Tracking neighborhood development and behavioral trends with building permits in Austin, Texas

Abstract

Local area datasets are becoming more frequently used by planners and policy-makers in analyzing land use and development trends. Records kept by cities and towns are popular for this purpose because they often provide continuous and detailed data. This investigation utilized municipal records to explore how local area datasets and spatial analysis tools, specifically building permits and GIS, may be used to study land development. In order to assess the effectiveness of this analytical method, programs and changes related to development were evaluated to demonstrate potential uses of this municipal data. The City of Austin, Texas, was the context for this study, and the permit records used spanned two decades from 1990 to 2009. The permit dataset was first used to review overall construction activity within the City. The locations of all permits issued in the study period were mapped. The next part of this research consisted of two case studies used to demonstrate how a spatial assessment of growth and development change issues could be done using building permit records in varying scenarios. The Balcones Canyonlands Preserves (BCP) conservation project was assessed as an example of proactive and explicit land use decisions. Conversely, shifting neighborhood demographics and reinvestment provided a scenario for studying the changes that have resulted from residential mobility decisions.