One reason NIMBYs have traditionally been so successful at blocking housing is that they are often unopposed and community meetings. While many residents may be indifferent or even in support of new development, they are less likely to organize and voice their thoughts than the groups which are opposed. But in recent years, a movement has grown which intends to counterbalance NIMBYism. It is called YIMBY, or “yes in my backyard”. The term originates in a 2013 letter writing campaign by Sonja Truss, a former teacher from San Francisco who became fed up at rising housing costs and sought to garner support for more housing. Since then, the movement has spread across the US and abroad.

YIMBY is a grassroots movement which aims to solve the affordable housing crisis. They are often young people who have been priced out of affordable housing. They believe that building more housing is the key to lowering costs, and that only through organized support can this be achieved. YIMBYs show up to community meetings to speak in support of housing developments. They believe in upzoning, a type of zoning reform which allows developers to build multifamily housing. YIMBYs have had their greatest success in California, where they have lobbied the state legislature to pass laws which allow for more housing construction. Perhaps their biggest success story is the passage of Senate Bills 9 and 10 in 2021, which eliminates single family zoning and prevents localities from placing restrictions on the type of housing which could be built. 

McCormick, Erin. "Rise of the yimbys: the angry millenials with a radical housing solution." The Guardian. 2 October 2017.

The YIMBY movement supports sustainable development. They believe density is a key to solving the housing crisis, and that this requires building more apartments and multifamily housing. Suburban sprawl, which is exacerbated by exclusionary zoning laws, is not environmentally sustainable as these neighborhoods require massive amounts of resources to maintain. YIMBYs are often urbanists who believe in dense, walkable cities with efficient public transportation. One thing that makes the YIMBY movement so effective is its relatively simple message: build more housing. They offer clear cut solutions to policymakers to solve the housing crisis by reforming exclusionary zoning laws. 

While the YIMBY movement is an exciting development, there are many issues which must be overcome to solve the affordable housing crisis. The movement is largely white and lacking diversity. They have also been accused of enabling gentrification. YIMBY groups should do a better job of forming relationships with local organizations to address concerns about gentrification and displacement. They should do more to support affordable and mixed income housing as opposed to just market rate development. But these problems can be overcome, and the progress YIMBYs have made toward facilitating more housing construction cannot be overstated. It represents a paradigm shift in housing policy. Young, motivated people who are fed up with rising costs of living should do more to engage in the movement. If policymakers across the country begin to listen, the solution to the housing crisis may not be so far away.