By Matt Presley, CEO, Pauly Presley Realty, P2R Consulting,Elizabeth Moliter, VP Sales/Marketing and Director, Green Communities, Pauly Presley Realty, Stephen Oliver, AIA is a Principal at CasaBella Architects. Effie Brunson, Project Manager and Interior Designer at CasaBella Architects.

With its biodiversity and uniquely texas attitude, Austin is taking the lead as one of the fastest growing, most desirable and sustainable cities in the United States. With the backing of its public officials and design professionals, Austin is working with developers and the community to create a new framework for responsible growth, such as modernized green building codes, new zoning parameters and commercial design standards.

The latest forecasts from the Capitol Area Metro Planning Commission (CAMPO) predict that Austin’s population is poised to grow from approximately 1.4 million to almost 3 million residents by 2030. A significant portion of the influx of population will choose to live in Austin’s urban core. They are leaving behind the smog, concrete and the dense living environments of cities like New York and Chicago for the unique lifestyle that Austin provides: mild climate which supports appreciation for the outdoors, music in abundance, a burgeoning visual and performing arts community, gorgeous lakes and landscape, and natural features like Barton Springs and Zilker Park.

With efforts like those of Envision Central Texas, an organization composed of neighborhood, environmental and business leaders and policy makers, the many questions related to such extreme growth are being addressed in order to arrive at responsible and sustainable solutions that leave Austin’s many treasures intact. And, unlike older cities, Austin is in a position to effectively plan and grow responsibly, whether as infill development or growth on the city’s fringe.

This desire to achieve cohesive sustainability is also reflected in Austin’s latest plans for mass transit. A commuter rail will open in Austin in 2008 and streetcar and future rail extensions are on the horizon pending voter approvals. In addition, New Zoning Districts which allow for a rich mix of uses and higher densities have been established to promote walk-able neighborhoods where a resident can live, work, play and shop.

As we look to the future of Austin, great public spaces need to be catalysts for revitalization, as well. Whether it’s the rolling green of the hill country, or a well-designed plaza, public spaces bring people together and create a third place, separate from home or work, where relaxation, interaction, and inspiration are possible.

More than just a college and capital city, Austin has defied the odds in recent years to become a destination city on the world stage. It is a place where entrepreneurship, technology and the arts cohabitate, the economy and the housing market continue to flourish, and tourists visit and never want to leave. In a place like Austin, where the residents appreciate what their city has to offer and strive to protect it at all costs, Austin is leading the wave of Sustainable Metropolitan Cities.