How Austin, Texas, brought down housing costs — and how other cities might do the same

How Austin, Texas, brought down housing costs — and how other cities might do the same

Emily Pool had spent nearly a decade in cramped New York apartments when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As Pool and her partner, Adam Porter, rethought what they wanted next, they began looking for a house in Pool’s hometown of Austin, Texas.  That was 2022. By then, the Texas capital had become one of the country's hottest destinations: a booming tech hub with a vibrant social scene and an overheated housing market to match. From 2010 to 2019, rent…