The Limits of YIMBYism

Dr Max Holleran is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne. He is focused on urban development including gentrification, tourism, and recently the YIMBY/NIMBY debate. Max wrote the book Yes to the City: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing, which documents the rise of the YIMBY movement from San Francisco and beyond. Holleran takes an even-handed approach, trying to understand where they came from and their demands. He documents the pros and cons of the movement and where it may go from here. You can find Max's book below:

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691200224/yes-to-the-city

Max and I discussed the rise of the YIMBYs, including the YIMBY/NIMBY divide and why YIMBYism is a just cause in the face of arbitrary, dysfunctional, and exclusionary zoning laws. We then had a wide-ranging chat about cities and housing, which touched on cars, pollution, race, suburbia, the pandemic, and broader social issues. The latter was a somewhat unexpected direction for the conversation to turn but it allowed us to explore the limits of YIMBYism in its current form, which is a key theme of Max's book. Enjoy!

Originally recorded on 9th April 2024.

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