America’s growing YIMBY movement aims to boost affordable housing
Image: David Ryder/Bloomberg
In recent years, a growing number of Americans have joined the “yes, in my backyard” (YIMBY) movement, which aims to address a lack of affordable housing by changing local regulations around single-family homes.
How it works: The YIMBY movement seeks to address steep housing costs and low supply across the US by eliminating most single-family zoning restrictions – which cover ~75% of residential land in US cities – and allowing the development of multi-family units like apartments, condos, and/or townhouses in those areas.
A few recent examples:
- A Montana Supreme Court decision this month paved the way for a new state law allowing municipalities to develop more multi-family housing units on single-family land.
- The city of Minneapolis moved forward with its 2040 Comprehensive Plan this summer, which aims to eliminate single-family-only zoning restrictions and expand residential building requirements.
- Officials in Austin, Texas, approved significant changes to the city’s land development code this year to allow increased residential density closer to single-family homes.
On the flip side: Critics have strongly pushed back against the policies associated with the YIMBY movement. Activist groups in Montana and Austin cite concerns over decreased property value, violations of homeowners’ rights, and strains to local infrastructure, among other things.
Big picture: Data across multiple sectors shows the US is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. Over the past several years:
- Rent growth has continued to outpace inflation (+30.4% vs. +20.2% between 2019-23)
- Mortgage rates have remained at a multi-decade high of 6%-7%.
- America’s housing shortage, aka the gap between the number of US families and overall housing units, has grown to reach 4.5+ million.
- The median existing-home price in the US has risen from ~$257,000 in 2019 to ~$417,000 today.
📊 Flash poll: In general, do you agree with the YIMBY movement’s push to eliminate most single-family zoning restrictions and allow the development of multi-family housing in those areas?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that overhauling housing regulation in the YIMBY style is the key to not only bringing down prices, but also combating wealth inequality and improving the standard of living for Americans at large.
- Others contend that a more aggressive push is necessary from the federal government to establish YIMBY policies on a national level – rather than on a city-by-city basis, which could take generations.
- “The Best Plan for Housing Is to Plan Less.” –Brayan Caplan, The New York Times
- “The Breakout Star of the Democratic Convention Was … YIMBY.” –Matthew Yglesias, Bloomberg
- “Guest Editorial: Refocusing the YIMBY Movement.” –Patrick Wolff, Beyond Chron
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that the YIMBY movement is non-partisan and open to conservatives and liberals alike, since its vision of urbanism harkens back to the traditional ideals of the American family.
- Others contend that the possibility of a future Harris administration embracing YIMBY ideals is scary, since it would lead to greater federal control of local zoning ordinances, and would limit – or entirely eliminate – communities’ independence.
- “The YIMBY Movement Is for Conservatives, Too.” –Luca Gattoni-Celli, National Review
- “The promise — and danger — of Kamala Harris’s YIMBYism.” –Howard Husock, Washington Examiner
- “I’m A New Yorker, Not a NIMBY.” –John Massengale, Common Edge
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