For Black History Month I’m posting the following article that was published in NOKOA in 2011. Sadly, not much has improved for Americans of African ancestry in Austin. City Hall collaborates with developers to displace long term neighbors, and our neighborhoods are dismantled and colonized by new people.
Modern History: The Story we are writing now
By Ora Houston - Originally published in NOKOA | February 17, 2011
What makes Austin special? The people, singles and families, are the threads that knit this place we call home together. It is my opinion that the focus on more people living closer together in extremely tall buildings (density) is having unintended consequences. There are limited amounts of “reasonably-priced” housing in the city (rental, lease, or home ownership) for people who work at the middle to lower income levels. Because some people really do not want to live over and under each other long-term or simply cannot afford to live in the heart of the City, we have increased urban sprawl, congestion and pollution. Let us not kid ourselves, folks are driving into the city more and more — the 'Red line' serves a limited number of people who come into to Austin to work.
The sprawl has begun to show that public schools in the urban core are experiencing a decline because families with children tend to have different housing needs. This has resulted in an increasing need for schools on the edges of the City, which means that the schools inside the City face serious challenges to provide quality education for the students who remain.
Remember the closing and “repurposing” of Johnston High School, now Eastside Memorial High. Or Bowie High School which has a state of the art theater / performance complex while McCallum High School (the Fine Arts Magnet for the district) is only now receiving long needed upgrades to its theatre complex.
We are thankful for infrastructure upgrades like those found on East 7th Street. Of course they are about 20 years over due. Parts of the city have gotten sidewalks in the last five years and of course, bike lanes... while the bus stops have no coverage overhead to protect riders from sun, rain and cold.
I know that my comments concern two different systems and the rationale for all of this is complex. However, through the eyes of a citizen of the “other Austin” which has been neglected for years, things are being attended to because of gentrification.
The City Council made a decision in the ‘90s to use land in East Austin to enhance their vision of a “young, hip, vibrant” Austin. This was accomplished by building condos and “McMansions”, that overtly or covertly displaced the people and families that had lived there for years, some for generations. People moved to to Pflugerville, Round Rock, Georgetown, and now Kyle, Buda, Hutto, Webberville, Elgin, Taylor, … east of Toll Road 130. A third Austin is being created, with people and families that are disjointed from the whole.
Developers also overbuilt condos or renovated affordable apartments into high dollar condos and now many sit empty. Developers write off the loss, neighborhoods must contend with the eyesore of vacant unkempt properties, and people who are looking for housing, can't afford to rent, lease or purchase a unit. Austin is projected to double in size in the next 20-30 years and we are being told that the only way to accommodate that growth is 'up' or deeper into other jurisdictions. OR the media can stop selling the benefits of moving to Austin while the City is transitioning. People, who live high above the city, live in their communities, There will be little if any connection to the lives and situations of those who live in the other Austins.
Epilogue: The Austin of the future
The City of Austin is in the midst of developing a Comprehensive Plan. New issues and concerns have emerged which require serious thought and complete reexamination of our community and how we live together. We must carefully consider how to move people efficiently and effectively - in, out and around the City. There is tension between people who see advantages and cost savings from building structures that are dense and tall and those who want to maintain the character of Austin's neighborhoods. We must talk about ways to improve and finance the quality of life for the citizens who are currently living in Austin. Then there are things like health care, the elderly, dropout rates, employment, mental health and mental retardation, the quality of our air and water as more people move to Austin.
In 1928 the repurposing of property was based on race, it is my opinion that this time it will be based on class. Are all of the things that we proclaim about our city true? Are we committed to creating “one Austin” that is truly diverse? Or will we have to say “The city used to be diverse?
Albeit Schweitzer stated, "Ethical practice, in medicine and in life, begins with a sense of solidarity with other human beings." It is time for Austin to create a sense of solidarity with itself. The two must become one and those in power must think about and act in the best interest of everyone.