WAKE the WOKE
Commentary · Ideas are easy. Policy is hard. Wake up to what actually worked.
Commentary

Austin's HOME Initiative

Cut minimum lot size to 1,800 sqft and allowed up to three homes per lot.

Housing & ZoningCity CouncilMayorLiberty checkEvidence favors the policy

A · 21/24

1 · The idealist case (in its proponents' own framing)

Gentle density by-right ends an 80-year single-family lock.

2 · The realist counter-case

Skeptics doubted year-one effects.

3 · Predicted vs. measured — with caveats

Single-family-zone permits rose from 487 to 906 (+86%) in year one; 100+ teardowns became 260+ smaller homes.

4 · Liberty check

Restores owners' right to build modestly on their own land.

5 · The real tradeoff

Strong early signal; apartment wave also helped rents.

Watch · narrated explainer video

Narrated commentary video (with audio). More on the Video page.

Allies & Playbook

If you want to copy this, start here.

No individual sponsor record is catalogued for this policy yet. Start with the primary sources below and the Allies directory.

Sources