A Blueprint for Healthy Communities-Case Study of Mueller Community and Colony Park project in Austin, Texas

Urban sprawl has become a common development pattern in the United States despite historical precedent that compact, mixed-use development offers a variety of uses and activities beneficial to users. One example of compact, mixed-use development is the Mueller Airport redevelopment project in Austin, Texas. A multidisciplinary group of seven graduate students from Texas A&M University College of Architecture and the Department of Civil Engineering conducted a study to create design guidelines for the Colony Park master plan, another compact, mixed-use community in Austin. Phase I attempted to determine and measure the site components found within the Mueller neighborhood that promote or hinder an active living lifestyle. Phase II of the project reviewed the information and data acquired in Phase I and applied the results to create design guidelines. Focusing on the health aspects, the team created four groups of guidelines regarding land development patterns; parks, greenways, and open spaces; street systems; building design; and urban design.