Multiple proposed skyscrapers are changing the shape of once low-slung downtown Austin, signaling the growth of the city as a technology and manufacturing hub.

In an article for Bloomberg CityLab, Kriston Capps describes the ‘supertall’ skyscraper projects that are poised to transform the “once-modest skyline” of Austin, Texas, including an 80-floor tower that would become the tallest in Texas upon completion.
As Capps explains, a ‘supertall’ is defined as any building over 300 meters tall. “The skyscrapers will stand as a string of exclamation points punctuating a decade-long-plus ‘Texas Miracle’ of economic growth.” While other Texas cities have also seen robust growth, Austin, once known as ‘Silicon Hills’ in the 1990s, is unique in that “The city’s pivot toward high-tech manufacturing — led by companies like Tesla Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. and fueled by President Joe Biden’s embrace of industrial policy as well as generous state and local incentives — has triggered an avalanche of investment.”
Capps warns that the supertall boom could be less promising than it seems. “Real estate is a lagging indicator, and skyscrapers often arrive after the boom is over, looming half-empty as monuments to a bust.” But with companies like Samsung planning to build massive semiconductor manufacturing plants in Austin, it appears that the city’s growth spurt may be more than a flash in the pan.
FULL STORY: The Supertalls Are Coming to Austin

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

What Is ‘Arterial Rapid Transit?’
Atlanta is planning to build ‘BRT lite,’ a version of bus service that offers signal priority and fewer stops but keeps buses in mixed-traffic lanes.

Vermont Latest State to Preempt Single-Family Zoning
The approval of the HOME law, S.100, will allow for duplexes in all residential neighborhoods in Vermont. Large swaths of residential zones in the state must also now allow tri- and four-plexes.

Master Plan Envisions New Neighborhood Around Philly’s 30th Street Station
A partnership led by Amtrak plans to redevelop the area around a historic train station with mixed-use buildings, cultural amenities, and open space.
Caltrans
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.