Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA)

Safety and Hospitality:The Downtown Ambassadors are the cornerstone of our direct services program. Every day our team of 60 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: 77,910 hospitality contacts, 15,742,318 square feet power washed, 528 safety escorts, 255,959 pounds of trash removed, 36,897 graffiti & posters removed.

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 the development of plans to revitalize historic landmarks such as the Old Bakery, as well as plan to develop new forward-looking area such as the Waterloo Greenway. 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. The Downtown Austin Alliance is committed to playing an active role in addressing affordability challenges ove the next five years. Our five years strategic plan outlines several objective in these areas: cultivating a more diverse, attainable residential mix; decreasing the number of people living unsheltered downtown by 75%; supporting a variety of affordable venues and creative spaces; and ensuring parks and public spaces are well-managed with inclusive programming. One of our ongoing initiatives in this area includes advocacy for downtown's HealthSouth redevelopment, which will provide one of the area's largest concentrations of affordable housing. We also worked in 2022 to add a parking garage to the city's affordable parking program , which was developed in response to the Downtown Alliance-led Downtown Parking Strategy, and to promote this opportunity to local businesses. We advocate for the preservation of live musice venues and in 2022 continued our $40,000 annual sponsorship of the Red River Cultural District. To further support the district, we pledged $50,000 in in-kind maintenance work from our ambassador team.

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 2023 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 post pandemic. Downtown's economy is bolstered by the diversity of industries and actvities centered here. Downtown Austin is also the cultural hub of Central Texas, and 2023 saw strong event attendance, a return of the nightlife economy and a rebound of tourism industry that comprises 25% of our downtown economy. We keep downtown property owners, businesses, residents and visitors updated on downtown news, events and development through our newsletter, social media, local media and our website. Our website is a go-to resource for our research, data and development updates. Our 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.Downtown's ever-changing skyline continues to be a visual reminder of Austin's rapid growth. By 2040, the Austin regional population is expected to grow to 3.6 million, a 57% increae from its current population.

Parks and Public Space Activation, and Homelessness: As the pandemic eased in 2022, downtown saw people returning to gather and enjoy downtown's public spaces. Many of downtown's longtime events had record attendance. There was a resurgence of patrners working together on creative placemaking - activating downtown's parks, public splaces and underutilized spaces through vibrant experiences that bring them to life and bring people together. These inclusive new amenities, art, cultual experiences and events draw people downtown and create a sense of wonder and community. And they enhance downtown's overall vibe, vitality and value. 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. The Downtown Alliance's ARTBOX program, part of Writing on the Walls, provides a platform for local artist to showcas their talents and grow by painting murals on utility boxes and artists are paid a stipend for labor and materials. The program will continue to inspire and beautiy for years to come. More than 50% of downtown land is public space, parks, streets, green spaces and trails. Downtown's Parks and greenspaces provide a shared backyard for those who live and work here as well as for Austinites and visitors. Like creative placemaking, parks and greenspaces are a critical component of the downtown economy. The mental and physical health benefits of the natural world are vital to our humanity - and to keeping downtown an inclusive palce where people want to spend their time and are inclusive spaces that anyone can enjoy. Downtown's parks were enhanced this year with new features and events honoring the people who've shaped this land over past decades and centuries. 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. One unintended consequence of Austin's rapid and dynamic growth is an increase in the number of people experiencing homlessness. Based on current information from City of Austin Homelss Strategy Office and ECHO (Ending Community Homelssness Coalition), there are more than 4,600 people experiencing unsheltered homelssness in Austin. In the Fall of 2021 the Downtown Alliance launched a pilot partnership with Trinity Center to fund and enhance its existing homelessness family reunificationn program and in 2022 135 people experincing homelessness downtown have been reunited with family members or others who committed to providing housing and care for the individual. The Downtown Alliance made $2,000,000 over 10 years pledged in 2016 toward the development of phase II, II, and IV of Community First Village.