In early October, SACOG partnered with the Sacramento Metro Chamber on a study mission to Austin, Texas. Nearly 130 business, public sector, and non-profit leaders spent three days learning about how our capital regions compare, and what Austin has done to build a thriving economy and culture.

The trip kicked off with SACOG CEO James Corless and Leadership Austin CEO Christopher Kennedy walking participants through data prepared by SACOG comparing the regions on demographics, migration, housing, transportation, homelessness, and arts and culture.

SACOG also supported a panel discussion on housing in the Austin region, hearing from Austin’s Community Development Administrator, and suburban and urban developers on the successes and challenges of providing housing in a growing region. One of the key takeaways was the comprehensive approach to housing, including homelessness, to produce housing that meets households of all income levels. Austin is struggling to produce housing that is affordable to middle-income families, which is putting pressures on their transportation system.

SACOG has committed to be the Chamber’s data partner on future visits to other regions to assess where we are doing well, where we can learn, and how we change over time.