Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative

As the central spine of downtown Austin and the connection between Lady Bird Lake and the Texas State Capitol, Congress Avenue is arguably Austin’s most prominent street. Despite this, the Avenue lacks the vitality and identity of a great people-centric place. The goal of this effort is to develop an urban design and implementation strategy that results in a human-centric, multi-functional complete street with a clear and attractive identity.

Improving Congress Avenue as the ‘Main Street of Texas’ is called for in the Council adopted Downtown Austin Plan, and the project is made possible with funding from the City’s 2012 bond program. In partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) and community stakeholders, the City contracted with an Urban Design consultant team to help refine and realize the vision for the Congress Avenue from the Capitol to Riverside Drive.

Over the next nine months, outreach efforts will gather input about the future development of Congress Avenue. Public events and focused meetings will allow stakeholders to participate and will give every Austinite and Texan a voice in the process.

Upcoming Events

| May 15, 2018

The City of Austin, in partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance, is continuing the planning effort for Congress Avenue downtown. We want to share with you what we heard, what we found, and some initial ideas about the future of the main street of Texas.

Join us at 800 Congress Avenue on May 15th anytime between 7:00am - 9:00am or 5:00pm - 8:00pm for the Our Congress Avenue - Imagine! open house. Learn about the history of the avenue and provide input that will help refine and realize its vision. Enjoy light refreshments and hear about exciting ways you can stay involved! We want to know what you think, so that together we can imagine the future of Congress Avenue.

The document below provides a sample of what we’ve discovered and what you have told us about Congress Avenue. You will see how we are transforming your thoughts and ideas into goals and potential strategies. Draft designs will be presented at the IMAGINE event and later posted to the website, along with an online survey, for those unable to attend.

Download the pdf here

Previous Events

LAUNCH | April 5

The Congress Initiative launched in early April with an open house on the Avenue. Over 150 people joined the City, the DAA, and the design team to “walk the Avenue” (laid out in colorful tape across the floor) and discuss the future of Congress. The design team gathered comments on subjects ranging from economic development and ecology to social equity.

Introductory Presentation

Streetscape Inspirations

TRANSFORM | June

For two days Austinites took walking tours, biked along mocked-up streets, tested material performance, and built street sections with strips of paper. With the help of organizations and volunteers, a wide range of ideas poured forth from young and old. The fun culminated with a marching band making its way up the entirely of Congress Avenue.