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AURA is an all-volunteer grassroots urbanist organization focused on building an Austin for everyone by improving land use and transportation through policy analysis, public involvement, and political engagement.

We are dedicated to a vision of an Austin where everybody is welcome and everybody’s interests matter: young and old, rich and poor, renter and homeowner, healthy and sick, citizen and immigrant, lifelong resident and new arrival. The greatest asset our city has is its people, and our city is at its best when it facilitates connections between all.

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Land Use, Housing, and Affordability

Austin is a popular place. Thousands of people move here every month from across Texas, the country, and the world. Some move here for Austin’s famous culture, some move here for our vibrant economy, and some for the city’s beauty. Still others stay here, or return home, due to their family roots and rich history. As long as there are people who want to make Austin their home, for whatever reason, we strive to provide enough homes for all of them. To do this, we need abundant housing of all types, from smaller apartment buildings and garage apartments in established neighborhoods to downtown skyscrapers to single-family housing.

Transportation and Walkability

Austin’s not full, but the roads that lead to it are.  To solve that we need a transportation system where people can get from A to B without a car. That means adding more buses, bike lanes, side-walks, and high-capacity transit like urban rail and rapid buses.

Blog

AURA Endorses On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option

AURA’s membership has taken a vote on which options they prefer out of the proposed Project Connect light rail options. Our members voted in favor of the On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket option, with On-Street: North Lamar to Pleasant Valley coming in a close second. The remaining light rail plans still had strong …

Project Connect Working Group Recommends On-Street 38th to Oltorf to Yellow Jacket Light Rail Option

The AURA Project Connect Working Group has diligently built an evaluation framework over the past few weeks to analyze all light rail options and the future of transit in Austin. Our goal was to equip Austinites with the necessary information to understand and contextualize each option’s impact on the city. Additionally, we aimed to provide …