In this episode of the Infill Podcast, YIMBY Law's Executive Director Sonja Trauss speaks with author Max Podemski about his new book "A Paradise of Small Houses: The Evolution, Devolution, and Potential Rebirth of Urban Housing." In his book, Podemski discusses the history of housing in the United States and the factors that drove housing production in our country's early days.

Although today Americans typically view single-family detached homes as our American dream, Podemski tells the story of immigrants and working class communities whose dreams of dense, multi-family homes served as expressions of American ingenuity and social mobility. By looking at the history of cities like Boston and its triple deckers, or Los Angeles and its bungalow courts, we can see how the kinds of homes that cities are known for are tied to the the motivating factors for what types of housing was prioritized and why. 

These lessons are particularly valuable today as our nation faces as shortage of homes, and Americans are seeking solutions for how to solve it. Our ideals about what kinds of homes should be prioritized in American culture are intrinsically tied to our historical views of class and race. Podemski's book gives us a unique lens into how these views have shaped our communities today. Tune in to hear more from Sonja Trauss and Max Podemski about "A Paradise of Small Houses," the history of housing in the US, and how our history is impacting us now.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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Get the book: https://www.beacon.org/A-Paradise-of-Small-Houses-P2037.aspx

Area Median Income Lookup: https://ami-lookup-tool.fanniemae.com/

Americans are struggling to stay afloat due to high housing prices caused by our nation’s housing shortage. Fortunately, there is a growing number of voices advocating for pro-housing policy solutions. Up For Growth is a national, cross-sector member network committed to solving the housing shortage and affordability crisis. While many advocates focus on solutions to the housing shortage at the local and state levels, Up For Growth supports federal policies that will increase the number of homes throughout the country. 

On this episode of the Infill podcast, you’ll hear from our Executive Director Laura Foote and Up For Growth’s National Policy Director David Garcia about what the federal government’s current attitude is on pro-housing policies, how we can inspire more bold policy solutions, and why it is critical to have bipartisan support for pro-housing legislation. 

In particular, one federal bill that Up For Growth and YIMBY Action are supporting is the YIMBY Act. In this episode you will learn more about what the YIMBY Act does to promote pro-housing solutions and housing affordability, as well as why we need to tell our congress members to act NOW to bring the YIMBY Act to a vote before the year ends. You can email your congress members to support the YIMBY Act using our online tool below!

Email Your Congress Members About the YIMBY Act: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-representative-bring-the-yimby-act-to-a-vote

Learn More about YIMBY Action: https://new.yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on X: https://x.com/yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction

Learn more about Up For Growth: https://upforgrowth.org/

On this episode of the Infill Podcast, YIMBY Action's Business Membership Manager, Courtney Porcella, speaks to Ivory Innovation's Hannah Gable about trends in pro-housing policy, what legislation is being passed in different regions of the country, and what advocates can do to replicate pro-housing wins in more communities.

Ivory Innovations is a nonprofit working to advance innovation around housing affordability in the United States. This Summer, Ivory Innovations launched their Housing Policies & Initiatives Database. The free, online database contains information on emerging, pro-housing policy innovations including federal, state, and local bills across four major, trending policy areas: "Yes in God's Backyard", office-to-residential conversions, social housing, and transit-oriented development.

Tune in to hear insights from Hannah Gable on what kinds of pro-housing legislation she's seeing pick up traction, and what barriers and levers to passing legislation elected officials are thinking about. 

Be sure to dive into the database at the link below. If you'd like to see Ivory Innovations explore data on other policies, share your ideas on their feedback form linked below.

Explore the Database: https://ivoryinnovations.org/housing-policies-database

Suggest More Topics For Ivory Innovations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-phvbFGcf69lS5X9H0NDIfsYoC0W7j0U1Flc47l6DwSw9Hg/viewform

Learn More about YIMBY Action: https://new.yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on X: https://x.com/yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction

In 2020, U.S. census data analysis revealed that, for the first time, Native Hawai'ians living in the continental U.S. outnumbered those living in Hawaii. Redfin reports that the median home list price is currently $825,000. 

High cost of living and a lack of affordable homes have continued to be huge challenges for natives and transplants living in Hawai'i. Listen to this episode of Infill to hear what advocates are doing to make homes more affordable.

This year in honor of AAPI Heritage  Month, we wanted to highlight all of the amazing work that our Hawai’i YIMBY chapter is doing and how it is impacting native Hawai'ians on the islands.

Listen in to hear our conversation with Hawai’i YIMBY volunteer leaders Damien Waikaloa and Matt Popovich. We spoke about how they got started in the YIMBY movement, the missing middle housing policies they’re organizing around now, and why they think YIMBYism is so important to uplift Hawai'ians.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Learn more about Hawai’i YIMBY: https://hawaiiyimby.com/

Follow Hawai’i YIMBY on Twitter: https://x.com/hiyimby/

Follow Hawai’i YIMBY on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawaiiyimby/

Virginia is short 105,000 homes while rents have gone up 13% in the last 5 years. Despite housing costs rising astronomically, local governments are largely not stepping up to help facilitate or build more homes. That’s why our local YIMBY chapters are taking matters into their own hands, and demanding action from State Officials.

