MIAMI: When Austin, Texas, decided in the late 1990s to move its airport to a larger tract of land, city leaders had a vital question on their hands: How could the city best use the soon-to-be-abandoned 700 acres of prime land just a few miles northeast of downtown?
Hundreds of people, including residents, city officials, architects, and planners, joined in the conversations that would lead to an answer. East Austin, the area of the city containing the land, had not seen new housing starts in years and needed a boost in economic development. The city settled on a plan to build a diverse, sustainable, mixed-income, mixed-use development that would include lots of green space and new jobs in a wide salary range…..