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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

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Austin leaders and cities across the country are taking steps to address this summer's record-breaking heat, but they're largely short-term Band-Aids.

What's happening: Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) officials have turned libraries and other public buildings into cooling centers this summer, offering up free CapMetro bus rides to them for anyone who asks.

During excessive heat warning days, misting canopies are deployed in Republic Square Park, where the city has distributed more than 4,700 water bottles, according to HSEM spokesperson Billy Callis.

And the city recently rolled out a pilot program for heat-reflective coatings on pavements — which can reach 150°F — for a few degrees of temperature reduction.

A Homeland Security Emergency Management employee gives cold water to workers at Republic Park on July 16. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Why it matters: It's not clear if the strategies Austin and other cities are using can keep pace with this kind of heat, writes Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson.

Austin-Travis County EMS officials are responding to a record-breaking number of heat-related illnesses, with 285 heat-related incidents in July, a 28% increase compared to last year, according to the department.

Cities are warming twice as fast as global averages due to the "urban heat island" effect.

Zoom in: The city's Office of Resilience recognizes that Austin will see increases in annual and seasonal temperatures and more frequent high-temperature extremes, according to chief resilience officer Laura Patiño.

The office has aimed to take a proactive approach, partnering with researchers from UT Austin and UT Health to map heat across the eastern crescent and help prioritize areas for heat mitigation, Patiño tells Axios.

The office also is creating a "heat playbook" to respond to future heat events in a more proactive, equitable and innovative way, Patiño added.

Between the lines: Cities will need more funding for adaptation and resilience to keep up, according to Greg Gershuny, executive director of the Aspen Institute's Energy and Environment Program.

The Office of Resilience is exploring ways to take advantage of federal funding for climate adaptation, recently submitting a grant to the USDA to plant trees across the city, Patiño said.

The bottom line: "We know this is our new normal and summer days are expected to increase by the end of the century with the latest climate projections," Patiño said.

"We must find the right solutions in the right place and time that will allow us to communicate risk and better prepare all Austinites for extreme heat."

Dig deeper: Cities race to address the heat

How Austin leaders are grappling with the heat

The city has launched cooling centers, misting areas and cool pavement technology.

Residents cool off in the Liz Carpenter Splash Pad at Butler Park on July 16. Photo: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images

Austin leaders and cities across the country are taking steps to address this summer&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="record-breaking heat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/20/world-heat-wave-records-us-europe-china" data-vars-content-id="7ccbc9aa-621b-4f91-b81d-cda3541454c4" data-vars-headline="How Austin leaders are grappling with the heat" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/20/world-heat-wave-records-us-europe-china" target="_self">record-breaking heat</a>, but they&#x27;re largely <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="short-term Band-Aids" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/28/heat-wave-stay-cool-extreme-cities" data-vars-content-id="7ccbc9aa-621b-4f91-b81d-cda3541454c4" data-vars-headline="How Austin leaders are grappling with the heat" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/28/heat-wave-stay-cool-extreme-cities" target="_self">short-term Band-Aids</a>.What&#x27;s happening: Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) officials have turned libraries and other public buildings into cooling centers this summer, offering up free CapMetro bus rides to them for anyone who asks.

Climate

News

Data: Trust for Public Land; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios Visuals

Austinites have been jumping on the bandwagon to play one of the fastest-growing sports in America: pickleball.

By the numbers: Austin has 4.7 pickleball courts per 100,000 people, according to the Trust for Public Land, a pro-parks nonprofit, Axios' Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report.

Catch up quick: There's no pickle involved in pickleball.

It's like mini-tennis, played with paddles and a heavy-ish whiffle ball.

The big picture: There's been a sixfold increase in the number of public pickleball courts in the 100 biggest U.S. cities since 2017 — from 420 to 2,788 — but city leaders say they still can't come close to meeting demand from pickleheads.

Of note: Unofficial pickleball courts don't always make these lists, and Austin has a lot of municipal or school district tennis courts that, with a little tape and a portable net, players temporarily convert to pickleball spots.

Why it matters: Cities are in a love/hate relationship with pickleball.

America's fastest-growing sport is a boon for players who are aging out of tennis — and others who dig its vibe — but it draws complaints from tennis players who've been kicked off their turf.

Meanwhile, cities can't build courts fast enough — and they're tapping everything from COVID-19 relief funds to municipal bonds to raise the necessary cash.

Between the lines: Most pickleball courts are privately owned and developed.

They're a hot real estate amenity in upscale residential developments and resorts.

Dilapidated shopping malls are being plowed down and rebuilt into pickleball courts — as are defunct Bed Bath & Beyond stores.

The Austin Pickle Ranch, with 32 courts, is planned for 9110 Bluff Springs Road, north of Slaughter Lane.

But supposed opening dates for the project have come and gone since 2021 — and organizers of Pickle Ranch did not respond to an Axios interview request.

