You see dear friends, Austin has a sidewalk problem.
Shel Silverstein (rest his magical soul) was a Chicago native. However, after arriving in Austin, I felt almost certain he could have just as easily been from this progressive Texas town and was penning the child-friendly poetry anthology, Where the Sidewalk Ends, as a callback to his youth. A little thumb flick to local town planners if you will.
You see dear friends, Austin has a sidewalk problem.
That’s to say, it’s missing a lot of them—2,500+ miles of them to be more precise. And after you’ve spent a fair bit of time traveling by foot across many great U.S. cities—San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, New Orleans, Indianapolis —you sort of grow accustomed to the ability to walk around (the best way bipeds move) and do so with the comfort of safety. You notice—as an out-of-town type—when these handy tools are absent. Everywhere.
Our sweet little Rosedale neighborhood (I mean that both in the “sweeeeeeet” way a 20-something who likes a local beer garden might say it and the “Isn’t it sweet?” way a 40-something mom with two kids who grows organic vegetables and has a “This House Loves Everyone” sign might as well) has block after block of what I like to refer to as “The Wild, Wild West Cowboy” model of neighborhood planning and sidewalk inclusion.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever wanted to know exactly what our great cities might look like if important decisions about development and common-way provisions were left in the hands of private funders and individual land owners, I encourage you to visit Texas! Yee haw. Little government. The man isn’t telling us what to do! We’ll do the best things for ourselves anyway, right? Well, not so much…
Allow me to explain. Until recently (late 90’s), Austin allowed individual developers and homeowners all over the city to decide whether or not it made sense to add sidewalks to their projects and lots respectively. Developers also, interestingly enough, stamped their names and the years of those developments in sidewalk pads all across the neighborhoods, should anyone ever ponder the year said development was built or who was to admire (blame?) for any of the developer’s choices. This does make chronicling the history of the city a lot more fun, but also provides a little laughter when you see “1972” stamped in the one, lonely orphaned sidewalk pad that a kind neighbor decided to include several decades ago. Thank you one person for thinking about other people who might want to walk through the neighborhood or have kids in a stroller or be disabled!
Did I mention that I live right next to the blind school in a neighborhood that DOESN’T have sidewalks to keep you out of TRAFFIC?
Walking: It’s not just for poor people. And other city-related views.
Funny thing. It seems that having a disproportionately high amount of pedestrian,vehicle-related deaths will grab anyone’s attention – including that of city officials. That’s just one of the reasons that Austin took back its sidewalks and is trying to rectify its sidewalk desert issue. The city’s Master Sidewalk Plan outlines the priorities of the entire city grouped by district, and works hard to stretch its nominal annual budget by overlaying the most severe sidewalk needs, with the best opportunities (i.e. new developments, construction that was already going to happen, road changes that present options, etc.). And they are making progress.
That, coupled with a changing (ahem…demanding) demographic of young, urban cash-positive professionals coming from other notable U.S. cities that already have ample infrastructure, are making city officials rethink how much budget should be allocated to this issue, and how strong the voices in an area need be before a target zone will be updated, retrofitted or completely redesigned.
The caste system that walking once was is no more, and people, now more health-focused are choosing to walk, bike, run and play in their neighborhoods, slow down and enjoy them.
Navigating Austin Sidewalks like a Local
If you only visit very tourist-dense areas of the city, such as downtown, 6th Street, South Congress or Rainey Street, you might not notice Austin’s sidewalk woes. However, if you want to explore Austin like a local, and venture out into lesser-known parts untraveled, then you will certainly see this issue come up and will likely find yourself on foot, stuck on a sidewalk island. Be prepared to take side, access roads and walk along busy streets in the dirt. Consider a reflective vest. Don’t allow little kids to get close to the road without your express supervision and probably a friendly hand to hold.
Above all, be aware, be alert and be a good citizen that shares “How lovely” sidewalks would be in an area with the local shop merchants, restaurant owners and tourist attraction employees you meet. In other words, say something.
While you may not have the estimated 192 years the sidewalk project will take to complete to plan your visit, those living in Austin day after day and driving business and tourism have a mighty voice to be heard. Amplify it.
If you’d like to learn more about this topic, I recommend this Austin Chronicle article and the 2016 Austin Sidewalk Master Plan.
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