We champion the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan, crafted by the people of Austin to create a more affordable, mobile, and sustainable city.
What is Imagine Austin?
Imagine Austin is the city's comprehensive plan, created by the people of Austin to guide the city's growth and answer the question "what sort of city do we want Austin to be?"
This new vision for Austin engaged thousands of residents over a nine month period beginning with the kickoff of the Imagine Austin planning process in October 2009. In 2012, Austin's City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, a living, working document driven by public participation to chart a future of opportunity, community, and inclusiveness.
Read the entire Imagine Austin comprehensive plan or visit the City's Imagine Austin website.
Why Compact and Connected?
The emphasis on compact and connected underscores Imagine Austin’s goal of reversing the sprawl development pattern of the past decades. Promoting compact and connected growth patterns is essential to achieving the other priorities of Imagine Austin and is the foundation of an affordable, mobile and healthy city.
The People's Plan
Thousands of Austinites shaped Imagine Austin throughout the public process, including over 18,000 public inputs from the community over two years. Public input guided these priority programs:
- Invest in a compact and connected Austin
- Sustainably manage our water resources
- Continue to grow Austin’s economy by investing in our workforce, education systems, entrepreneurs, and local businesses
- Use green infrastructure to protect environmentally sensitive areas and integrate nature into the city
- Grow and invest in Austin’s creative economy
- Develop and maintain household affordability throughout Austin
- Create a healthy Austin
- Revise Austin’s development regulations and processes to promote compact and connected city