YIMBY mission statements
YIMBY Queensland survey
Natalie Rayment, co-founder of YIMBY Queensland, wrote (August 9, 2017):
At the beginning of the year we started compiling a list of YIMBY mission statements or the like from the multitude of YIMBY group webpages around the world, as inspiration when developing our own YIMBY Australia manifesto / platform. It’s only a start, but here’s some of the raw data we collected in a spreadsheet.
Global YIMBY Mission Statements. (.xls spreadsheet).
Better Boulder
Some have argued that the way to achieve community goals is to oppose growth, and try to preserve Boulder as it once was. Better Boulder disagrees. We aim to shape our city’s future by updating policies and encouraging infill development and smart growth. Well-designed density and sustainable urbanism will ensure Boulder grows into a more inclusive, leading-edge city with a smaller environmental footprint and a more dynamic culture. Better Boulder advocates for: A range of workforce and affordable housing choices Infill development Improved transit systems and bike infrastructure Environmental stewardship Walkable neighborhoods Inclusiveness Effective civic engagement Progressive and innovative elected officials Economic vitality and entrepreneurial innovation
YIMBY Vancouver
http://citystudiovancouver.com/projects/yimby-fall-2015/
At its core, YIMBY believes that genuine social inclusion is a key factor to ending street homelessness
New York YIMBY
No specific missions statement. New York YIMBY is a primary resource of information on new development in New York City. Covering construction and public works projects from ideation through completion, YIMBY keeps the pulse of the city’s real estate, architecture and construction trades.
YIMBY Toronto
http://www.yimbytoronto.org/about
It’s a chance to celebrate achievements and identify new challenges and opportunities, in an atmosphere focused on listening, learning and engaging. YIMBY provides groups with an opportunity to spread the word about the issues that Toronto’s communities and our city at large face, and to showcase responses, actions, and opportunities for community members to get involved and become a part of the solution
YIMBY Stockholm
We want Stockholm to grow and develop. And we want the city to grow properly. We want a more dense city center - not a small city. We want more dynamic and vibrant dense city milestones, not sparsely isolated residential areas.We also want to be a counterweight to the many interests that want to stop Stockholm's development. Who sees the city as ready and complains as soon as something is being built or changed. We want to get a discussion about what we build, where we build and how we build. Not if we are going to build. We are a group of people who have been tired of cowardly politicians, backward-looking urban residents and people who do not really want to live in a city, though they live in Stockholm. We want Stockholm to grow. Both on the width and height. YIMBY fights for the urban city's erection. Stop building residential areas and suburbs! Build city instead.
YIMBY Goteborg
We want to build dense, varied and integrated - not glossy, rectified and segregated.
YIMBY Uppsala
http://uppsala.yimby.se/om-oss/
We want a dense metropolis. It gives an increased economic dynamism, it's walking, bicycle and public transport-friendly, it reduces the need for a car and it protects the countryside of land from exploitation. The dense city is both socio-economic, social and environmental superior.
San Diego YIMBY
Yes to the mixed use, walkable communities. Yes to alternative transportation. Yes to a sustainable city.
YIMBY Denver
Everyone who lives here should be able to stay, and everyone who moves here should be welcomed. The city needs all types of people to flourish. By saying YES to growth and opportunity, Denver's best days will be ahead of us, not behind us. We advocate for policies that…
- Encourage new home construction in all of Denver’s neighborhoods, for people and families of all income levels.
- Put housing for people before “housing” (parking) for cars.
- Plan for the Denver of tomorrow, not the city that it is today or once was.
- Allow individuals and families to decide what a home means to them, whether it’s 300 square feet or 3,000.
All In - Canada http://allinadvocacy.ca/about-us/vision-mission-values/ Through advocacy and education, we will engage the public and decision-makers to build inclusive communities that are equitable, empathetic, empowering, and sustainable, where everyone is connected and valued, and everyone fully belongs.
YIMBY Italy
https://twitter.com/yimby_italy
The community that protects and promotes investment and sustainable development
London YIMBY
https://www.londonyimby.org/the-attic-loft
We campaign for more homes in London and the rest of the UK. Tenants should be able to feel safe and secure in their homes without worrying about the rent going up every year.
Santa Cruz YIMBY
https://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzYIMBY/
Advocating for the construction of all types of housing development in Santa Cruz County
YIMBY Party - San Francisco
http://www.sfyimby.org/yimby-platform/
A. Build more housing:
- We strongly support building new housing. We have a severe housing shortage. Increasing supply will lower prices for all and expand the number of people who can live in the Bay Area.
