Just months into the pandemic, the city of Austin instituted, at the urging of local nonprofit coalition Walk Austin, a program called Healthy Streets. The arrangement carves out space for pedestrians, cyclists, and other community members on certain Austin roadways.

It’s a neighborhood tale as old as time.

Residents concerned about increased traffic and diminished property values react with alarm to proposed development and demand City Council preserve “neighborhood character” at the expense of neighborhood amenities.