For all of its reputation as a lively place, Austin's city center didn't add up to much. Of course, there was the famous Sixth Street strip of music joints, which in recent years has morphed into a perpetual party scene in the mold of Bourbon Street in New Orleans -- except in the case of Austin, the buildings themselves are little more than packing crates with bars and bandstands, while the side streets are adorned with rows port-a-johns reeking in the impressive heat of the Texas spring.While Kunstler typically writes more as a cynic, we shared several of his impressions about Austin's urbanism.
All in all, a city full of potential that appears to be slowly being realized. But, if that occurs in the form of those tall condo towers, then the potential is in (to use the words of one infamous Texan) "big time" trouble...
