28 Downtown Blocks to Close During F1 (Dallas, Austin: how much, house, movie theater)
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Is there an overkill point that will cause the typical downtown dweller to say, "I use to like it down here, but now it's just a hassle"?
I'm a fan of downtown and would love living there in a few years after our youngest goes off to college. But I'd probably rent an apartment before buying, or do a house swap with someone for 6-12 months to make sure my wife and I are cut out for the downtown lifestyle. It could be that it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Or maybe after 6 months we'd say "let's do this permanently!"
One of my clients lived in the Austonian for 3 years but eventually back to a house up north because the work commute became too much.
To me it isn't a matter of either or, but what is. Ok, ya I don't even know what I mean by that. lol But like you don't have to have it so that there are no limits or where you ban all street closures. Like you said, some limits is fine. But it is a downtown. Not a suburb. I don't think auto traffic should be the top priority of downtown. Not for those who live there. Not for those who work there. And not for those who play there.
As long as it is, then these problems with street closures are only going to get worse as the city continues to grow. And we all know the city isn't going to ever stop growing. lol. That was a lost cause a long time ago. As long as car traffic downtown is the top concern then other means of transit will never be a reality, because people will continue to refuse to try getting out of their cars and taking a bus. The events downtown are going to happen regardless, as they should. Trying to stop events from happening downtown is going to be as successful as trying to stop Austin from growing. It will not happen. Because as THL said, they have always been a part of the culture in Austin and what makes the city what it is. The events may change but times change. It is 2012, not 1969. We shouldn't be stuck only in 1969, and that one generation shouldn't be the only one allowed to be "Austin". We can cherish and celebrate our past generations of Austin, while looking forward to tomorrow and living today.
One of the biggest difference from 1969 and 2012 is in 1969 the Greater Austin Metro had 400,000 people while today it is at 1.8 Million people. And when they visit downtown they are all still expected to drive just the same as they did in 1969. That is a problem. By not allowing Austin to have events anymore in order to deal with that growth is a poor *lazy* way to accommodate the growth. Also let us remember F1 originally wanted to have their event at Auditorium Shores but it was the anti-F1 no-growth neighborhood association groups who opposed the city changing the rules to allow it, thus forcing it across the river and the road closures.
I also don't totally buy the whole goals of the city to create an area where people can "live, work and play" downtown. I believe they are somewhat accommodating to the living, very accommodating to the playing, but extremely opposed to people working downtown. Obviously there is nothing they can do about the state and county governments basing downtown, but when it comes to commercial business and office space they have a very strong history of being opposed to allowing it downtown. Downtown has only 100,000 workers. ~12% of the city's population works downtown. Downtown and the neighborhoods next to it have only 150,000 people living there (18%) and only 35,000 living downtown in the CBD and West Campus (4.3%). Yet a third of all alcohol sales taxes are collected downtown. Of all the various aspects of the three (work, living, play) the play part is by far the biggest aspect it plays in the city as a whole. On weekday evenings and on weekends downtown always seems busier than during the work days. It is not just an employment center, it is more than that.
Is there an overkill point that will cause the typical downtown dweller to say, "I use to like it down here, but now it's just a hassle"?
I'm a fan of downtown and would love living there in a few years after our youngest goes off to college. But I'd probably rent an apartment before buying, or do a house swap with someone for 6-12 months to make sure my wife and I are cut out for the downtown lifestyle. It could be that it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Or maybe after 6 months we'd say "let's do this permanently!"
One of my clients lived in the Austonian for 3 years but eventually back to a house up north because the work commute became too much.
Steve
If your question is can I conceive a scenario where we have so many events that is is no longer worth it? I guess so. I don't think we're anywhere close to that and the problem remains a purely hypothetical one for the foreseeable future.
As to whether such events are scaring some people away from Downtown? It's possible. It's also probable that it's attracting many many multiples more.