- We should build more housing in every neighborhood — especially high-income neighborhoods.
- High density housing goes with high-quality public transit and walkability. However, housing can be built before or in anticipation of the construction of future transit improvements.
- The people most hurt by a housing shortage are those with the least means.
B. Density is good:
We are unapologetic urbanists who believe in the virtues of cities. More people living in close proximity to each other can improve their lives and the lives of those far beyond city limits.
- Density is sustainability: it reduces urban sprawl, reduces water usage, uses energy more efficiently, and creates a smaller carbon footprint.
- Density is accessibility: it encourages walking and biking, makes transit more efficient, reduces social isolation, and increases residents’ access to diverse cultural products and to each other.
- Density is opportunity: it increases access to jobs, supports diverse businesses, promotes innovation, and enables people to be more productive.
- The Bay Area is a particularly efficient place to build housing because of its moderate climate.
- People should be free to choose to live in places that are urban, compact and walkable, low-density and car-centric, or rural. Not everyone wants to live in a dense city. However, current policies restrict the supply of urban housing, leaving suburban life as the only affordable option for many.
C. Housing is a home:
- It is not the role of the local government to maximize wealth for property owners.
- Affordability and high home values are incompatible goals - therefore public policy should be based on viewing homes as places to live, not as investments.
- Housing is infrastructure. The primary community benefit of new housing is the housing.
- Filtering exists. Today's new, expensive housing becomes tomorrow's inexpensive housing, as long as scarcity isn't induced by restricting the creation of new housing.
- Local governments should fight blight by expanding economic opportunities and ensuring access to credit for residents, not by seizing blighted properties via eminent domain and razing them.
D. Stop Displacement:
The Bay Area has the physical space for more housing without displacing existing residents.
- We should maximize the number of Below Market Rate (BMR) housing units as opposed to the percentage of BMR units in new projects.
- Higher priced housing helps protect lower income residents. In a growing economy, higher income newcomers compete for older housing stock and outbid lower-income residents. Adding supply at all levels helps protect existing non-wealthy residents from being priced out of their homes.
- Effective ways to protect and preserve existing affordable housing units include:
- community land trusts, resident owned and controlled cooperatives,
- the Small Sites Acquisition Program,
- Real Ownership Opportunities for Tenants Program (ROOTS),
- maintaining strong tenant protections,
- promoting homeownership,
- improving access to credit in minority communities,
- opposing abusive withholding of housing benefits,
- expanding federal funding for subsidized housing,
- providing lawyers for at-risk tenants and homeowners, and
- building more housing.
E. Zoning and Planning Policy Prescriptions:
We believe in long-term planning. Once a citywide or neighborhood plan is made, the process for building should be streamlined, well-defined and predictable. It should not impose significant delays on or add significant costs to a project, nor should individual property owners or neighborhood associations have the power to hijack it.
- As-of-Right building: development plans approved at the departmental level if the project is within existing zoning.
- Mandate or incentivize cities to follow regional master plans and statewide housing policies or mandates.
- California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) reform.
- Raise height limits.
- Form-based zoning.
- Mixed-use zoning.
- Complete streets.
Strong City Baltimore
https://www.strongcitybaltimore.org/about-us/
Strong City Baltimore takes a holistic approach to building and strengthening neighborhoods and people. We aim to make neighbourhoods, schools, people, organisations and Baltimore stronger
Newton Villages
http://newton-villages.org/about/
Make all of Newton’s village centers better places to walk, live, work, play, eat, shop, and gather. Engage more Newton citizens and businesses in shaping the future of our village centers.
Walkable Princeton
https://walkableprinceton.com/who-we-are-2/ We advocate a positive vision for Princeton’s future, taking full advantage of Smart Growth principles adapted to the local area, with the goal of reducing traffic, enhancing the tax base, preserving
open space, reducing water runoff, encouraging sustainable living and enhancing a vibrant Princeton downtown.
Portland for Everyone
Portland for Everyone is a growing coalition of individuals, affordable housing advocates, community-based, transportation, and environmental organizations, neighborhoods, and local businesses, who advocate for abundant, diverse, and affordable housing options. Together, we urge the Portland City Council and other civic leaders to make inclusive and equitable land use and funding decisions that will:
- Provide plenty of affordable and diverse housing options in all Portland neighborhoods
- Prioritize housing for historically and currently under-served populations
- Prioritize housing for humans over housing for cars<
- Allow more people to live in areas with good access to transportation, parks, and services, and
- Create and maintain economically diverse neighborhoods.
