Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative
Public City was brought on by the Sasaki team to develop a public engagement plan for the Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative. Our team was responsible for community outreach and vision development as well as design concept development and production.
Public City was charged with translating a selection of the initial hopes, dreams and desires captured in Sasaki’s Our Congress Avenue application and the initial input from stakeholders into real-world experiences for the community to engage with and respond. Through temporary installations and activations along the Avenue, we tested concepts and initial philosophies in real time to capture the community’s reactions and sentiments in response to the proposed design improvements and program. This feedback informed and shaped the team’s urban design solutions.
We worked closely with the City of Austin (client) and design and engagement teams to ensure artists, designers, cultural institutions and the DAA’s target ‘Creative Non-Conformists’ were at the table throughout all stages of our process to share input, insights and help activate the Avenue bringing the design principles to life for testing and uncovering new possibilities.
WHAT WE LOVED:
As the conduit between the global urban design team and the local Austin community, we’re able to translate the hopes and dreams of Austinites into design solutions to create a sustainable, reflective vision for Congress Avenue. Scroll to see full program below.
TRANSFORM!
JUNE 2-3, 2017
CONGRESS AVENUE (MULTIPLE SITES)
Transform! is a fun interactive exploration of Congress Avenue, downtown Austin’s most celebrated street. Join us June 2nd and 3rd to discover its past and present. We will walk, talk, see, touch and experience all the elements of this amazing street.
We need your help to create its future. What makes up the design of a street? Where do the cars and bikes go? How wide is the sidewalk? Where does the rain water go? What kinds of plants and trees can live on a street? Come test some options and help us create a great plan for Congress Avenue!
For further details on the project and to take some fun surveys on the future of Congress Avenue, please check the project web site.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY JUNE 2
7:30-9A TRANSFORM! (but first, tacos)--SOLD OUT!
The Hideout Theatre
617 Congress Avenue
Join Mayor Adler and the Downtown Austin Alliance as we rethink our streets as places and explore how communities around the world are putting people and community values at the center of design. We’ll take a provocative look at how we can push the envelope as we transform Congress Avenue.
TRANSFORM! (but first, tacos) kicks off a weekend of community engagement and interactive activities along Congress Avenue. Enjoy coffee and breakfast tacos along with an interactive conversation with Mayor Adler, Interpretive Planner Ted Eubanks, Downtown Alliance VP of Planning Melissa Barry, and the Sasaki design team leading the Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative.
This free, community event is produced in partnership with the City of Austin.
9A-2P TRANSFORM! CHECK-IN
Royal Blue Grocery
609 Congress Avenue
Stop by the patio park to pick up your Transform! program and participate in the Ideas Exchange to share your ideas about Congress Avenue and receive a surprise in return!
11A-1P WALKABOUTS (various start times and durations)
Meet at Royal Blue Grocery and YETI Flagship
609 Congress Avenue and 220 South Congress Avenue
Join us for community-led explorations of Congress Avenue that aim to provide context about the Avenue and inform participants through different lenses of expertise and experiences.
11a: Walkabout: South Central Waterfront--A Walk Through Time and Into the Future led by Alan Holt (depart from YETI Flagship)
11a: Walkabout: Curation and Contingency led by Asakura Robinson (depart from Royal Blue Grocery)
12p: Walkabout: The Main Street of Texas Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow led by Preservation Austin (depart from Royal Blue Grocery)
6-8P THE STORY TOUR: CONGRESS AVENUE
From the Old Bakery and Emporium to YETI Flagship
1006 Congress Avenue to 220 South Congress Avenue
Confucius said, "Study the past if you would define the future." Congress Avenue is the wellspring from which Austin flows. Along Congress, buffalo roamed, cannons flared, Native Americans raided, trains whistled, presidents campaigned, merchants hawked, tamaleros peddled, and women marched.
Stretching from Capitol Square to Lady Bird Lake, we will explore the cultural history of Congress Avenue and visit iconic places such as the Paramount Theatre, the Scarborough Building and Mexic-Arte Museum to inform the design process for the future improvements along Congress Avenue.
SATURDAY JUNE 3
10A-2P DESIGN LABS*
North: Congress Avenue between 10th and 11th
South: YETI Flagship 220 South Congress Avenue
Located at the north end and just south of the river on Congress Avenue, visit our temporary design labs to test and share feedback on different design concepts addressing focus areas including mobility, ecology, economics, art/culture/history and social justice.
Help us confirm the community’s vision for Congress Avenue as a place for people, test bike lanes and street sections, look at different plant materials and storm water infrastructure, participate in ideas exchanges and enjoy AIA Austin's pop-up plaza !
1030A-12P THE STORY TOUR: CONGRESS AVENUE
From the YETI Flagship to the Old Bakery and Emporium
220 South Congress Avenue to 1006 Congress Avenue with multiple stops along the way!
Confucius said, "Study the past if you would define the future." Congress Avenue is the wellspring from which Austin flows. Along Congress, buffalo roamed, cannons flared, Native Americans raided, trains whistled, presidents campaigned, merchants hawked, tamaleros peddled, and women marched.
Stretching from Capitol Square to Lady Bird Lake, we will explore the cultural history of Congress Avenue and visit iconic places such as the Paramount Theatre, the Scarborough Building and Mexic-Arte Museum to inform the design process for the future improvements along Congress Avenue.
11A-1P WALKABOUTS (various start times and durations)
Meet at Royal Blue Grocery and YETI Flagship
609 Congress Avenue and 220 South Congress Avenue
Join us for community-led explorations of Congress Avenue that aim to provide context about the Avenue and inform participants through different lenses of expertise and experiences.
11a: Walkabout: Jane's Walk led by CNU-CTX (depart from Royal Blue Grocery)
11a: Walkabout: South Central Waterfront--A Walk Through Time and Into the Future led by Alan Holt (depart from YETI Flagship)
12p: Walkabout: Ecology and the Street led by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (depart from YETI Flagship)
*B-CYCLE WILL PROVIDE COMPLIMENTARY CODE FOR ATTENDEES TO VENTURE BETWEEN THE DESIGN LABS AND TOUR START/END POINTS.
Our Congress Avenue is a project of the City of Austin in partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance. For more about the project, please check the project web site
