Accessibility links
Growth Machine Housing prices in Austin have exploded in the past decade, leading to a city that's not just unaffordable — but also highly segregated. None of this happened by accident. It's the result of decades of decisions about what — if anything — gets built in Austin and where. From a master plan to move Black and brown residents to one part of town, to fights over how to protect the environment, to an outdated land development code — all of these are pieces in a machine that's engineered Austin's housing market. Hosted by Audrey McGlinchy and produced at KUT & KUTX Studios.
Growth Machine

Podcast Directory
Growth Machine

Growth Machine

From KUT 90.5

Housing prices in Austin have exploded in the past decade, leading to a city that's not just unaffordable — but also highly segregated. None of this happened by accident. It's the result of decades of decisions about what — if anything — gets built in Austin and where. From a master plan to move Black and brown residents to one part of town, to fights over how to protect the environment, to an outdated land development code — all of these are pieces in a machine that's engineered Austin's housing market. Hosted by Audrey McGlinchy and produced at KUT & KUTX Studios.

Most Recent Episodes

Grow or Die

(Episode 7) Now that the machine has done its job, what now? We explore some of the existential questions that Austin's housing market has wrought. The full transcript of this episode of Growth Machine is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps. The post Grow or Die appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios — Podcasts.

Pigs in a Parlor

(BONUS — Deleted scene!) We go back 100 years to tell the origin story of modern zoning. The post Pigs in a Parlor appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios — Podcasts.

There Go The Neighborhoods

(Episode 6) Austin last re-wrote its land development code in 1984. Sounds boring, right? Well, that rewrite made it harder to build denser forms of housing. We explore the history of zoning in Austin and the opposition to changing the rules today, which could make the biggest difference in fixing Austin's affordability crisis. The full transcript of this episode of Growth Machine is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps. The post There Go The Neighborhoods appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios — Podcasts.

Welcome to Silicon Gulch

(Episode 5) Not that long ago, Austin's economy was sleepy, to put it mildly. People came here for UT, to work for the state or for the military. A little more than 50 years ago, a bedsheet changed everything — including the housing market. The post Welcome to Silicon Gulch appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios — Podcasts.

BONUS: Fertility Drugs for Cars

We talked in episode 2 about cars and roads — and how they affect where we live. We didn't talk about one other way that cars affect housing: making places to put all the cars. The post BONUS: Fertility Drugs for Cars appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios — Podcasts.

Smart Growth or Dumb Growth?

(Episode 4) When a new mayor came to power, he found what he thought would be a compromise — a way to bring new businesses and build housing for all the people coming to Austin without threatening the city's ecological gems. It turned out to be more complicated than that.

Listen to This Podcast or We'll Poison Barton Springs

(Episode 3) In the 1990s, Austin voters passed landmark protections for parts of southwest Austin that sit on top of the aquifer that feeds Barton Springs. That set off a chain of events that had a profound effect on how the city would grow in the coming decades.

Roads to Everywhere

(Episode 2) I-35 is more than a road. It's been sculpting Austin's housing scene for more than 60 years, encouraging endless sprawl and making gridlock a lifestyle. Take a drive with us through the highway's history.

We Planned This

(Episode 1) Austin has grown a lot in recent years — and the East Side has been impacted the most. To understand the city's pattern of displacement, we have to go back to 1928.

COMING JUNE 22 | Growth Machine: How Austin Engineered Its Housing Market

Housing prices in Austin have exploded in the past decade, leading to a city that's not just unaffordable, but also highly segregated. It's the result of decades of decisions about what — if anything — gets built in Austin and where. Hosted by Audrey McGlinchy.

COMING JUNE 22 | Growth Machine: How Austin Engineered Its Housing Market

Listen · 2:41
Growth Machine

Podcast Directory