You don't have to look too far back into Austin' past to see downtown as a ghost town. Until the mid-1990s the number of residents in the CBD was measured in the hundreds. And many of those were residents of the downtown jail.
There are about 10,000 residents now. Austin set a goal of 25,000 residents by 2015. Might not get there but we're well on the way. Almost all these events are happening concurrently with the growth of downtown population. These are simpatico occurrences, not at odds. The events help feed the enthusiasm to live work play in the CBD, the residents living there give it real life. These are good things. We're a long way from "too much" and much to close to "remember when it was dead".
I've never heard so much belly achin' over a city having this many great opportunities for its residents in all my life. There are cities that don't have such closures and events - traffic runs smooth as silk in the CBDs. I like to call those cities, Tucson and Tulsa and El Paso and Milwaukee and Fresno.
Yeah, we have to endure the occasional street closure in the CBD. Big deal. We get SXSW. We get Texas Book Festival. We get ACL. We get the Austin Film Festival and Screen Writers Conference. All these events, in addition to being fantastic opportunities for the denizens of Austin, expose our beautiful city with advertising money can't buy and attract interest and business that benefit us all. Now we get to host F1 - an event on the international scale and be in the same group of cities as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal, Singapore, Istanbul.
Now - would you rather we a city more like Tucson, Tulsa, El Paso, Milwaukee and Fresno? Or more like Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal and Singapore. I know which group I'd rather be in.
Regardless - this is Texas and we should stop moanin' about this thing that is happening, put on our big boy britches have a heckuva good party like I know that we can and have a warm welcome to our guests to show the world how great Austinites are.
Amen. Plus, what is with all of these "snob" remarks? Is there a feeling that people enjoying these services or establishments are looking down on you? I just think people like variety. I spend several years in NYC and like the variety that a vibrant city can provide but I don't look down on anyone who is not participating. As soon as something different that carries a slightly higher (or just plain expensive) price point arrives everyone starts freaking out. Clearly there are people here that can afford these things but I sure don't see anyone in these crowds wanting to do away with the Austin vibe. In fact, as much as I like a top shelf drink and the availability of valet parking (ok, maybe valet parking does annoy me sometimes), I'd hate to see "weird" get lost in the shuffle. I think we've done a pretty good job balancing both new and old Austin.
Amen. Plus, what is with all of these "snob" remarks? Is there a feeling that people enjoying these services or establishments are looking down on you? I just think people like variety. I spend several years in NYC and like the variety that a vibrant city can provide but I don't look down on anyone who is not participating. As soon as something different that carries a slightly higher (or just plain expensive) price point arrives everyone starts freaking out. Clearly there are people here that can afford these things but I sure don't see anyone in these crowds wanting to do away with the Austin vibe. In fact, as much as I like a top shelf drink and the availability of valet parking (ok, maybe valet parking does annoy me sometimes), I'd hate to see "weird" get lost in the shuffle. I think we've done a pretty good job balancing both new and old Austin.
"Freaking out"? Hardly. I just call it as I see it. And I'm not even a native. I actually don't care if people can afford such things, but I will say this, the Austin I saw in 2004 (which is not old btw) was different (in a good way) than this version. The monied people were around back then too, but Austin was being true to itself. I think quite a few folks know what I mean. It's funny to me, because I'm a transplant myself, how much I really appreciate a city years ago. Oh well
I've never heard so much belly achin' over a city having this many great opportunities for its residents in all my life. There are cities that don't have such closures and events - traffic runs smooth as silk in the CBDs. I like to call those cities, Tucson and Tulsa and El Paso and Milwaukee and Fresno.
Yeah, we have to endure the occasional street closure in the CBD. Big deal. We get SXSW. We get Texas Book Festival. We get ACL. We get the Austin Film Festival and Screen Writers Conference. All these events, in addition to being fantastic opportunities for the denizens of Austin, expose our beautiful city with advertising money can't buy and attract interest and business that benefit us all. Now we get to host F1 - an event on the international scale and be in the same group of cities as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal, Singapore, Istanbul.
