For 20 years, Silicon Valley was viewed as the premier economic model by other regions throughout the United States. Silicon Valley's high-tech companies are still churning out jobs and wealth at an incredible rate. It's no longer the same object of envy and awe . Silicon Valley is plagued with a lamentable list of problems. Traffic is a nightmare, there's no effective mass transit and the region's roads are deteriorating.
Income inequality is severe and getting worse.
Finally, the valley is dominated by a high-tech monoculture completely driven by money. Apart from technological innovation and the accumulation of wealth, the area hardly has a pulse at all. Many people here believe that the current picture of Silicon Valley is where we're headed, too, as we have been for 15 years, and they're alarmed. A few think we're there already. The issues of affordability, diversity, sprawl, environmental quality, equity and how to preserve Austin's unique local culture are the top political concerns here, and have been for a long time.