There were no explicit Old Austin versus New Austin clashes during a recent discussion among local development leaders about the state of the city's character, but issues such as diversity and equity, opportunities for area youth and struggles to manage growth took center stage.
Carl Settles, executive director of the E4 Youth creative agency, reminded the audience that recent state legislation reducing parkland set-asides from new building projects may help developers' financials but will have a negative impact on quality of life for residents.
Since that time, Austin has continued to grow and blossom and yet the amount of Black folks here has been shrinking during that time. The hottest real estate in Austin is in East Austin. A lot of people have been pushed out. It's very difficult for people to stay here.
As the city's fortunes have changed and growth pressures affect all regions, Spence said city leaders need to look beyond accommodating growth and instead decide on what the mission of the city will be in the future.
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