UT Study

Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) has named Hill Country Studio a 2015 Groundwater Stewardship Award winner for their comprehensive report “Toward a Regional Plan for the Texas Hill Country.” “The Hill Country Studio addressed regional challenges the Hill Country faces in the near future. Through a comprehensive report, the research team tactfully documented stresses, identified beneficial regional-scale management strategies, and proposed solutions.  The report has fuelled informed discussions by bipartisan groups throughout the Hill Country.” Learn more from…

According to a report published last week by regional thought leaders, the need now is greater than ever to ramp up preservation efforts for the Texas Hill Country’s natural landscape. With the Austin-San Antonio-San Marcos region experiencing an explosion in population and business, suburban sprawl has extended to what used to be rurality in the Hill Country, “threatening its wildlife, scenery, and the water resources upon which the whole region depends,” according to the report. Read more from TexasHillCountry.com

A new study makes several recommendations for protecting the Texas Hill country’s cultural heritage and scenic beauty from the intense population growth that Austin and San Antonio have seen. A big focus on planning for the future, the report recommends mapping what areas can be developed vs those that are better conservation areas, the establishment of an endowment to finance conservation, and increased rail and bus infrastructure and service. Professor of urban planning at the University of Pensylvania Robert Yaro,…

The Greater Texas Hill Country needs a new plan because its scenery, wildlife and water are being threatened by too much growth and too little regulation. That’s according to a report issued by the University of Texas School of Architecture. Travis County Commissioner Bridgid Shea says she supports many of the UT report’s recommendations; like forming a regional water authority, and a partnership of the 13 Counties west of the Austin-San Antonio corridor. Read more from KLBJ

Twelve graduate students from the School of Architecture, along with regional planning experts, have partnered with the Hill Country Alliance to publish a study containing strategies to protect the Texas Hill Country and its resources. The Alliance is dedicated to preserving natural resources in the area, which reaches from northern San Antonio to western Travis County. The recently published study proposes establishing a Hill Country Endowment to finance conservation and infrastructure improvement efforts, distinguish between areas suited for preservation and…

A new study out of UT-Austin warns that explosive, unregulated growth in the Hill Country could mean its unique ‘natural, scenic, and water resources could be… permanently lost to future generations.’ The dire warning comes in a 120-page report which looked at growth, history, land use, and projected population in a 17-county area stretching from Austin to San Antonio and west to Uvalde and Rocksprings. More from News4SA.com