The Why:

Environmental Impact:
Why Adaptive Reuse Matters

The greenest building is the one that already exists, not the generic new build.

• 41 tons of construction waste per demolished 1,500 sqft home goes to landfills.

• 20 to 40 gallons of water saved per cubic yard of concrete through restoration versus new construction.

• 40 tons of embodied energy saved by preserving a 1,500 sq ft house. (old data, current savings likely higher)

• Austin demolished 5M sq ft of buildings (2010 to 2021), generating 655,000 tons of construction waste in 2020 alone. (City of Austin data)

• 10 to 80 years required for new construction to recover from demolition and construction's carbon debt.

• 20 to 30% less energy used by renovated historic buildings versus new construction.

• Embodied carbon from original construction is lost when buildings are demolished

• Manufacturing emissions eliminated through material reuse (concrete, steel, lumber)

• Mature trees and established ecosystems preserved at heritage sites

• Urban sprawl reduced by revitalizing existing neighborhoods versus greenfield development

Austin's Cultural
Community Crisis

• Austin’s median home price surged more than 40% from 2020 to 2022, rising from $420,000 to $590,000. Prices have since moderated, but the median remained about one-third above 2020 levels at $560,000 in August 2026. 

•Austin’s creative spaces remain vulnerable to displacement: 80% of surveyed venues rent their spaces, nearly one-third face lease renewal within 18 months, and 34% anticipate unaffordable rent increases.

• Austin creatives face the cost of maintaining both housing and specialized workspace in a market where affordable creative space remains scarce. Recent Austin research found that 30% of creative professionals surveyed were considering leaving the city because of affordability pressures.

• Only 16% of Austin's landmarks reflect BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or women's history. (Preservation Austin)

• Austin’s creative industries have been estimated to generate $4.3B in annual economic activity and support approximately 49,000 jobs.

• Culture builders who shaped Austin's identity can no longer afford to live here

• Heritage buildings are demolished instead of reimagined.

• Cultural organizations lack stable operational funding and space.