--from portlandforeveryone.org/coalition/.
A Better Cambridge
http://www.abettercambridge.org/our_mission
5 point mission:
- Diversity (We want to strengthen the social, cultural and economic diversity of our neighbourhoods),
- Sustainability (We want to build a strong and sustainable community where current and future residents will be able to work, shop and play near their homes),
- Growth (We want to preserve and expand the diversity of our community by supporting sustainable growth and appropriate density),
- Liveability (We want to reinforce the distinctive character of our neighbourhoods, ensuring that new development builds upon and enhances their defining traits) and
- Dialogue (We want to support open and constructive engagament between all parties to the planning process, based in mutual respect for differing views.
- UPDATED* ABC’s Core Policies: Because…
- Expanding home supply relieves pressure on prices, leading to more affordable living.
- Affordable living allows people of all backgrounds and income-levels to live close to one another, increasing economic opportunity for all, while allowing communities to thrive.
- Increased density in Cambridge and other urban areas is key to overcoming the massive racial segregation and economic inequality perpetuated by 70+ years of suburban sprawl.
- By preventing sprawl and pollution, increased density reduces our environmental impact.
- Density supports walkable, transit-rich, and bike-able neighborhoods, freeing able-bodied residents from costly, unhealthy and traffic-producing car reliance (thus making travel easier for those who do need cars).
- Greater concentrations of residents attract more businesses and services—increasing options, opportunities, and quality of life for all.
We advocate for policies that…
- Encourage building new homes in all of Cambridge’s neighborhoods, particularly along business corridors and near transit hubs, for people and families of all income levels.
- Put people before cars, by prioritizing housing over parking.
AURA (Austin)
http://www.aura-atx.org/what_we_believe
We love our city. We want anyone and everyone who wants to call themselves an Austinite to have the opportunity to do so. We want an Austin where everybody is welcome and everybody’s interests matter: young and old, rich and poor, renter and homeowner, healthy and sick, citizen and immigrant, lifelong resident and new arrival. The greatest asset our city has is its people, and our city is at its best when it facilitates connections between those people: cultural, economic, and social. The policies we lay out below are based on our beliefs for how Austin can achieve these goals.
Key beliefs: Land Use, Housing, and Affordability (Abundant Housing, Welcoming to Students, Reduce or Eliminate Parking Requirements, Managed Historical Preservation, Child-friendly urban spaces), Transportation (Connected Street Grid, More and Better Public Transportation, Managed On-Street Parking, Vehicles for Hire), Economic Opportunity (Shared Prosperity, An Open Economy, Inclusiveness), Environmental Protection.
UK YIMBY
https://www.ukyimby.com/what-we-do/
We want to work together with local residents, community groups, local authorities and property developers to achieve a solution to house building that provides a "win" for all including: •Combatting unsustainable increases in house prices. •Demonstrating support for affordable new homes. •Helping local authorities to achieve housing targets. •Linking developers with potential buyers at an early stage.
YIMBY UK
Our Aim: to promote a positive, pro-growth, pro-development agenda which eagerly supports new construction to help ease the #HousingCrisis
Oxford YIMBY
Those who oppose developments don’t like to be called NIMBYs. They are part of the planning process, as local people should be, with a perspective which should not be ignored. But somehow the new homes, transport, schools and other infrastructure needed for the number of people who want to live in Oxford have not been built, making Oxford the most unaffordable city in England. So Oxford needs YIMBYs – local people who can also contribute, saying where there should be development and what sort.
Smart Growth America
https://smartgrowthamerica.org/our-vision/
Neighborhoods shape our lives. They are where we wake up each morning and go to work each day, where our children learn and grow, and where we spend time with our friends and family. Where we live can influence our health, our economic potential, and our children’s futures. Everyone in America—no matter his or her age, ability, income, or race—deserves the option to live somewhere affordable, convenient, beautiful, and safe. And America’s towns and cities deserve investment, stewardship, and supportive, thriving communities. A smart growth approach to development is about creating the places that make this possible. Smart growth means reinvesting in America’s downtowns and Main Streets, the economic engines of big cities and small towns alike. Smart growth means creating homes for families of all income levels alongside one another. Smart growth means diversifying our transportation system so Americans have a choice in how they get around. Smart growth means building streets that are safe for people walking, bicycling or using a wheelchair, as well as driving. Smart growth means reimagining the places we have already built, and protecting our open green spaces for generations to come. Above all, smart growth is about helping every town and city become a more economically prosperous, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable place to live. This approach looks different for every community, but can help neighborhoods of any kind flourish, make towns and cities competitive in a 21st century economy, and improve lives by improving neighborhoods.
