During a recent historic preservation case at City Hall, a representative for the property owner of the West Austin Delisle House raised questions about not only city staff's internal process for determining historical significance but also whether staff is doing appropriate due diligence when it comes to uncovering a property or property owner's ties to segregation.

Zo Qadri has received some impressive high profile progressive endorsements like Elizabeth Warren in his race to defeat conservative candidate Linda Guerrero for Austin City Council District 9. Wendy Davis, Jessica Cisneros, Julie Oliver, and Mike Siegel are also backing Qadri.

Recently, KUT Austin published a piece on the District 9 City Council runoff between Zohaib “Zo” Qadri and Linda Guerrero. Specifically, the piece explores the divide between the two candidates on housing. Qadri blames the city’s rising rents and displacement crisis on the city’s land development code, and advocates for making it easier to build missing middle housing like duplexes, fourplexes, and small apartment buildings.

Guerrero, on the other hand, responded to KUT’s questions in a baffling fashion. She calls the idea that Austin has a lack of housing "really controversial" and denies that anyone "that's been displaced [is] saying 'Oh, this is great, there's 5,000 new apartments. I get to come back to Austin.' That's not happening."

Both candidates that the Hyde Parker Magazine endorsed in the general election, Celia Israel for mayor and Zo Qadri for Austin City Council, made it to the runoff election. Julie Oliver, Mike Siegel, and many leading organizations have also endorsed them. Both progressive candidates, Celia Israel and Zo Qadri, will face off against their conservative opponents to determine who will be mayor and who will win the Austin City Council seat that covers much of central Austin and Hyde Park.

When the question of increased density is brought up, a lot of Hyde Park residents tend to wonder whether those kinds of changes would make the neighborhood less livable. To answer that question, let’s take the Mueller neighborhood as a case study. The planned unit development allows for missing middle housing the likes of which is not seen in Hyde Park. But pretty much everyone who lives or visits Mueller is taken with the diversity of uses found there.

Austin is at a pivotal moment in its history. Amidst a nationwide housing crisis, the city is making the incomprehensible decision to double down on its history of exclusionary zoning. Instead of embracing the fact that reversing our city-imposed development bottleneck and greenlighting the building of housing in all its forms, we’re still producing a trickle of units when we need a flood. A drastic increase in our housing supply is the only logical, and more importantly equitable, way forward.

Austin’s housing crisis demands swift and drastic action. And tackling it going forward won’t be easy. The city is fighting an uphill battle against powerful interests who find the status quo convenient and are terrified of opening up more of the city to people who might not look like, earn like, or think like they do. It's with that sentiment in mind that the Hyde Parker Magazine endorses progressive Democrat Zohaib "Zo" Qadri to represent Austin City Council District 9. We believe Qadri not only understands the urgency of this moment in our housing crisis, but as a longtime progressive activist and renter, Qadri will bring perspective sorely missing from the current dais.

Austin is at a turning point in its history. How the city addresses its interrelated affordability, housing, and transportation crises will impact generations to come. That’s why voters must elect a mayor this November who is inclusive, forward-thinking, and has a proven track record of making sound policy decisions. That is not Kirk Watson.

The Racist Roots of Hyde Park’s Zoning Rules. Why Propping Up Exclusionary Zoning Practices Upholds Systemic Racism in Central Austin. The truth is that the quiet bungalows and neatly manicured lawns were built on a foundation of racism, classism, and exclusion.