Austin voters cemented a generational shift in 2022 by electing five City Council candidates who embraced the city planning philosophy of New Urbanism. Those elected became part of a supermajority dedicated to using market forces to bring down home prices by encouraging the construction of dense, mixed-use housing and effective public transit.

That supermajority went on to pass the Home Options for Mobility and Equity reforms, which allow three dwellings on a single lot and reduce the minimum lot sizes on which houses can be built, along with other urban-oriented measures.

But a lot has changed in the last four years. 2023 was the high-water mark – so far, anyway – of the insane increases in housing costs that the Council members had campaigned on. By the end of 2024, housing prices had stabilized. However, years of inflation had reduced Austinites’ purchasing power. In November, residents defeated Proposition Q, a proposal to increase property taxes, demonstrating that their concerns had broadened from housing affordability to the cost of living in general.  

So now, we’re living in a hybrid moment. We’re asked to evaluate how the urbanist Council has done on housing. We’re asked to consider their work on the massive infrastructure projects initiated before the city’s budget went south – Project Connect, the convention center, and Cap and Stitch. We’re asked to determine how fiscally responsible the dais has been after spending over $1 million on a logo last fall while still asking residents for more money. And we’re asked to assess how transparent Council has been with the community, following decisions like the Dog’s Head agreement, where they rushed a vote – with minimal public input – to annex 2,600 acres of land to be developed with little oversight.

Now, we decide the next four years.

Meet the candidates in District 1, District 3, District 5, District 8, and District 9.

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This article appears in October 9 • 2026.

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