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Economic Recovery and Resiliency Opportunities
The City of Austin's Economic Recovery and Resiliency Framework features opportunities to foster a more equitable, competitive, and resilient post-pandemic economy.
City staff prepared this framework after facilitating more than 125 stakeholder engagements with Austin residents, employees, and business owners.
Read about each opportunity and provide comments and questions on the SpeakUp Austin! webpage.
Opportunities
City staff will pursue these opportunities through the lens of several strategic anchors which are values that support quality of life in Austin.
Read the Strategic Anchors
View the opportunities in the
categories below:
Civic Innovation Opportunities
Develop partnerships to secure enhanced COVID-19 testing and tracking resources, and support vaccine distribution to historically marginalized groups.
Establish formal pathways for City of Austin staff to receive and review innovative ideas.
Facilitate the creation of financial services for unbanked individuals, creatives, business owners, and entrepreneurs.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Civic Innovation Opportunities
Formalize resiliency efforts for future disasters.
Launch an Austin Community Challenge that engages residents, creatives, employees, and employers in a process of co-creating solutions for local problems.
Support research to reduce the risk of infection at large and live events.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Communication Enhancement
Opportunities
Announce grants from a centralized City source.
Continue creating educational resources for reopening businesses.
Create a communications tree for important COVID-19 updates and announcements.
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Communication Enhancement
Opportunities
Create a communications tree for small businesses to receive notifications regarding permitted festivals and events.
Launch campaigns promoting workforce development opportunities and available jobs.
Standardize messaging to stakeholders and business patrons.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Employee and Business Assistance
Opportunities
Assist local creatives with streaming content from local arts and cultural organizations.
Collaborate with partners on workforce development to prepare Austinites for jobs in current and new industries.
Continue providing workshops and one-on-one coaching to help business owners, entrepreneurs and creatives adapt their business models.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Employee and Business Assistance
Opportunities
Create an Austin Tool Lending Library that allows individuals to access tutorials and borrow equipment at little to no cost.
Develop a local artist registry to foster more opportunities for Austin's creatives.
Enhance access to affordable and quality childcare.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Employee and Business Assistance
Opportunities
Facilitate stronger mentorship opportunities for business owners.
Facilitate the creation of business cooperatives.
Support existing advocacy efforts and the development of creative coalitions, which empower creative sector professionals to cross-promote their work and collaborate on common issues.
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires City program or policy change
Employee and Business Assistance
Opportunities
Offer workforce development scholarships to unemployed or underemployed individuals who commit to work locally in their trained field or sector.
Provide households with tools and resources to grow their own foods.
Foster collaboration between Austin-based businesses to share goods and services.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Financial Support Opportunities
Provide additional financial assistance to individuals, households, employees, businesses, and non-profit organizations.
Incentivize adaptations to produce innovations and improvements to commercial sites, which benefit employees and customers.
Continued dedicated relief and recovery funding for Live Music Venues.
Requires City program or policy change
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Financial Support Opportunities
Temporarily reduce or waive certain City permits and fees for businesses that are reopening safely.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Government Service Procurement
Opportunities
Enter into a City of Austin master supplier agreement for COVID-19 rapid testing.
Increase the amount of City of Austin procurement to small and/or local businesses.
Procure food from local restaurants and businesses to feed food-insecure Austin individuals and families.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Health & Mental WellnessOpportunities
Continue providing enhanced mental wellness resources for Austinites.
Continue providing housing and meals to COVID-19 patients experiencing homelessness.
Offer safety trainings to business owners and creative professionals, and create a safe reopening certification program for local businesses.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Health & Mental WellnessOpportunities
Continue promoting existing health regulation requirements in combination with masking and social distancing as an initiative that consumers can easily recognize.
Research and invest in automated contact tracing technology.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Public Infrastructure Opportunities
Collaborate with government agencies and community partners to close the digital divide.
Continue permitting parking spaces and outdoor spaces for other usage.
Expedite affordable housing development.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Public Infrastructure Opportunities
Expedite sidewalk and bike route development to enhance equitable access to goods and services.
Expedite temporary rezoning to active underutilized spaces.
Flexible timing restrictions for marathons and other outdoor events.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Public Infrastructure Opportunities
Leverage public works and transportation projects to offer short-term employment and economic security to Austinites.
Permanently extend and expand the Healthy Streets program which provides safe options for people to use low-traffic areas for activities.
Repurpose City properties to offer short-term benefits for local business owners and creatives.
Requires more federal stimulus or dedicated stimulus
Requires 3rd party partnership
Requires City program or policy change
Strategic Anchors -
Values that Support Quality of Life in Austin
Equity
The City of Austin staff recognizes racism and inequality exists at various levels: personal, institutional, structural, and systemic. City staff will implement these strategies with a lens of racial equity and healing.
Strategic Direction 2023 serves as the foundation for the City of Austin’s approach to economic recovery and resiliency. These values are the lens through which the City continues to pursue economic prosperity for all members of our community.
Affordability
The economic recovery strategies increase economic opportunities and affordable choices across Austin, so that Austinites, families, businesses, City employees, and all generations can thrive.
Strategic Anchors -
Values that Support Quality of Life in Austin
Innovation
In the wake of these unprecedented times, City staff are committed to working with community to collaborate and create new solutions to recover from COVID-19 and become more resilient against future emergencies.
Sustainability and Resiliency
These strategies help protect Austin’s quality of life now, while enhancing the capacity of our communities to survive and thrive during any difficult time that may come.
Proactive Protection
The City of Austin is not only responsible for responding to the current crisis, but also must use lessons from this emergency to prevent future problems before they arise.
Community Trust and Relationships
City staff recognize that community trust must be earned, and that our city can make more progress when we all work together towards advancing economic recovery efforts.
Economic Recovery and Resiliency Framework. View the full detailed report and share your comments and questions on the SpeakUp Austin! webpage. Thank you for reading the