YIMBY Action (SF Bay Area)
We empower community stakeholders to advocate for affordable and market rate housing, with the goal of bringing down the cost of housing in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We believe many of our current policies have far reaching unintended negative consequences, often falling most heavily on the Bay Area’s vulnerable populations, increasing homelessness and displacement while driving up the cost of living for everyone. Increasing the Bay Area housing stock will have a long-term positive impact, improving our community’s economic and social well-being while reducing our environmental footprint. Supporting smart growth and Advocating for vulnerable populations
San Francisco Housing Action Coalition
http://www.sfhac.org/policy-advocacy/
"Who gets to live in San Francisco?" We believe the answer should be, “Anyone who wants to”. That is why the SF Housing Action Coalition advocates for the creation of well-designed housing for ALL income levels to meet the needs of San Franciscans, present and future.
San Francisco is a unique city. The combination of job opportunity, cultural and geographic diversity, amazing weather and plentiful urban amenities make it a desirable place to live. While the demand to live here continues to grow, amidst a strong economy that attracts thousands of skilled, well-compensated workers, the City has done a poor job of accommodating those who want to be here. Housing policy that encourages low-density development and a culture intent on preserving the built environment has resulted in an under-supplied, expensive housing market. As a result, the City is suffering from an affordability crisis. We believe this problem can be solved by sharply increasing our rate of housing production. For the past two decades, we have built an average of 1,500 new housing units per year. We need to increase the rate of housing production to meet the demand for housing. The San Francisco Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC) has set a goal of assisting the city in reaching an annual production rate of 5,000 homes per year.
We are targeting our efforts through these five initiatives: Implementing the Eastern Neighbourhoods Plan, More equitable citywide development, Transit and infrastruture, Eastern waterfront use, Building innovations
LA Yimby
Yes! In My Backyard- For better land use, development, and transportation outcomes in Los Angeles.
Seattle YIOBY
Yes In OUR Backyards yimby, urbanist, missing middle, housing, transit, intersectionality, sustainability, climate … in Seattle, WA
Seattle for Everyone
https://seattleforeveryone.org/
Seattle for Everyone is a broad coalition of affordable housing developers and advocates, for-profit developers and businesses, labor and social justice advocates, environmentalists and urbanists, all united to build an equitable, prosperous, thriving, and inclusive Seattle by ensuring that the benefits of the city’s growth are shared by all current and future residents – from those struggling with homelessness to wage-earners and families. The Seattle for Everyone coalition is built on a foundation of support for the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) and the “Grand Bargain” provisions that will produce and preserve critically needed affordable and market-rate housing in Seattle and is the first ever comprehensive package of affordable housing policies that will provide for a growing, inclusive city over the coming decades. Through education, mobilization and advocacy, we are using our collective voice and resources to ensure that this groundbreaking set of innovative recommendations are adopted and implemented – to make sure we are truly building a Seattle for everyone.
California YIMBY
We aim to solve the housing shortage by passing laws to double the rate of home building in California. We work closely with YIMBY Action and local YIMBY groups to empower grassroots activists to demand that their elected officials support pro-housing solutions.
Hackney YIMBY
https://twitter.com/HackneyYIMBY
Pro-development, Pro-growth, Pro-Density. Sustainable Planning, Diversity & Inclusive High-Streets.
Abundant Housing LDN
https://twitter.com/AbundantHomeLDN Advocating for a London with abundant housing for all - towards an affordable, diverse and compact city to help combat climate change.
Abundant Housing LA
http://www.abundanthousingla.org/
Abundant Housing LA is committed to advocating for more housing. We want lower rents and a more sustainable and prosperous region, where everyone has more choices of where to live and how to pursue their dreams. Density, when well planned, can enhance the social and economic life of the city. We will advocate at the neighborhood, city, regional, and state levels for policies, plans, and individual projects that will improve the lives of all. We welcome anyone who shares these goals to join us.
West LA YIMBY
https://twitter.com/WestLAYIMBY
Pro-transit, pro-housing, pro-smart growth & in-fill development. All about that sustainable inclusive planning.
