CreateAustin

Is Austin becoming too expensive for creators?

Is Austin becoming too expensive for artists and creators to live and work here? That fear has been voiced very strongly by many participants in focus groups and interviews. Yet others, including public officials, cite statistics that assert Austin is still affordable compared to other large, Western US cities. What is the truth? Is this a critical issue? How will we decide? What, if anything, will the Austin community do to assure that its most creative individuals can continue to live and work here?

Where does creativity reside?

Bill Bulick here, inviting you to weigh in…

Input received from focus groups, interviews and community meetings so far has reflected two strong currents of thinking – that Austin must be careful to provide support – “habitat” - for individual artists and creators – and that it is critical that the community do a better job in sustaining its major cultural institutions. Which is more important? Can we do both? What does a cultural infrastructure look like that can accomplish both? How could institutions and individual creators work more productively together?