The City of Austin has doubled its population every 20 years since WWII. The Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas have each added nearly 1.5 million people within the last ten years, their combined population now standing at 12.5 million people. They are now the 4th and 5^th largest urban areas in the country (after New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago). And it appears as if this kind of crazy growth will continue in Texas for decades to come.  The state is expected to gain up to 10 million new residents into its cities over the course of the next 30 years.

More locally, Downtown, the West Campus neighborhood adjacent to The Drag , and many other areas of town have been transformed from typical low population density neighborhoods to bustling 24 hour urban nodes since only 2004; due mostly to the scores of new multi-block developments.

A primary goal of this multidisciplinary organization is to make the UT, Austin and communities statewide more informed of all progress and challenges associated with the rapid urban growth the region is experiencing. Our organization addresses the design, government, economic, and social issues related to how we are preparing to build for all of the newcomers.  UDS is a fun, energetic and active group working to make our future more livable.  All undergraduates and graduates are eligible to join. There are no dues and numerous networking opportunities are available. We have working relationships with the City of Austin’s city council, Capital Metro, Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, the State of Texas among many others in a network of companies, professional designers, organizations, and politicians.

Our most popular events are the free field trips and tours we organize specifically for UT students and staff interested in the new developments around town:

The first scheduled trip is an exclusive and unprecedented tour of the Austonian, the tallest residential building in the Western US, and the city’s newest tallest building. This will be on September 23^rd at 4pm. This is open to all architecture grads, undergrads, and faculty.

We also have trips planned to the Block 21 Development (W Hotel  and new ACL studios), the Mueller  Development, which expects to add 20,000 new residents and jobs, SOL, the city’s first carbon-neutral development and others places. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Austin’s growing sustainable and urban design culture.

Urban Development Society is also assembling a large monthly open forum with special guest speakers and eager local and statewide elected officials with open ears to address many urbanism topics.

The generation many of us belongs to have a growing desire for urban lifestyles and many retiring Baby Boomers are looking for similar options compatible with a less car-dependant existence. Austin, Texans, and even the divided Washington D.C. crowd, including the President  generally agree that sustainable urban development and design is America’s future.  It is a good trend in light of the many negative stories about the environment, healthcare, and energy and will serve to relieve many of those concerns.

I look forward to a very fun semester of helping you build relationships and build cities.

Samuel A. Williams

President