People for Housing OC
http://www.peopleforhousing.org/
We have two objectives: •To educate people about California's housing shortage and the need for more housing in Orange County •To encourage decision makers to support and approve residential housing proposals and projects that expand housing opportunities
East Bay for Everyone
https://eastbayforeveryone.org/about/platform/
We believe that the East Bay has always been, and should continue to be, an innovative and forward-looking home to immigrants from around the U.S. and the world. The East Bay is not full, and the Bay Area is definitely not full. Ours is an inclusive vision of welcoming all new and potential residents. Anyone who wants to should be able to afford housing in the Bay Area. Build more housing, Density is good, Housing is a home, not an investment, Stop displacement, Long-term planning
Greenbelt Alliance
http://www.greenbelt.org/mission/
Greenbelt Alliance addresses a single challenge: how the Bay Area handles growth. We shape the rules that govern growth to protect the region’s open spaces and to ensure neighborhoods within our cities and towns are amazing places for everyone.
Grow Smart Bay Area Goals: By 2035 we call for:
- Fully protecting the Bay Area’s 3.6 million-acre greenbelt of natural and agricultural lands;
- Directing all new development into already urbanized areas;
- Greenbelt protection and urban development that benefits Bay Area residents across the socio-economic spectrum.
Charlottesville YIMBY
https://twitter.com/cvilleyimby
Because other people exist. Agitprop for making Charlottesville a living, breathing, sustainable, beautiful, affordable, and inclusive place.
ATX YIMBY
Saying 'Yes In My Backyard' to urban development; covering architecture, construction, and real estate in Austin, Texas from a pro-growth perspective.
Portland YIMBY
https://twitter.com/PortlandYIMBY
Advocating for development that makes Portland more dense, more affordable, & more diverse. From backyard ADUs to multi family housing, Yes In My Backyard!
House Sacramento
Building an inclusively affordable community Pro housing, pro infill. Anti rising rents.
Twin Cities YIMBY
Driving conversation around progressive development throughout the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
Somerville YIMBY
Somerville residents advocating for smart growth that benefits everyone. We’re a part of a nationwide movement to increase the amount of housing available to people in cities that have suffered from gentrification and expensive market rate housing. We believe that our cities and towns are great places, and we should welcome people who want to be here by building them places to live. We believe there is a desirable, achievable balance between subsidized, moderately-priced market rate, and high-end development that can satisfy residents and businesses in a mutually beneficial way.
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland
To improve neighborhood livability, vitality and sustainability by making walking and biking in Oakland safe, easy, accessible and fun.
Abundant Housing Vancouver
http://www.abundanthousingvancouver.com/
We are a pro-housing group that supports additional housing of all types in Metro Vancouver – because when housing choices are limited, the wealthy always win
Toronto Housing Matters
http://torontohousingmatters.com/
To help increase the stock of housing, primarily through land use rule reform, for the purpose of affordability.
SPUR
http://www.spur.org/about/our-mission-and-history
Through research, education and advocacy, SPUR promotes good planning and good government in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance
http://ma-smartgrowth.org/about/
The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA) promotes healthy and diverse communities, protects critical environmental resources and working landscapes, advocates for housing and transportation choices, and supports equitable community development and reinvestment.
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Boston)
Our mission is to promote smart growth and regional collaboration. Our regional plan, MetroFuture, guides our work as we engage the public in responsible stewardship of our region’s future. We work toward sound municipal management, sustainable land use, protection of natural resources, efficient and affordable transportation, a diverse housing stock, public safety, economic development, clean energy, healthy communities, an informed public, and equity and opportunity among people of all backgrounds.
YIMBY Queensland
YIMBY Qld is the voice of good development. We support good development outcomes that make for better living. Our mission is to engage the community and decision makers in meaningful dialogue to develop cities of the future where everyone is welcome. It is an initiative to discuss, recognise and promote good development.
At the same time, YIMBY Qld seeks to counter negative NIMBY stereotypes so common place in our cities and regions, despite the demand for housing, the additional jobs created, the inviting lifestyle precincts created and the associated community benefits we have come to not only enjoy but expect from development. Expanding upon the global initiative, YIMBY Qld accentuates and celebrates the many benefits that innovative, sustainable and well-planned development outcomes bring to our cities. It will lead the conversation on the benefits of good development and explain how it creates great communities by allowing a degree of flexibility and innovation. It will help inform the community, enabling people to make sense of what are, at times, very complicated urban planning laws.
YIMBY Qld will showcase many of the good development projects in Queensland, with examples including the Gasworks Precinct, Howard Smith Wharves, Queen’s Wharf and South City Square at Woolloongabba. We will also showcase good national and international development outcomes. Not only do good development projects produce numerous lifestyle benefits but they also deliver architectural excellence, innovation, sustainability and infrastructure and services for the wider community including parks and cycle ways. Ultimately YIMBY Qld seeks to inspire development outcomes that feature these YIMBY Qld qualities.