One of the arguments against YIMBYism—YIMBY stands for “Yes in My Backyard,” a response to NIMBY (“Not in My Backyard”)—is that adding housing units in a neighborhood will actually increase housing scarcity, because, in the words of journalist Nathan J. Robinson, “we’re luring rich people from elsewhere to our city.” This scenario would be the housing equivalent of the “induced demand” phenomenon seen with traffic, whereby expanding road capacity induces more people to drive, quickly negating the benefits of the expansion.
In an article last month, Matthew Yglesias, took on the induced demand objection against YIMBYism. (Yglesias was also a guest on the Strong Towns podcast last month.) He says the induced demand critique “fails on four scores”:
It is empirically false, at least most of the time.
Accepting its logic would counsel against all efforts to improve quality of life.
If it were true, it still wouldn’t follow that new construction is bad.
It misconstrues what the YIMBY proposal is in the first place.
Yglesias’s article is the topic of this week’s episode of Upzoned, with host Abby Kinney, an urban planner in Kansas City, and regular co-host Chuck Marohn, the founder and president of Strong Towns. Abby and Chuck discuss the argument that increased housing worsens housing scarcity, where Strong Towns aligns with YIMBYism (and where it may diverge), and the problem with approaching the “wicked problem” of housing with a Suburban Experiment mindset: big solutions, big developers, big development. They also talk about why the fundamental problem of scale is crowding out the possibility of a city shaped by many hands.
Then in the Downzone, Chuck discusses reading “On the Shortness of Life,” by Stoic philosopher Lucius Seneca. (He referenced it in his Monday article too.) And Abby talks about rewatching Breaking Bad and rediscovering just how good it is.
Additional Show Notes“The ‘induced demand’ case against YIMBYism is wrong,” by Matthew Yglesias
Matthew Yglesias on the Strong Towns podcast: Part 1, Part 2
“How to Talk to a NIMBY” (Webcast)
Abby Kinney (Twitter)
Charles Marohn (Twitter)
Gould Evans Studio for City Design
Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom (Soundcloud)
Strong Towns content related to this episode:
“Unleash the Swarm,” by Daniel Herriges
“Why Housing Is the Wickedest of ‘Wicked Problems’” (Podcast)
“Is Strong Towns NIMBY, YIMBY, or What?” by Charles Marohn
“What Can Hives and Barnacles Teach Us About Solving a Housing Crisis?” by Patrick Condon
“Here's What Happens When a Handful of Developers Control the Housing Market,” by Daniel Herriges
“Gentrification and Cataclysmic Money,” by Daniel Herriges
“The Trickle or the Fire Hose,” by Daniel Herriges
Inside the Notorious Gridlock of Colorado's I-70
“Redesigning” Cincinnati With the Connected Communities Plan
Our Financial System Favors Large-Scale Development…but at What Cost?
Traffic Deaths Now Exceed the Number of Homicides in LA. This Initiative Aims To Change That.
$350 Million Mixed-Use Development Presents a "Huge Opportunity" for South Bend, IN
Could this New Approach to Public Housing Actually Work?
Parking Minimums Might Be on the Way Out in Dallas
Coming Back Down to Earth After a “Next-Level” Downtown Revitalization
Today’s Generation of Families Are “Disillusioned” by Suburbia
Millennials Are Fleeing Cities in Favor of the Exurbs
Ryan Johnson: Builder of the First Car-Free Neighborhood Made From Scratch in the U.S.
Transportation Meltdown: Children on the School Bus Till 10 p.m.
Is Affordable Housing Possible Under Current Zoning Laws?
Arizona Pushes for Suburban and Rural Development, Despite Dwindling Water Supply
Atlanta’s New Idea To Address Their Housing Crisis
The Invisible Reason for High Housing Prices: Restrictive Land-Use Regulations
Why Can’t We Have the “Perfect” Neighborhood?
Behind the Scenes at the Strong Towns National Gathering
Live From the National Gathering
Parking Regulations Threaten to Demolish Coffee Shop
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