Annotations for Style: Persuasive

So here’s what I’m proposing: three clear policies that could help Austin grow without losing its heart. First, we need mandatory affordable housing requirements for new developments. That means every time a developer builds, a portion of those units must be reserved for low- and middle-income residents. Second, we need rent control especially in historically significant neighborhoods that are most at risk in order to protect the culture that they have built over time. And third, we need financial protections for long-standing small businesses, many of which are being priced out of the very communities they helped shape.These aren't radical ideas, they’re common sense. And other cities have done it. The question is: will Austin step up? - In this section, I use a confident and solution-focused tone, supported by clear, practical proposals and rhetorical questions, to persuade the audience that meaningful policy change is both possible and urgently needed in Austin.

Now, some people argue that policies like rent control or affordable housing will scare away developers or hurt the economy. But clearly this is just not true. Cities like New York, San Francisco, and even Portland, have all found ways to balance growth and equity. And Austin? We’re one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Developers aren’t going to pack up just because they’re asked to build responsibly, making this outcome we are searching for very realistic. In fact, Austin has a real opportunity right now. Lawmakers have been discussing changes like reducing minimum lot sizes and expediting permits in order to build more homes faster. But volume alone obviously won’t fix affordability. If we just build more luxury condos, we’re still excluding the people who actually need housing. That’s why affordability must be baked into every part of every growth. - In this conclusion, I directly address counterarguments with evidence from other cities, using logic and a hopeful yet firm tone to argue that responsible development and equity can coexist, and that Austin has both the momentum and responsibility to lead the way.

Long story short this isn’t about stopping development. It’s about steering it. About making sure that our city grows in a way that respects and includes the people who built it. Because, if we let profit drive everything, we’ll wake up one day in an Austin that’s shiny, new, and completely soulless. So what do we do now? We must act. We must speak up.. We must push city officials and developers to commit to affordable housing, rent protections, and cultural preservation. This isn’t just a housing issue, it’s about equity, identity, and the kind of future we want for Austin. Thanks for listening. I’m Noah, and this has been the Austin Avengers. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a neighbor. Talk about it. Bring it to your next city council meeting. Because protecting Austin starts with you. - In this closing, I use a powerful call to action, emotional appeals, and inclusive language to leave the audience with a sense of urgency and responsibility, framing the fight against gentrification as not just a policy issue but a moral one tied to Austin’s future and identity.

Overall summary of the CLT's and benefits. Restating with more info

Closing words and Thank you to pao for joining and thank you to listeners.

A smaller call to action, a shift in tone, that helps to create an urgent feel, that the start of change begins with the communities.

The problem, Houston struggles with affordability, and with statistics like these, its easy for the reader to undertsand how much we would need a plan like this

An article from Change.org put it best: “Change starts with a single action. Every voice can make a difference.” The more people we get talking about SMART housing, the more pressure we can put on lawmakers to push for real changes.". This quote pushes for Ethos as its main source but its also very persuasive as its a call to action for the everyday person that reads this.

What are the two projects about gentrification?: compare the both, discuss which one I think is best

It is personal. Because when your hometown doesn't feel like home anymore, what can you do? But here is the truth - gentrification doesn't have to mean displacement. Other cities have come up with better ways to deal with this. There are ways. So, let's discuss a few of these that could work in Sugar Land. First, inclusionary zoning. This is when developers are required to provide a percentage of new housing as affordable. So yes, build that new apartment complex *but make part of it affordable to people already living in this area.* The second solution is community land trusts. These, nonprofit organizations buy land and then keep the land forever for affordable housing. This way, the land truly stays in the community and housing prices don't go way up.

This is not just a Houston or Sugar Land problem. This is happening everywhere. So I challenge you to take a look at your community. Is this happening where you live? If yes, please consider joining a local organization. Speak up at town halls. Chat to your neighbors. Advocate for the policies that protect the people who made your city what it was. Because the future of our hometowns should belong to everyone, not just the people who can afford to move there.

Many of these folks aren't coming here for the Austin vibe, but are here because a company moved their headquarters here. Many don't have any commitment to Keepin' Austin Austin. They show up here with their East Coast, West Coast money and coastal expectations for housing. --- Pathos is at work here identifying the needs of this group of people as a problem and putting them in a negative light.

With more of this housing available, prices would be less likely to spiral out of control. The other part of my proposal is to make novel use of overlays to protect the low-income nature of certain existing traditional neighborhoods. This is turning traditional zoning on its head by using protections normally deployed in the service of the privileged to benefit the underprivileged. --- This section uses further logos to further describe the proposal. In addition, there is an element of ethos involved because the assertion of novelty implies that the speaker has expertise in the subject.

In this part of my proposal, zoning would be deployed to significantly limit the expansion of housing stock in traditional neighborhoods. By restricting growth, there wouldn't be enough places for the wealthy newcomers to live, even if they wanted to. --- This passage continues to use the logos to describe the proposal and then use logos in another way to make a logical argument to support the proposal.

However, there is a potential pitfall here. Fewer apartments that are harder to find could create scarcity that makes traditional low-income housing more so often, and even more expensive once they are remodeled into luxury. We propose to attack this problem by limiting the ability of developers and new residents to make existing rental units more upscale and desirable. Nothing can be built in Austin without a building permit that describes the work and the cost of the work. The City could set a limit on how much you could spend upgrading apartments and avoid these pitfalls. --- Logos is deployed here to highlight a possible problem and then demonstrate the proposal has a solution. This also invokes this because the speaker is shown to have carefully thought through the implications of the proposal and therefore the speaker has more credibility.

But hey, we know these proposals may not work for a lot of reasons, but let's try to use zoning overlays and building permits to fix this. We here at Keep an Austin Austin are always optimistic that we can keep the vibe, no matter how many people move here. --- This section uses logos in a different way, using logic to describe some reasons why the proposal may not work. Showing that the proposal may not work is using ethos to bolster the credibility of the speaker because she has thought through various scenarios and has a real-world practical approach. It also has pathos in that it tries to affect the emotions of the listener and have them feel upbeat.

Rhetoric surrounding gentrification has becomes outdated- referencing Eliot Tretter's article, we have approached our understanding of rhetoric in the same way for decades. Why shouldn't there be a resurgence?

Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote arises from a sermon he made at Columbia University, which presses that change requires action in order to occur.

Virality is good for one thing- making people pay attention. Through attention, discourse is inevitable- meaning that if we approach revitalizing gentrification rhetoric with care, there is potential to increase discourse. Here, we approach these concerns with a proposal with outlined rules to minimise unintentional pain.

We end on closing statements. With our generation of youth, we have the potential to create real change. And, even more so, through methods only our generation are fully familiar with.

Addressing Potential Objections & Conclusion

Proposal: Encouraging both new and long-time residents to get involved through community-led engagement like petitions and city council meetings. By directly addressing this issue, it invites listeners to see themselves as active participants in change, not just bystanders. My proposal helps engage the audience, especially stakeholders who care about preserving Austin’s local identity while still encouraging growth.

East Austin mural “Let’s build a future that includes everyone.”

Present solution, where a Housing Assitance Program is created, to provide stipend for renters qualified, which means they must make wages below a certain point

Discuss prescedence of the solution working, this is a strong expression of Ethos, the prescendence will allow the audience to think the solution's credibility

From a logistical and equality standpoint, CLT's are the solution.

Drawbacks of rent control creates a sense of credibility as different viewpoints are addressed.

Providing real world applications of rent control and its effects emphasizes the speaker's credibility.

Clear call to action and motivates the audience to help immediately.