Urban Zilla
representation of a Godzilla-like urban monster, used in urban/housing advocacy.
Plaza 16 Coalition - "Monster in the Mission"
The earliest attested use was reference to a "monster of development" in Mission. Tweet from Plaza 16 Coalition, May 16, 2014 https://twitter.com/PlazaSixteen/status/467425836652822528?s=20
Plaza 16 Coalition graphic from 2015:
Plaza 16 Coalition poster from 2016:
Alfred Twu - NIMBY and YIMBY monsters
originally drawn by Alfred Twu in response to "Monster in the Mission" motif used by Mission activists to oppose project at 16th & Mission.
Chad Crowe - Urban Zilla
On August 22, 2019, Seattle-based Christopher Rufo, a former political candidate and now editor at City Journal, published an opinion piece "'New Left Urbanists' Want to Remake Your City" in the Wall Street Journal. It was accompanied by an illustration of a Godzilla-like creature, created by Chad Crowe, of Portland, Oregon.
Crowe's illustration immediately proved higly popular with urbanist advocates of all kinds. It was dubbed TOD-zilla -- referring to TOD Transit Oriented Development" -- by Andrew Small https://twitter.com/asmall_word/status/1165090769431977985?s=20, and Upzilla by @ne0liberal https://twitter.com/ne0liberal/status/1165376756397854720?s=20.
Crowe is now selling products featuring the artwork at: https://www.redbubble.com/people/whitecap73/works/40997971-urban-zilla.
References
- Engardio, Joel. "A Monster Mash to shock us out of SF housing crisis." [column]. San Francisco Examiner, Feb. 15, 2015.
- Ruffo, Christopher. "'New Left Urbanists' Want to Remake Your City." The Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2019. https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-left-urbanists-want-to-remake-your-city-11566512564.