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.