We discussed all things planes, interstates, automobiles, and more on Wednesday, August 17 at our annual mobility summit. We gathered transportation and housing experts, city planners, and public officials to explore the future of mobility in the Austin region.
Breakout sessions
The Next Super-Region
We welcomed Ashby Johnson with Capital Area MPO, Sid Martinez with Alamo Area MPO, Jim Reed with Central Texas Council of Governments, and Williamson County Commissioner Cynthia Long. The panel discussed the next super-region with Austin and San Antonio. The panel talked about how the MPO and COG can work together to coordinate planning efforts, and how the pandemic accelerated the needs identified in long-range plans and changed commuting, travel patterns, employment, and housing centers.
Our Future 35
Mike Trimble, Director at the City of Austin Corridor Program Office, introduced “Our Future 35,” which is focused on maximizing on the opportunity for new civic/community infrastructure on top of TxDOT’s CapEX Central Project via caps/stitches. He discussed the benefits of a cap/stitch project for our community, which included removing the segregation-era barrier, improving east Austin and downtown connectivity, and enhancing safety and mobility for all.
The Intersection of Housing and Transit
Annick Beaudet, Senior Mobility Officer, City of Austin, Sharmilla Mukherjee, EVP Planning & Development, Capital Metro, and Matt Geske VP, Regional & Local Policy, Austin Chamber gathered to talk about the intersection of housing and transit. They discussed why housing & transit are commonly discussed together as policy goals and how they are supportive of each other. They also discussed the challenges of planning and implementing Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs), TODs vs Equitable TODs, project timelines, and project goals.
The Future of Downtown
Dewitt Peart, President and CEO, and Jenell Moffett, Associate VP of Strategic Initiatives at Downtown Austin Alliance gave an incredible presentation on everything downtown. They covered what it looks like to live, work, and play in Austin. Some interesting highlights include: 38% of those who live in our downtown area are between the ages of 25-34, downtown has approximately 5 million visitors annually, and there are 60+ new storefront businesses since 2020. They shared images of growth in our downtown skyline from 2012, and what to expect the skyline to look like in 2032.
Closing Session
Sly Majid from Argo AI closed out the Regional Mobility summit by sharing some of the technology that is available and being developed to make driving safer. This includes autonomous vehicle technology that has the ability to transform the way we live and move. The idea is that autonomous vehicles can make the world’s streets and roadways safe, accessible, and useful for all.
We ended the day the Chamber way and had a great networking reception. We'd like to thank all of our speakers, sponsors, and attendees for making this a successful event!
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how we support commonsense policies and transportation projects that accommodate our rapidly growing population, relieve congestion, and enhance our quality of life.
Original source can be found here.
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