Council unveiling growth initiative
1998
Smart growth takes hold in Austin, with the establishment of "desired development zones" and directing growth away from "designated water protection zones."
The Smart Growth Initiative did not consider serious consequences to minority populations in its implementation, as directing growth to the city's urban core resulted in a mass exodus of low income families from the city's center and thereafter rapid gentrification.
Austin’s government had been dominated for too long by win-lose, all-or-nothing politics, pitting the environment versus economic development.
— Mayor Kirk Watson
