Austin Dmo Inc

THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE'S MISSION IS TO ENHANCE THE VALUE AND VITALITY OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE THROUGH A NUMBER OF SERVICES AND ADVOCACY WORKS THAT INCLUDE LITTER PICKUP, GRAFFITI REMOVAL, AMBASSADOR TEAMS, ADVOCACY FOR SOCIAL SERVICES FOR HOMELESS POPULATION, FOR PARKS AND OPEN SPACES, AND ARTS.

SAFETY AND HOSPITALITY:THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADORS ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR DIRECT SERVICES PROGRAM. EVERY DAY OUR TEAM OF 56 AMBASSADORS WORKS FROM 6 A.M. TO 11 P.M. REMOVING TRASH AND PRESSURE WASHING STREETS, INTERACTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY, AND BEAUTIFY DOWNTOWN THROUGH VARIOUS PAITNING AND PLANTING PROJECTS. WE SUPPORT SAFETY ON ALL FRONTS DOWNTOWN. WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO ENHANCE APD'S SAFETY CAMERA SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE AREA, WHICH HELPS PREVENT AND SOLVE CRIMES. WE ALSO FUND AN OVERTIME PATROL THAT PROVIDES TWO ADDITIONAL AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT (APD) OFFICERS IN THE DOWNTOWN PID 12 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK. THESE OFFICERS PATROL ON BIKES FOR A TRUE COMMUNITY POLICING EFFORT. THE DOWNTOWN AMBASSADORS SUPPORT APD BY ASKING PEOPLE TO COMPLY WITH ORDINANCES, REFERRING PEOPLE TO SOCIAL SERVICES AND REPORTING URGENT ISSUES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE AMBASSADORS PROVIDE SAFETY ESCORTS TO HELP PEOPLE GET TO OR FROM THEIR CARS OR TRANSIT, UPON REQUEST. THEY ALSO PROVIDE HOSPITALITY TO PEDESTRIANS, FROM FRIENDLY GREETINGS TO DIRECTIONS, INFORMATION AND NAVIGATION. THE AMBASSADORS ARE WELCOMING TO ALL PEOPLE DOWNTOWN, INCLUDING OUR MOST VULNERABLE RESIDENTS. THE AMBASSADORS HAVE USED THESE INTERACTIONS TO TALK ABOUT PROPER TRASH AND RECYCLING DISPOSAL, AND WE'VE SEEN A DECREASE IN LITTER DOWNTOWN AS A RESULT. OUR SERVICES BY THE NUMBERS: 3,498 HOSPITALITY CONTACTS, 4.5 MILE SQUARE FEET POWER WASHED, 938 SAFETY ESCORTS, 220,070 POUNDS OF TRASH REMOVED.

RESEARCH AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION:THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE'S RESEARCH TEAM CONDUCTS PRIMARY RESEARCH ON DOWNTOWN-RELATED ISSUES AND ALSO COMPILES AND ANALYZES THIRD-PARTY RESEARCH. OUR WEBSITE IS A CENTRAL REPOSITORY FOR DATA ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, REAL ESTATE, MOBILITY TRENDS AND MORE. THIS INFORMATION ENABLES MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM AND THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY TO MAKE DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO SHAPE OUR FUTURE. WE PUBLISHED OUR 2022 STATE OF DOWNTOWN REPORT, WHICH USES MARKET DATA TO GIVE A COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT OF DOWNTOWN'S ECONOMIC IMPACT, HEALTH AND VITALITY. THE REPORT ALSO CELEBRATES CRITICAL MILESTONES AS DOWNTOWN ACHIEVES ITS VISION. WE ALSO FEATURED MOBILITY, PARKS, AND LIVE MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS. WE VIEW RESEARCH AS A CRITICAL TOOL IN HELPING THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY RESPOND TO AND RECOVER FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. IN NOVEMBER 2021, THE RESEARCH TEAM ENLISTED THE HELP OF A MARKER RESEARCH FIRM TO SURVEY CITY OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS' PERCEPTION OF DOWNTOWN. SPANNING MORE THAN 40 ZIP CODES, AUSTINITES INDICATED HOMELESSNESS, TRAFFIC CONGSTION, PUBLIC SAFETY, AFFORDABILITY AND PARKING WERE THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR DOWNTOWN. ALMOST 75% OF AUSTINITES AGREED THAT A THRIVING DOWNTOWN IS IMPORTANT TO AUSTIN. AN INTERACTIVE MAP IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY TO OUR WEBSITE. A 3-D MAP OF THESE PROJECTS WAS ALSO PUBLISHED IN THE 2022 STATE OF DOWNTOWN REPORT. WE KEEP DOWNTOWN PROPERTY OWNERS, BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS UPDATED ON DOWNTOWN NEWS, EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER, SOCIAL MEDIA, LOCAL MEDIA AND OUR WEBSITE. OUR WEBSITE IS A GO-TO RESOURCE FOR OUR RESEARCH, DATA AND DEVELOPMENT UPDATES. OUR NEW CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ALSO ENABLES US TO BETTER TARGET OUR COMMUNICATIONS TO DIFFERENT GROUPS WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL IN TIMES OF CRISIS, AS WE SAW DURING WINTER STORM URI. WE HAVE TOTAL 42.4K SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS.

