Open space framework The river, lakes, and Creeks Spanning more than 800 miles across Texas, the Colorado River is one of Austin’s prominent natural features. The river’s watershed also encompasses the city. Austin relies on the Colorado River for 100% of its municipal water. The majority of Austin’s public spaces and parks are connected to the Colorado River, including some of Austin residents’ favorite parks like Zilker Metropolitan Park. The Colorado River also forms Lake Austin, Lake Travis, and Lady Bird Lake via its dammed portions. Along Lady Bird Lake, the 10-mile Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail offers many vantage points of the city and runs almost consistently on the river’s edge.
The greenbelts Greenbelts are linear, natural feature-focused open spaces intended for passive recreational use and preservation of natural resources. Austin boasts various greenbelts that serve multiple functions including recreation, wildlife habitat, water quality protection, flood risk reduction, and transportation. These greenbelts also have the potential for expansion, linking different public spaces together. The Barton Creek Greenbelt is one of Austin’s most popular and beloved greenbelts, covering more than 1,700 acres of parkland. With multiple access points, trails, and diverse terrain, it is used for both passive and active recreation by residents.
Parks and preserved open space Integrated into the rest of Austin’s urban fabric are its parks (both PARD and non-PARD owned/maintained) and preserved open spaces. This includes everything from large district parks, nature preserves, smaller pocket parks, urban plazas, and even cemeteries. Parks that are part of other government entities, like Travis and Williamson County, or owned and managed by independent entities, are illustrated as they are also well-used by Austin residents.
Chapter 3 : Our Parks
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