I came to Austin eleven years ago with my husband looking for a city where we could start our lives as a family. We have since made Austin our home, are raising our children in East Austin, and see ourselves growing old here. Since we moved to Austin, my parents and nephews have now joined us to live in this city. As an immigrant, I want a see a city that works for everyone and that can make room for new people like my family.

• We should be allowed to build multifamily apartment buildings everywhere. Different types of housing meets different needs, and our city should have opportunities to meet each of these needs across our different neighborhoods. That said, the bulk of recent multifamily apartment buildings have been developed East of I-35, so I think it’s time to be more intentional about achieving socio-spatial justice and to strongly encourage multifamily development West of I-35 to grow equitably across the entire city.
• We should not think of housing in an isolated manner. Multifamily housing should be amenities, so our families can be part of communities where schools, transit, work, food, homes, and healthcare are all within reach. Our infrastructure and services like roads, transit, water, and childcare centers should be designed to serve the density provided by multifamily apartments. As a city council member, I will work towards having a land use code that allows a mix of housing across the city and work to bring the various city departments to the table to collaborate to this aim.
• Central Austin is better serviced by transit than other parts of the city. It also has a high concentration of job opportunities, so it makes sense for the city to provide housing opportunities in this area, saving commute time for our residents, increasing transit ridership, and increasing quality of life.
• In addition to increasing multifamily development, we should also preserve the existing affordable housing stock, encourage Accessory Dwelling Units, and take into account previous community work in identifying future growth areas in Imagine Austin.