Following an exciting night of almost all victories in the November general election for Austin’s urbanists, the city council runoff elections Tuesday have set the stage for the City of Austin to undo decades of exclusionary zoning, abandon the failures of car-dependent market perversions like minimum parking requirements, and end the ravaging effects of displacement-inducing policies like the apartment ban.

When council takes up land use reform and a strategic mobility plan in January, there will be perhaps only three votes loyal to Austin’s once powerful NIMBY establishment.

Austin’s environmental, equity, transportation reform, and urbanist communities are calling it a mandate for change.

Former Austin Zoning & Platting Commissioner Rahm McDaniel:

Congrats to @d1_natasha @CM_Renteria and @PaigeForAustin. I’m very happy with this result. The mandate is clear.

Friends of Austin Neighborhoods:

Congratulations to @PaigeForAustin, @d3forpio, and FAN member @d1_natasha for their victories in the #atxcouncil runoff elections. We look forward to working with you on neighborhoods that offer a diverse, abundant, and affordable choice of housing options.

KUT Reporter Audrey McGlinchy:

#atxcouncil no longer has a conservative voice, at least in the way we define Republican vs. Democrat. But what’s more likely to matter when it comes to votes is the fact that there’s now a larger consensus on land use issues, making the passage of a CodeNEXT 2.0 perhaps easier.

Impact News Reporter Christopher Neely Reporting returning Council Member Pio Renteria’s plans:

Pio said densifying the transit corridors in District 3 to open up more affordable housing options is his priority heading into his 2019-22 term. Said he’s encouraged by the results so far in District 1 and District 8’s races that the council will really start moving the needle

Jason Briggeman, husband of one of the city’s leading urbanists:

Urbanist candidates in Austin backed it up tonight, sweeping the runoffs and doing so by large margins in D3 and D8 against well-organized preservationist opponents.

Next is the hard part. #ATXCouncil

Reporter, Freelance Writer Jack Craver:

Tonight was a clean sweep for urbanists. Things could change, but from the looks of it Council will feature six urbanists and two urbanist-curious votes. Neighborhood preservationists down to three votes. #atxcouncil

Onwards to the hard work of allowing the vast majority of the Austin region’s growth into our low-carbon lifestyle, walkable, transit-ready cities, but doing it sustainably, equitably, and affordably.