We are simply ecstatic to have won a grant, in collaboration with AIA Austin, from the Downtown Austin Alliance to create a series of events, participatory design tools and a crowdsourced ideas competition to engage citizens of Austin, Texas in re-imagining vacant and underused spaces on Congress Ave–directly across from the State Capitol! Working with […]
Lady Bird Lake, Town Lake, or the Colorado River? It doesn’t really matter which name you choose to call the large swath of water that cuts through Downtown Austin, it remains one the natural features that makes Austin a particularly great place to live. Indeed, over the years it has become one the the quintessential […]
Ride a moustache while you wait for your tacos? Okay there are few things more joyfully absurd than this see-saw, err moustache and its accompanying over sized spectacles. In fact, when our friend Lauren mentioned that she had ridden a moustache see-saw while waiting for her tacos at the ever tasty El Chilito in Austin, […]
Imagine thirty people standing on the edge of a street in Austin, Texas intently building a six foot long chocolate cake master plan of a largely unknown creek corridor hidden in the midst of their Downtown. Eight of the builders were supposed to be there, the rest, baffled AND excited by the scene before them, […]
Install recumbent bicycle benches at CAP Metro Bus stops? Outdoor stair climbers on Congress Ave.? In-ground trampolines on Guadalupe? Criss-crossing balance beams on 2nd Street? Concrete ping pong tables at intersections throughout town? Climbing boulders on East 5th Street? Let’s face it, many of you would consider me quite out of my mind if I […]
Local governments are the largest industry in the world without an r + d function. What happens if you create an informal r + d unit for a city, bringing together a carefully chosen group of people who are doing great but very different things in the world to re-imagine issues of civic importance where […]
Can a massive foam sword fight in the crosswalk of a busy street change the street-use culture of a community? This Friday University of Texas School of Architecture students are hosting their once a semester Foam Sword Friday at 12.30 at the crosswalk on Guadalupe between 21st and 23rd Streets. How does it work? Simple, […]
A six foot long Betty Crocker version of Waller Creek? (not the tiny garden pictured here-kid’s stuff). That’s right, six feet long. Have we lost our minds? Probably. An impossible feat? Maybe but we’re going to have a mighty fine time trying. That’s right ladies and gents, as part of the East Austin Studio Tours, […]
Waller Creek Is For Beasts And Diorama Making that challenges people’s perceptions of what happens in Waller Creek, AND gets them to look a bit closer at all of the fantastic things found in the Creek. Here are some more pictures from last weekend’s endeavors. You can also check out the group’s flickr stream and […]
Changing a place by talking about someone’s mom and playing games? Dominoes and Talking Smack? What could be better on a Sunday afternoon at a brand spanking new time (4 pm) in a shiny new (as in we haven’t tried it) domino-themed place? Dust off your best momma jokes, bone up on your dot counting […]
On Tuesday October 20th at 7.00 pm , Public Workshop will be presenting at the Building A Healthier Austin symposium. The organizers have done a great job of assembling a diverse cast of characters involved in health care, transportation, housing, planning, etc. for what will be a great and inspiring conversation. The focus will be […]
Want to see the original article and comments? Click (here) —— How far were you allowed to travel alone when you were a kid? Are you per chance Vicky Thomas, from Sheffield? If by some very unusual fluke you are from Sheffield, England and your name is Vicky, you are now in your late thirties, […]
Low and behold, if you were watching CBS Sunday Morning today you may have notice that Mo Rocca did a piece on Tom Vanderbilt’s excellent book, Traffic and even spent a good deal of time hanging out in Hans Mondermans traffic circle in Drachten. It’s a pretty fluffy piece but cool all the same and […]
I don’t know what you were planning on bringing today but this submission by Kelley makes me think the Waller Creek Is For Lovers Action And Adventure Society might need to get it together and make another trophy. Kelley was quite apologetic about the lack of the requisite two sides to the domino cookies but […]
Dominoes and Talking Smack? What could be better on a Sunday morning? Head on down to the north end of the UT Tennis Courts on Trinity Street (between the creek and the courts, by the bridge) for fabulous company, and good food. Get ready to do your best grumpy old man, Oscar Madison impersonation as […]
What if you and your neighbors decided one day to turn your street into grassed- over park, replete with pony rides, an oompah band and vegetable gardens? When presented with such a possibility, most would laugh derisively or mention something along the lines of, ‘Have you lost your ever-loving mind?!’. In many respects, this is […]
If you missed last week’s post, the first installment of this two part series, click (here) How about a brief quiz to start things off, shall we? 1. Which would cause drivers to be more careful and drive conservatively when passing through an area with a substantial deer population? a. A high-tech flashing sign with […]
Waller Creek Is For Croquet, Crumpets And Cucumber Sandwiches? Victrolas, Records, Six Inch Fish, Cooling Off With Your Shoes Off, Giddy Wading? Exploring With Friends, Heading Up Stream To Try The Red Swing Another Time, Lemon Shortbread, Sun Dresses And Brainstorming New Waller Creek Adventures? Enticing and perhaps unbelievable but oh so very true. It […]
Children working collaboratively and feverishly non-stop for an ungodly amount of time. Parents building ‘with’ their children for hours on end, asking for 9/16″ wood cuts from the jig saw. Socialites dressed for bacchanalian feasts and/or battle hanging out curiously amidst the growing city. Young designers stopping by to build a building before heading out […]
What: Tea Party Attire: Tea Party Necessary Accoutrements: Snooty accent, your own tea cup, parasol, something to sit on (no, you may not sit on the crumpets), an impressive entourage of only the most witty and delightful creek-admirers and beast-hunters. Provided for you: Tea, croquet wickets, a table, jovial conversation and conviviality. When: Saturday, September […]
August 16, 2011
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