Aiden V. Crossfield never planned to become a journalist. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in urban planning in 2012, he spent two years working for a consulting firm that analyzed traffic patterns and zoning proposals for municipalities across Central Texas. But something kept pulling him back to the story behind the data—the families displaced by highway expansions, the neighborhood coalitions fighting warehouse developments, the small business owners caught between rising property taxes and stagnant foot traffic.
A chance op-ed in the Austin American-Statesman about a controversial rezoning project in East Austin led to a job offer, and Aiden made the jump to journalism in 2014.
Career Highlights & Experience
Over the past eleven years, Aiden has built a reputation for deep, methodical reporting on how cities grow—and who benefits when they do. He spent four years at the San Antonio Express-News covering Bexar County land use, then joined KXAN-TV as a multimedia reporter covering infrastructure and housing policy. His 2021 investigative series “Priced Out: The Hidden Costs of Austin’s Boom” examined how short-term rental conversions were reshaping neighborhoods like Crestview and St. Johns. The project earned a Texas Press Association Award for investigative reporting and prompted a city council hearing on STR regulations.
He joined News of Austin in 2022 to focus exclusively on the urban development beat—zoning battles, housing affordability, transportation projects, and the policy decisions shaping Austin’s future. His work is informed by those early years reading environmental impact statements and community input surveys, and he still keeps a dog-eared copy of Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities on his desk.
Community Connection
Aiden grew up in Round Rock and has watched Austin’s transformation from a mid-sized college town to a booming tech hub with a mix of fascination and concern. He lives in the Windsor Park neighborhood with his wife and their perpetually muddy rescue dog, Brisket. When he’s not chasing down permit records or attending planning commission meetings, he’s usually on his bike somewhere along the Walnut Creek Trail.
Stay Connected
Have a tip or story idea? Reach Aiden at: [email protected]