It's no surprise that when City Council prepared to give final approval to a series of land use reforms in May – the most ambitious in at least 40 years – Council members took a moment to thank Awais Azhar. Deputy director of HousingWorks Austin and a fourth-term planning commissioner, Azhar is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and hardest-working individuals in Austin's housing policy space. Through his work on the Planning Commission and as a community advocate, he helped improve many of the housing reforms Council recently passed. The people of Austin are lucky to live among smart, dedicated volunteers like Azhar.