PLANING AND URBAN MOBILITY:THE DOWNTOWN VISION CALLS FOR A GROWING AND EVER-EVOLVING TAPESTRY OF COMPLETE, VIBRANT AND WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS THAT EXPRESS AUSTIN'S AUTHENTIC CHARACTER. AS DOWNTOWN'S STEWARD, NOT ONLY ARE WE AT THE CENTER OF ALL ACTIVE DISTRICT PLANNING PROJECTS, BUT WE ALSO ENSURE ALL PARTIES HAVE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF HOW THE DISTRICTS WILL WORK TOGETHER TO ENHANCE DOWNTOWN'S VITALITY. DURING OUR FISCAL YEAR WE LEAD OR CONTRIBUTED TO THEDEVELOPMENT OF PLANS TO REVITALIZE HISTORIC LANDMARKS SUCH AS THE OLD BAKERY, AS WELL AS PLAN TO DEVELOP NEW FORWARD-LOOKING AREA SUCH AS THE INNOVATION DISTRICT. DESPITE THIS YEAR'S CHALLENGES, WE KEPT THESE LONG-TERM PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD. THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (TXDOT) IS PLANNING TO RECONSTRUCT I-35 THROUGH CENTRAL AUSTIN AS PART OF THE I-35 CAPITAL EXPRESS CENTRAL PROJECT. INITIAL PLANS FOR THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE IN 50 YEARS TO THIS APPROXIMATELY 10-MILE STRETCH CALLED FOR REMOVING THE UPPER DECKS AND LOWERING THE HIGHWAY BETWEEN AIRPORT BOULEVARD AND CESAR CHAVEZ STREET. AS TXDOT CONSIDERS CHANGES TO THIS MAJOR NORTH-SOUTH THOROUGHFARE THAT HAS DIVIDED OUR COMMUNITY FOR DECADES, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAVE PARTNERED WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF AUSTIN LEADERS TO CO-CREATE A SHARED VISION THAT BUILDS ON THIS INVESTMENT TO ENSURE THE BEST OUTCOMES FOR ALL AUSTINITES. BY TRANSFORMING I-35 THROUGH THE HEART OF OUR CITY, WE CAN INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY, IMPROVE ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION AND CREATE COMMUNITY PARKS, BRIDGES AND OTHER AMENITIES WHERE THE HIGHWAY STANDS NOW.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMEN, PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVATION, HOMELESSNESS,AND ADVOCAY:WHILE OUR RESPONSE EFFORT BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AND IS ONGOING, ADAPTING TO EVER-CHANGING CONDITIONS, WE HAVE ALSO SPENT THE PAST YEAR DEVELOPING DOWNTOWN AUSTIN'S ROADMAP TO RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE. THIS IS A PLAN FOR RENEWING DOWNTOWN'S VITALITY IN THE SHORT TERM WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY BUILDING THE AREA'S LONG-TERM RESILIENCE. IT IS INFORMED BY MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS WITH THE DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE'S STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS (WHO REPRESENT A BROAD ARRAY OF GOVERNMENT, COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS SECTORS). AS WE FOCUS ON THE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PRIORITIES OUTLINED IN THE ROADMAP, WE WILL:MAKE DOWNTOWN MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE.INFUSE BEST PRACTICES IN INTENTIONAL PLACEMAKING.DEVELOP NEW PARTNERS, COALITIONS, FUNDING AND TOOLS. GUIDE THE CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A STRATEGY TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS IN DOWNTOWN. WORK WITH PARTNERS TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. REDUCE THE NUMBER EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA BY 50% BY 2022. FUND AND ADVISE EFFORTS TO DELIVER COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES TO THE HOMELESS DOWNTOWN. ELEVATE INCLUSIVE AND ENGAGING PROGRAMS AND EXPERIENCES IN DOWNTOWN PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES. SUBSTANTIALLY EXPAND AND COORDINATE PROGRAMMING IN DOWNTOWN PARKS AND TRAILS. REGULARLY SPONSOR AND PRODUCE ARTS, CULTURAL AND MUSIC EVENTS AND PROGRAMS IN THE PUBLIC SPACE. USE ACTIVATION METRICS TO MONITOR AND IMPROVE RESULTS. SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION AND RECOVERY OF DOWNTOWN'S SMALL, LOCALLY-OWNED BUSINESSES AND LIVE MUSIC. ACTIVELY ADVOCATE FOR NEEDED FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR DOWNTOWN'S SMALL, LOCALLY-OWNED BUSINESSES AND LIVE MUSIC SCENE (INCLUDING SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, BARS AND CULTURAL DESTINATIONS).ENSURE THAT STREET-LEVEL VACANCIES ARE CREATIVELY ACTIVATED AND ENLIVENED.CONDUCT A REGULAR CENSUS OF DOWNTOWN STOREFRONT BUSINESSES AND USE IT TO TRACK AND ENSURE PROGRESS. PUBLICIZE DOWNTOWN'S APPEAL AND PROMOTE INTERESTING AND ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCES DOWNTOWN. EXECUTE TARGETED PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS UNDER A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO PROMOTE DOWNTOWN'S VITALITY. PROMOTE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AS A LIVELY AND MULTI-FACETED DESTINATION. WORK WITH LARGE EMPLOYERS TO SUPPORT THE RETURN OF DOWNTOWN EMPLOYEES.