Reinventing the Austin City Council

explores the puzzle that was Austin’s reluctance to alter its at-large system and establish a geographically-based, single-member district system. Ann Bowman chronicles the repeated attempts to change the system, the eventual decision to do so, and the consequences of that change. In the process, she explores the many twists and turns that occurred in Austin as it struggled to design a fair system of representation. assesses the impact of the new district system since its inception in 2014. Austin’s experience ultimately offers a political lesson for creating institutional change.