Tower Petroleum, the senior half of a long-awaited two-building adaptive reuse project, will reopen the first week in March as the Cambria Hotel & Suites Downtown Dallas, and the hotel name isn’t nearly as long as the journey developer John Kirtland took to get here. Kirtland, CEO of Kirtland Records and former drummer in the... ...
Mapping Downtown Austin’s Unpleasant Design and Hostile Architecture
Unpleasant design, also known as hostile architecture, is a term used to describe design features found in urban spaces that attempt to discourage activities such as sleeping and loitering. Although certain types of unpleasant design are intended to curtail specific unwanted activities like skateboarding, public urination, or the roosting of pigeons and other urban wildlife, ...
Ora Houston, City Council’s Least Predictable Voter, Would Like You to Stop Selling Austin’s Soul
That 10 of the 11 elected leaders in the Austin City Council are at least nominally associated with the Democratic Party does not mean there is any shortage of divisions on the dais. The Council’s all-too-frequent marathon sessions, often stretching into the wee hours of the morning, reveal the many differences of opinion that exist... ...
YIMBY is not left or right but both and neither
The YIMBY moment hasn’t exactly arrived in America but it’s on the platform and the train is coming. The framework for political arguments in many City Halls has transformed from “Neighborhood vs Developer” to “YIMBY vs NIMBY.” State Houses like California are being shaken up by YIMBY legislation, both passed and proposed. The movement’s growth has created... ...
Take Our Fabulous Austin Survey and You Could Win a Fabulous Prize
Here at TOWERS.net, thinking about Austin is a full-time job. That’s why we’ve decided to take an opportunity to make you think about Austin for a change — what you like, what you don’t, that sort of thing. We’ll be running surveys every once in a while on various Austin topics in an ask-the-audience-style attempt... ...