How many words is that picture worth? For many of us involved in the design of the built environment, renderings and visual simulations are valuable tools that can transform a mundane, two-dimensional CAD drawing into an appealing, three-dimensional color image which communicates the look and feel of the project much more effectively to clients and... Read Full Post ›
Walkability, density, connectivity – any conversation about the built environment today will almost certainly involve these buzzwords. Sometimes we hear and use these words so frequently that they can start to lose their impact. So when we learned about a recent study by Texas A&M associate professor of architecture Xuemei Zhu that measured the results... Read Full Post ›
For Central Texans, April brings many things – showers, warmer temperatures, oak pollen. But for me, this April brought the much-anticipated Greater & Greener 2015: Innovative Parks, Vibrant Cities conference in San Francisco. It was truly one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended. The event aimed to explore the role of urban parks in... Read Full Post ›
Posted by Barbara Austin 04-24-15
In 1981, Architect Kevin Lynch asserted in Good City Form that, “We might think of travel as a pleasure, rather than a brief and necessary evil.” Lynch’s perspective that transportation infrastructure should enhance the urban experience rather than undermine it preceded the introduction of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) by almost 20 years. Nevertheless, he captured... Read Full Post ›
When we originally purchased our house in the Allandale neighborhood of Austin, it seemed really far from just about everything. The neighborhood demographic was well above the median age for Austin – in fact, many of the original owners still lived in these homes. But as growth in Austin exploded, the face of Allandale changed. ... Read Full Post ›
Last week marked the groundbreaking of the Parmer Lane Sustainable Roadway project, a 1.5 mile extension of Parmer Lane from US Highway 290 to State Highway 130. The result of a partnership between the City of Austin, Travis County, and Titan Capital Investments with local developer Dwyer Realty, the Parmer Lane Sustainable Roadway embraces a... Read Full Post ›
Today you might have noticed quite a few more cyclists on your morning commute to work. It’s National Bike to Work Day! RViers Noah Halbach and Becky Rupel celebrated this day as they do almost every day, by riding their bikes to work. What better way to save gas, get some exercise, and enjoy the... Read Full Post ›
It is no surprise to long-time Austin residents that our city’s population boom is causing serious congestion on local roads. The good news is that regional transportation authorities are working hard to address this growth and have begun work on two much-needed transportation projects in the Austin area: the Oak Hill Parkway (US 290 West)... Read Full Post ›
Even if you have never heard the term Context Sensitive Design, there is a good chance that you have driven along a roadway that was created using this approach to transportation design and engineering. Since the term was coined at the FHWA’s Thinking Beyond the Pavement conference in 1998, Context Sensitive Design (CSD) has been... Read Full Post ›