Flashback: "Austin loves sport, fitness and being outside with like-minded people who want to have fun, and that's a perfect description of pickleball," Mellie Price, an owner of Major League Pickleball squad ATX Pickleballers, told Axios in 2021.

What's next: Pool-sharing company Swimply is getting into the pickleball court rental business, with at least four current rental listings in Austin.

Pickleball popularity on the rise in Austin

Austin has 4.7 pickleball courts per 100,000 people.

Austinites have been jumping on the bandwagon to play one of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fastest-growing sports" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/31729402.6588/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMTUvcGlja2xlYmFsbC1zcG9ydC10ZW5uaXMtaG93LXRvLXBsYXk_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXJfYXhpb3Nsb2NhbF9zYW5hbnRvbmlvJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/612e20a5a7e7511e90448ce6Bae5bb5f1" data-vars-content-id="9770477b-ba79-4d8d-b8bb-6c63477e2124" data-vars-headline="Pickleball popularity on the rise in Austin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/31729402.6588/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMTUvcGlja2xlYmFsbC1zcG9ydC10ZW5uaXMtaG93LXRvLXBsYXk_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXJfYXhpb3Nsb2NhbF9zYW5hbnRvbmlvJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/612e20a5a7e7511e90448ce6Bae5bb5f1" target="_blank">fastest-growing sports</a> in America: pickleball.By the numbers: Austin has 4.7 pickleball courts per 100,000 people, according to the Trust for Public Land, a pro-parks nonprofit, Axios&#x27; Jennifer A. Kingson and Alice Feng report.

Sports

Things to Do

Your neighborhood may be quieter this month as some homeowners opt into No Mow May, a viral movement that encourages residents to ditch their lawn mowers and let their grass go wild till June.

Why it matters: With spring gardening season underway, homeowners are wrestling with personal decisions about how to tackle lawn care, Axios' Jennifer Kingson reports. To mow or not to mow? Irrigate? Fertilize?

The "No Mow" and "Low Mow" campaigns aim to make yards more conducive to bees and butterflies — but you might face blowback from your neighbors if you try it out.

Homeowner associations have been clamping down on residents who let their lawns go brown or wild, even taking people to court over the state of their yards.

Plus: Keeping your lawn long may not bring on the bees anyway, according to Andrea DeLong-Amaya, director of horticulture at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

What they're saying: Many patches of turf are maintained to be weed free and — when left unmowed — the flowers that bloom from these lawns are wind-pollinated, meaning they do not support animal pollinators with nectar or pollen, DeLong-Amaya tells Axios.

Even if there are blooming plants intermingling in the lawn grass, it's likely that they're non-native plants, making them less likely to attract native pollinators.

Instead, "homeowners interested in having a pollinator-friendly lawn can intersperse nectar-producing and pollen-producing low growing natives into the turf," DeLong-Amaya said.

Zoom in: Austin requires residents to keep grass and weeds below one foot, according to the city's code violation website, which adds that long grass can create "unsanitary conditions."

"Keeping grass and weeds short is an important way to prevent rodents, insects and stagnant water from developing as a result of overgrowth," the city site reads.

A better approach in Central Texas, DeLong-Amaya suggests, is shrinking the size of your lawn "to the smallest footprint possible" and planting pollinator-friendly native plants.

Plus, cultivate your landscape using organic methods to avoid harming pollinators.

"Be mindful that even organic products can also be poisonous, so research products before applying, and be sure to closely follow label instructions," DeLong-Amaya added.

The bottom line: Towns that adopt "No Mow May" agree not to issue citations to homeowners who let their grass grow long, but Austin does not have such a policy.

No Mow May comes with caveats

Austin plant expert urges less lawn, more native pollinator-friendly plants.

A Variegated Fritillary butterfly in the Hill Country. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Your neighborhood may be quieter this month as some homeowners opt into <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="No Mow May" data-vars-click-url="https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2022/05/tips-participating-no-mow-may" data-vars-content-id="b0eb62c3-9d73-40e0-b05a-016f1eb33546" data-vars-headline="No Mow May comes with caveats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2022/05/tips-participating-no-mow-may" target="_blank">No Mow May</a>, a viral movement that encourages residents to ditch their lawn mowers and let their grass go wild till June.Why it matters: With spring gardening season underway, homeowners are wrestling with personal decisions about how to tackle lawn care, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Jennifer Kingson reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/30/lawn-wars-mow-may-bees-pollinator-turf" data-vars-content-id="b0eb62c3-9d73-40e0-b05a-016f1eb33546" data-vars-headline="No Mow May comes with caveats" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/04/30/lawn-wars-mow-may-bees-pollinator-turf" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Jennifer Kingson reports</a>. To mow or not to mow? Irrigate? Fertilize?

Jennifer A. Kingson

Featured stories

How Austin leaders are grappling with the heat

Pickleball popularity on the rise in Austin

No Mow May comes with caveats