EnviroAtlas
people * health 4 nature 4 economy
Community Summary
Fact Sheet
www.epa.gov/ en viroatl as
Austin, TX and surrounding
Towns and cities rely on clean air, clean water, green space,
and other natural amenities for economic sustainability and
quality of life, yet their benefits are not always fully
understood or considered in local decisions. EPA and its
partners are producing EnviroAtlas to help communities
better use environmental assets for public good.
EnviroAtlas includes an online interactive mapping
application that anyone can use. The interactive map
contains over 200 maps available for the U.S., as well as
100+ fine-scale maps for selected U.S. communities about
existing and potential benefits from the local natural
environment. The EnviroAtlas community component is
based on 1-meter resolution land cover data. Information
derived from these data is summarized by census block
groups; more spatially explicit map layers are also provided.
This fact sheet highlights some of the many community data
layers available for the featured area of Austin, Texas.
Background
The Austin, Texas area was chosen as an EnviroAtlas
community because it offers multiple opportunities to
leverage existing research and community engagement
activities. It has also received high sustainability and heat
vulnerability ratings that can be evaluated from a green
infrastructure perspective. The EnviroAtlas boundary for
the Austin area was determined using the 2010 Census
definition of an Urban Area. In addition to Austin, it
includes Georgetown, Round Rock, and Cedar Park, as well
as additional towns w ithin Travis and Williamson Counties.
The area measures 2,160 square kilometers, and
Percent Land Cover in Community
Area
Water
Impervious
Soil/Barren
Grass/Herbaceous
Trees/Forest
Agriculture
encompasses
750
census
block
groups.
The Austin area is in the Texas Blackland Prairie ecoregion.
It has a mild mid-latitude climate with hot summers and
mild winters. The region was once vegetated with extensive
tallgrass prairies but has mostly been converted into
agriculture with some urban development. The leading
industries in the area are technology and defense. Dell,
Freescale Semiconductor, and IBM are among largest
employers in the area. The demographics of the Austin
community area indicate that the potential exists for income
and other disparities in the distribution of environmental
assets. EnviroAtlas includes demographic maps that can
Austin Area Demographics
2010 Census
Total population
1,334,516
Under 13 years old
18.98%
Over 70 years of age
4.90%
Other than white/non-
Hispanic
46.33%
Below twice the U.S.
poverty level
28.05%
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help screen for potential health and well-being disparities
resulting from disproportionate distribution of "green
infrastructure."
Ecosystem Services Overview
In EnviroAtlas, the benefits humans receive from nature
are grouped into seven categories that demonstrate the
interconnectedness of these ecosystem services:
Clean air
Clean and plentiful water
Natural hazard mitigation
Climate stabilization
Recreation, culture, and aesthetics
Biodiversity conservation
Food, fuel, and materials (data available only for
communities with farm land)
Examples of some of the data included in EnviroAtlas are
detailed below:
Access to Parks
Parks provide access to green space, encourage physical
activity, and improve the livability and aesthetics of urban
areas. Those who live closer to parks may be more likely
to receive multiple benefits associated with this proximity.
An estimated 12 percent of the Austin area is
located within easy walking distance (500 meters)
of a park entrance (dark and medium green areas in
figure at nght).
An estimated 15 percent of the Austin area does not
have a park entrance within 5 kilometers (grey areas
in figure at right).
EnviroAtlas Tools and Features
Learn more about and download EnviroAtlas data: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-data
Search our data layers and access their fact sheets: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-dvnamic-data-matrix
Explore data for the Austin community area in our interactive mapping application: https://
www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-interactive-map
Use our Eco-Health Relationship Browser to explore ecosystems, the services they provide, and their benefits to human
health and well-being: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-eco-health-relationship-browser
Contact us with questions about EnviroAtlas: https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/fonns/contact-enviroatlas
j Proximity to Parks
j in Austin, TX Area
Recreation, Culture, and Aesthetics
Austin, TX
Estimated walking distance to a
park entrance (m)
¦ 0-250
¦ 251 -500
| 501 -750
751-1000
1001 - 2000
2001 - 3000
¦ 3001-4000
4001 - 5000
Insufficient Data
Stream arid Lake Buffers
Natural land cover adjacent to streams and rivers,
sometimes called the riparian area or zone, helps protect
water quality and supply for drinking, recreation, and
aquatic habitat. The EnviroAtlas community component
analyzes stream and lake buffers in widths of 15 and 50
meters.
An estimated 13 percent of Austin's land area is within
50 meters of a stream or lake.
87 percent of Austin's 50 meter stream and lake buffers
are vegetated.
8 percent of Austin's 50 meter stream and lake buffers
are impervious.
EnviroAtlas combines maps, graphs, and other analysis tools, fact sheets, and downloadable data into an easy-to-use, web-based
educational and decision-support tool EnviroAtlas helps users understand the connections between the benefits we derive from
ecosystem services and the natural resources that provide them. For more information, please visit www.epa.gov/enviroatlas.
January 2016
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