Now - would you rather we a city more like Tucson, Tulsa, El Paso, Milwaukee and Fresno? Or more like Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal and Singapore. I know which group I'd rather be in.
Regardless - this is Texas and we should stop moanin' about this thing that is happening, put on our big boy britches have a heckuva good party like I know that we can and have a warm welcome to our guests to show the world how great Austinites are.
No, I'm sorry, even with F1 Austin is not a Montreal, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, or what have you. Not even close. That's not a put down. Austin is a unique Texas city..since when is it trying to emulate those cities??? As for that grand ol' party, whateva I say, as long as it doesn't hinder me from getting to and from work.
No, I'm sorry, even with F1 Austin is not a Montreal, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, or what have you. Not even close. That's not a put down. Austin is a unique Texas city..since when is it trying to emulate those cities??? As for that grand ol' party, whateva I say, as long as it doesn't hinder me from getting to and from work.
It's not, but it we can be a great city. And I'd rather see us try to be a great city and fall short than try to be Fresno and succeed.
No, I'm sorry, even with F1 Austin is not a Montreal, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, or what have you. Not even close. That's not a put down. Austin is a unique Texas city..since when is it trying to emulate those cities??? As for that grand ol' party, whateva I say, as long as it doesn't hinder me from getting to and from work.
Closing downtown blocks and having street festivals with music seems like a very Austin thing, doesn't have anything to do with what the other cities do. I don't see anything about that which is emulating other cities.
F1 doesn't seem to have anything to do with Austin either, but then everything in Austin is a misfit. That's what makes it so great... Houses on cliffs/hills Texas? A city which votes democrat in Texas? A downtown people actually want to go to and live in? Greenbelts a stone's throw from Downtown? And now, the only purpose built F1 track in US? How is that making Austin less unique?
It's the misfit aspect of the whole thing which makes the city great. Once Austin starts doing exactly what you expect it should be doing, then we have a problem...
Is there an overkill point that will cause the typical downtown dweller to say, "I use to like it down here, but now it's just a hassle"?
I'm a fan of downtown and would love living there in a few years after our youngest goes off to college. But I'd probably rent an apartment before buying, or do a house swap with someone for 6-12 months to make sure my wife and I are cut out for the downtown lifestyle. It could be that it's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. Or maybe after 6 months we'd say "let's do this permanently!"
One of my clients lived in the Austonian for 3 years but eventually back to a house up north because the work commute became too much.
Steve
Thats because you are too old. For the people that like to go out all the time, and who have the energy to do it, these huge parties are awesome.
If austin can turn itself into a non stop festival city, that would certainly be weird.
I've never heard so much belly achin' over a city having this many great opportunities for its residents in all my life. There are cities that don't have such closures and events - traffic runs smooth as silk in the CBDs. I like to call those cities, Tucson and Tulsa and El Paso and Milwaukee and Fresno.
Yeah, we have to endure the occasional street closure in the CBD. Big deal. We get SXSW. We get Texas Book Festival. We get ACL. We get the Austin Film Festival and Screen Writers Conference. All these events, in addition to being fantastic opportunities for the denizens of Austin, expose our beautiful city with advertising money can't buy and attract interest and business that benefit us all. Now we get to host F1 - an event on the international scale and be in the same group of cities as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal, Singapore, Istanbul.
Now - would you rather we a city more like Tucson, Tulsa, El Paso, Milwaukee and Fresno? Or more like Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Montreal and Singapore. I know which group I'd rather be in.
Regardless - this is Texas and we should stop moanin' about this thing that is happening, put on our big boy britches have a heckuva good party like I know that we can and have a warm welcome to our guests to show the world how great Austinites are.
I attended SXSWi for the first time last year. I never have been to ACL or any of the other big festivals. They arent my thing. However I think they are absolutely awesome for austin.
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