by Roger Cauvin
Many of you know that the City of Austin has been engaging its citizens in "comprehensive planning", planning that will shape the future of the city. Staff has been holding a series of community forums to get citizen input.
In the first round of community forums, Austinites voiced what they like and dislike about the city, and what kind of city they'd like Austin to be in the next few decades. The Citizens Advisory Task Force (CATF), a group of citizens appointed by the City Council, incorporated this and other input in a vision statement, which City Council eventually approved after some minor modifications.
In the second round of forums, citizens created growth scenarios for Austin (land use and transportation maps of how the city could best accommodate population growth). City staff then composed four growth scenarios they deemed representative of the maps created by groups of citizens. Since then, consultants have analyzed the impact of each scenario according to various measures of sustainability, including vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and other metrics.
The third round of forums will take place in September and October. Don't miss out on your opportunity to participate. Come to a community forum in your area to review the scenarios and provide your thoughts. You can also review and provide comments online. For more details on the process, and how to get involved, visit www.ImagineAustin.net, call 3-1-1, or visit your local branch library, and ask about the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan.
