Build anything anywhere threatens communities
YIMBY sounds nice. YIMBY stands for “Yes in My Backyard.” It’s a positive-sounding rejoinder to NIMBY, “Not in My Backyard.” The NIMBY label is being used to stigmatize defenders of zoning laws, with the goal of bulldozing the rules. Needless to say, real estate developers are all for YIMBY—though not necessarily where they themselves live. The YIMBY movement has gained steam as a solution to the alleged shortage of “affordable” housing, a vaguely defined concept. Its backers now comprise a diverse group combining the left and the right for not always the same reasons. ...