’s award-winning comprehensive plan, the ASMP was unanimously approved by the Austin City Council on April 11, 2019 after a two and a half year planning process. The process to develop the ASMP was applauded by City Council for its vision of a 50-50 city, where 50% of Austinites drive to work and 50% use another mode of transportation, as well as the ability to elevate the voices of members of the community who have not been historically engaged in planning processes. The ASMP provides new direction for mobility in Austin through its comprehensive set of policies and actions and sets priorities for future decisions.
The ASMP is the city’s first plan that incorporates all modes of transportation for the future of Austin’s transportation network. The ASMP is needed for Austin to achieve the mobility outcomes that will help to improve and sustain the quality of life desired by our community. Austin’s transportation network must be safe, accessible, affordable, and inclusive for all members of the community, and the ASMP positions current and future leaders to be able to make decisions toward those exact values. The ASMP presents goals to achieve, the policies needed for guidance, and the actions necessary to realize the community’s shared vision.
Learn more about how we can get to this goal and others at austintexas.gov/asmp
The ASMP has a goal to move Austin to a 50/50 mode share where 50% of Austinites drive to work and 50% travel by some other mode of transportation whether it's taking transit, riding a bicycle, walking, carpooling, or teleworking.
Corridor Mobility Program
Following the April 2018 adoption of a $1.4 billion Corridor Construction Program, the City began preliminary engineering and design on mobility improvements for nine key corridors that are consistent with the Imagine Austin Growth Concept map. The program is now in the full design phase, with construction of some early-out critical safety and mobility projects underway.
The Corridor Construction Program is funded in part by the voter-approved 2016 Mobility Bond. The investments will help to further the Compact and Connected vision of Imagine Austin. Learn more at austintexas.gov/corridormobility.
Challenges
The Austin Strategic Mobility Plan lays out the biggest challenges we face in trying to achieving our vision of a mobile, safe, and interconnected Austin:
-
Lowering the risk of travel-related injury and protect and promote public health
-
Supplying a multimodal transportation network that can meet the demands of a growing region while providing equitable access to transportation choices, opportunities, and services
-
Preparing for and leading in leveraging rapidly evolving technology in transportation
-
Ensuring a financially and environmentally sustainable transportation network
-
Collaborating effectively with agencies, organizations, and the Austin community around mobility decision-making
Learn more about the strategies developed to address these challenges in the ASMP document.