© 2024 Louisville Public Media

Public Files:
89.3 WFPL · 90.5 WUOL-FM · 91.9 WFPK

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact info@lpm.org or call 502-814-6500
89.3 WFPL News | 90.5 WUOL Classical 91.9 WFPK Music | KyCIR Investigations
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Stream: News Music Classical

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer Spent The Weekend At SXSW. Here's Why

Mayor Greg Fischer
J. Tyler Franklin
Mayor Greg Fischer

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer is back in town after spending the weekend in Austin, Texas.

He was there attending the annual South By Southwest festival, which (famously) celebrates music, film and emerging technologies.

Fischer says he spent the weekend collaborating with other city leaders, sharing ideas about transportation, interactive technologies and the ways cities can grow responsibly.

He was in the right place: Austin is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Fischer says the rapid emergence of the city's tech and startup scenes, as well as the challenges that the influx of residents brings to the city.

Listen to WFPL's interview with Fischer about SXSW in the player above.

On population booms:

"We're a long way from experiencing the kind of problems Austin has with that," Fischer says. "We want to grow faster, we want to be more global, but we always want to be mindful of keeping the soul of our city as well."

Fischer says Austin's struggle to provide affordable housing and efficient transit is something of a case study, emboldening him to continue with efforts in Louisville to address those very issues.

On fostering good tech and startup scenes:

Austin's tech and startup industries are fueling that city's growth. Here, Fischer says, he wants to keep pushing the elements he believes foster a better environment for new businesses.

"We need to double down on entrepreneurship, we need to double down on transportation, we need to dive down on our cultural scene that we're developing on bourbonism and the arts," Fischer says.

Jacob Ryan is the managing editor of the Kentucky Center for Investigative reporting. He's an award-winning investigative reporter who joined LPM in 2014. Email Jacob at jryan@lpm.org.