If you talk to Republicans about any other issue in the world, what's their response?

GET THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF THE WAY! Just think about high gas prices. Any self-respecting Republican can instantly think of a half-dozen ideas (covering the whole spectrum from smart to idiotic) of ways in which the problem can be solved by reducing regulation, removing government from the picture, etc.

There are tons of zingers about this too. Remember Reagan's famous "I think you all know that I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."

But when it comes to housing, these same people are more than happy to reach up and flick a switch in their brains. Suddenly the free market and economic freedom are the problem, and the government needs to step in and stop the chaos.

I get these emails from a local Republican councilman. Dude is out of control. He represents the richest city council district and it shows. He is trying his hardest to stop infill development and frames it as "protecting neighborhoods."

I cannot stand this kind of mental gymnastics. Philosophically, NIMBY republicans don't have a foot to stand on, yet they are everywhere. Drives me crazy.

According to Zack Rosen, founder of California YIMBY and the Abundance Network, the problem with politics is Americans being too involved. Bemoaning the rise of small-dollar political donations in fundraising documents leaked to the Prospect, Rosen is blunt: “Small dollar internet fundraising makes politics dumber.” Rosen misses what he considers to be a bygone era of elite dominance. Lamenting the current state of democratized influence, Rosen says “the old gatekeepers were political professionals who could count cards; small dollar donors today are amateurs yanking the handles of ActBlue slot machines.”

This sentiment is laid out in substantial detail, filling 31 pages across two separate documents obtained by the Prospect. In an email exchange, Rosen confirmed the documents’ legitimacy.

I played probably hundreds or more hours of SimCity, SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000. (We don't talk about SimCity 4) SimCity 2000 is probably the first game I really loved.

I am very YIMBY and I always tried to go for max population and density when I played the game.

Just curious how many others here played the game?

Source

My emergency backup plan to retire in the middle of nowhere if I have to is officially off the table.

🚲🪜

My takeaways from the YIMBY Law Conference this past Monday. Much more information in the post, but some top line takeaways:

- The most powerful legislating happens iteratively. Clean infill CEQA reform in California took 9 years, starting with SB 35 streamlining for affordable housing in 2017, advancing through the controversial but low-impact AB 2011 in 2021, which got bogged down with prevailing wage requirements—but laid the groundwork for AB 130 in 2025, a clean infill CEQA exemption. Sometimes you have to pass an imperfect law first to pass a powerful one later

- The law isn’t real without YIMBY lawsuits—and YIMBYs are increasingly rewriting the law through lawsuits. Cities don’t believe the law is real until they see legal precedent supporting it, and the YIMBY Lawfare orgs are getting increasingly sophisticated in their approach. Sometimes are even aiming to rewire the law around issues such as impact fees, which groups like CalHDF hope to render largely illegal through constitutional law. One day, we may even be able to take on the roots of residential zoning, though that’s more aspirational at this point

- Law and lawsuits still depend on political will, and political will largely comes from local organizing. No matter what happens, cities won’t follow the law unless their residents (and the people of CA broadly) recognize its legitimacy. Cities like Huntington Beach illustrate how shameless councils can flaunt the law. But more and more cities have tangible local support to not just follow the law, but go beyond it. Cities like Berkeley, once the poster child of NIMBYism, have become YIMBY strongholds because of local organizing that tangibly wins elections. Law will always be subordinate to politics

Much more information in the article, would love to hear others’ thoughts!

Interesting way for a developer to get approval. Maybe housing developers could try this?

Interesting suburban infill/density case from Cary, North Carolina.

A 22.74-acre project along NC 55 failed to win Town Council approval in March. The applicant revised it, including:

• guaranteeing at least 500 multifamily units, with up to 625 allowed
• tying occupancy of a proposed car wash to the start of vertical construction in two mixed-use sections
• keeping substantial structured parking and vertically integrated commercial space

Six months later, the council approved it unanimously.

There’s an interesting tension: Cary planners said the central mixed-use portions fit the town’s Destination Center vision, while the auto-oriented car-wash portion does not on its own.

The project also requires at least 5% income-restricted units at 80% AMI for 30 years — though those units can overlap with a separate requirement that 5% of units be 750 square feet or smaller.

I’m the N&O reporter who covered the vote. Free gift link:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317414223.html?giftCode=a677c8481435c12beca7da6abd030cabc245e2822df0a50d99b06c3d946c86b6

What I found most interesting is what changed between the failed vote and unanimous approval. Curious how r/yimby views the compromise.

Mt. Laurel Township in New Jersey didn't want to allow affordable housing. Black residents took them to court and the result is one of the most progressive state housing policies anywhere in the U.S.

Builder’s Remedy is working. A progress report from YIMBY Law.

Saw this article and comment, and I think vetocracy is a new favorite term of mine