Imagine what the south shore could be

How can transformation on Lady Bird Lake’s south shore take into account livability, financial realities, and respect for the waterfront?

As part of the HUD-funded Sustainable Places Project, John Fregonese, a nationally respected expert on sustainable development, presented a new innovative tool that could help inform redevelopment decision-making.

A key Sustainable Places Project initiative has been to develop a computer-based analytic tool to assess and compare livability impacts of redevelopment scenarios. In the case of South Shore Central, these scenarios included the redevelopment trend according to current regulations, a scenario modeled on the AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) report, and a proposal using SDAT principles developed by the Texas Urban Futures Lab at the University of Texas School of Architecture. The Waterfront Planning Advisory Board, in their continued efforts to shape a positive future for the waterfront, endorsed South Shore Central as a demonstration site.

Missed it? Watch the video.
Download the presentation slides.

Don't have time for the entire video? Skip head! Here's the timestamps:

• Introduction to Sustainable Places Project: 0:00-14:53 minutes
• Scenario planning 101 and introduction to Envision Tomorrow: 14:53-36:04 minutes
• Developing a vision: 36:04-47:13 minutes
• South Shore Central scenario analysis: 47:13-Video Part 2, 24:24 minutes
• Q&A: Video Part 2, 24:24 minutes

This May 13 event was hosted by the City of Austin and the Sustainable Places Project. This work is part of a larger analysis for urban rail that will be conducted this summer.

South Shore Central Study Area

This special project focuses on Lady Bird Lake's South Shore Central sub-district. This sub-district, one of 16 in the Waterfront Overlay, is adjacent to Auditorium Shores park and includes connections to the Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake, now under construction, and proposed urban rail stops.

Currently, South Shore Central is largely characterized by parking lots or aging auto-oriented development, “superblocks” that impede pedestrian access to the waterfront, and challenged mobility connections. As public and private reinvestments inevitably move forward, Austin faces a critical opportunity to guide redevelopment to enhance greater public access to the lakefront, promote walkability and greater mobility choices, safeguard the natural environment, and ensure the highest standards of urban design.

Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) Report

Austin was one of seven communities nationwide to win a 2012 grant for technical and design assistance from the AIA/SDAT public service program. As part of the SDAT program, Austin hosted a team of national sustainable design experts who worked with over 200 citizens, City staff and officials, and other stakeholders during three days in June 2012. At the conclusion of the June visit, the SDAT presented their preliminary recommendations at a public meeting.

The City of Austin received the final SDAT report  in October 2012. This report provides recommendations on how South Shore Central could redevelop to achieve expanded and enhanced public space along the lakeshore and high-quality pedestrian connections to the shore and throughout the district, and create a more sustainable, attractive and harmonious built environment. The SDAT recommendations are being used as one test scenario for the Sustainable Places Project analytic tool.

Past Waterfront Planning in Austin

The Lady Bird Lake waterfront has benefited from a legacy of forward-looking planning that is rooted in the 1985 Town Lake Corridor Study. This study set foundational policies which were codified with the 1986 Waterfront Overlay ordinance, which remains in effect today, much as it was when first enacted. A City Council appointed Waterfront Planning Advisory Board (WPAB), which is responsible for reviewing development proposals in light of the ordinance, is currently reviewing the ordinance to make recommendations on how the code might be clarified and strengthened. Learn more about the history of waterfront planning here.

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