PURPOSE AND DESIGN.
Austin City Code § 25-3-2
in effect§ 25-3-2 - PURPOSE AND DESIGN.
(A) The purpose of a traditional neighborhood district is to encourage mixed-use, compact development that is sensitive to the environmental characteristics of the land and facilitates the efficient use of services. A traditional neighborhood district diversifies and integrates land uses within close proximity to each other, and it provides for the daily recreational and shopping needs of the residents. A traditional neighborhood district is a sustainable, long-term community that provides economic opportunity and environmental and social equity for the residents.
(B) A traditional neighborhood district is designed to ensure the development of land as a traditional neighborhood. Its design adopts the urban conventions which were the norm in the United States from colonial times until the 1940's. A traditional neighborhood district is characterized by the following design elements:
(1) neighborhoods that are limited in size and oriented toward pedestrian activity;
(2) a variety of housing types, jobs, shopping, services, and public facilities;
(3) residences, shops, workplaces, and civic buildings interwoven within the neighborhood, all within close proximity;
(4) a network of interconnecting streets and blocks that maintains respect for the natural landscape;
(5) natural features and undisturbed areas that are incorporated into the open space of the neighborhood;
(6) a coordinated transportation system with a hierarchy of appropriately designed facilities for pedestrians, bicycles, public transit, and automotive vehicles;
(7) well-configured squares, plazas, greens, landscaped streets, preserves, greenbelts, and parks woven into the pattern of the neighborhood and dedicated to the collective social activity, recreation, and visual enjoyment of the populace;
(8) civic buildings, open spaces, and other visual features that act as landmarks, symbols, and focal points for community identity;
(9) compatibility of buildings and other improvements as determined by their arrangement, bulk, form, character, and landscaping to establish a livable, harmonious, and diverse environment;
(10) private buildings that form a consistent, distinct edge and define the border between the public street space and the private block interior; and
(11) architecture and landscape that respond to the unique character of the region.
Source: Section 13-9-2; Ord. 990225-70; Ord. 031211-11.
Source: City of Austin, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT25LADE_CH25-3TRNEDI_ART1GEPR_S25-3-2PUDEFetched: 10/27/2026