TAP | Downtown Austin Parking

Report Summary: Austin is booming, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the city’s downtown. With that boom and the related real estate development comes a need to define the urban experience. As new buildings rise above the city’s streetscape, levels and levels of parking decking are layered into the building’s foundation, creating a meaningful void in activation along downtown streets. Pedestrians pass these new shiny buildings and are met with garage entrances leading to multiple levels of parking before any human experience – whether residential or commercial – can be seen on the floors far above. In some cases, street-level retail is factored into the first floor of the building, but in many other instances, there is no opportunity for human interaction. Understanding the impact that unfettered parking construction is having and will continue to have on the streetscape experience in downtown Austin, the City Council leadership turned to ULI Austin for guidance in encouraging a reduction in new parking construction across the entire downtown geography.