Tune in to this episode of Infill to hear from volunteer leaders from our chapters YIMBYs of NoVA, YIMBY Hampton Roads, and RVA YIMBY. They break down the four state-wide YIMBY bills they are advocating for, share insights on how they are learning to successfully work with state legislators and local coalition partners, and explain why grassroots organizing is critical to get elected officials to take action on housing.

YIMBY volunteers in Virginia are not only bringing their state one step closer to a future of abundant, affordable, inclusive housing. They are also paving the way for YIMBYs in other states to learn strategies to build power in their communities and connect with new folks who share our vision for a better future.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimb

yaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Learn more about YIMBYs of NoVA: https://www.yimbysofnova.org/

Learn more about RVA YIMBYs: https://rvayimby.org/

Learn more about YIMBY Hampton Roads: https://yimbyhamptonroads.org/

Single stair reform is a powerful tool to make it easier and faster to build more homes. Cities like Seattle and New York are changing the way that they build multi-family housing to fill their neighborhoods with denser housing options. Now, advocates can help their own communities do the same.

Single stair reform in housing advances more affordable and diverse housing options by allowing fewer staircases in apartment buildings while maintaining safety standards. YIMBY Action was joined by East Bay for Everyone and the Livable Communities Initiative for an in-depth discussion about organizing for local single stair reform. Listen to a panel of experts and organizers to learn more about how single stair reform works and what you can do to promote it in your community!

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Learn more about East Bay for Everyone: https://eastbayforeveryone.org/

Learn more about the Livable Communities Initiative: https://www.livablecommunitiesinitiative.com/

On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Law’s Executive Director Sonja Trauss speaks with Richard Kahlenberg, author of Excluded: How Snob Zoning, Nimbyism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See. The pair discuss how U.S. housing policy segregates our neighborhoods by creating barriers to allowing folks of all incomes to live in high-resource communities through exclusionary zoning.

According to Kahlenberg, class segregation has doubled since the 1970s. Although there are laws that prohibit explicit racial discrimination, many communities avoid legal repercussions by instead excluding potential neighbors based on income–  disproportionately impacting Black and Brown people.

How does Kahlenberg believe we can correct this class-based exclusion in housing? One idea of his is a National Economic Fair Housing Act to give people the ability to sue communities that exclude them based on income. Tune in to hear more thoughts from Kahlenberg on what kinds of policies he believes will integrate our neighborhoods, lower the cost of housing, and dismantle barriers to creating more homes in all communities.

Get the Book: https://www.rjjulia.com/yimby

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

The United States' efforts to provide accessible and affordable homes for all individuals have fallen short. The Kelsey, a disability rights advocacy group, is pioneering disability-forward housing solutions that are accessible and inclusive.

In this episode, Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action sits down with Allie and Hunter from the Kelsey to discuss the VITAL Act, a piece of federal pro-housing legislation. The passage of this act provides a powerful solution to increasing access to secure, affordable, and inclusive housing for individuals with disabilities and senior citizens.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Learn more about the Kelsey: https://thekelsey.org/

Follow The Kelsey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKelseyMore

Follow The Kelsey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekelseymore

Follow The Kelsey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekelseymore

Affordable housing is absolutely essential, but there are so many obstacles that prevent it from being funded and built. In this episode, YIMBY Action Executive Director sits down with Congressman Maxwell Frost to talk about how he’s working to remove those obstacles at the federal level.

Congressman Frost is the first Gen Z candidate to get elected to Congress! Before being elected, he helped lead our Orlando Chapter, Orlando YIMBY. Both YIMBY Action and Orlando YIMBY endorsed him in 2022, and we’re excited to have another YIMBY in Congress!

If you're ready to get involved in the pro-housing movement, join YIMBY Action as a Member! Members get access to a vibrant online community with thousands of advocates and experts. Members also get access to exclusive events, trainings, and other perks! Plus, if you join in August 2023, you get a free shirt 🙌

Become a Member by volunteering or donating $35 or more: https://bit.ly/yimbymembership2023

Links:

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://x.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on X: https://x.com/RepMaxwellFrost

Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@repmaxwellfrost

Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on Instagram: https://instagram.com/repmaxwellfrost

Hear from YIMBY Action's Alex Melendrez and Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California's Abram Diaz as they discuss updates on California pro-housing legislation and their work in the fight for abundant, affordable housing.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

One of our fastest-growing Chapters, YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, recently celebrated the legalization of "missing middle" housing in Arlington, Virginia. This means that multifamily buildings with up to six homes were legalized in neighborhoods that had previously only allowed single-family detached homes.

In this episode, Jane Natoli, our SF Organizing Director, sits down with two Leaders from the YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, Jane Green and Alex Goyette. They discuss what it took to win in Arlington and how they plan to apply what they learned to a new opportunity to advocate for more homes in Alexandria.

Links:

Learn more about YIMBYs of NoVA: https://www.yimbysofnova.org/home

Read about the win in Arlington: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/22/arlington-missing-middle-vote-zoning/

Read about the projects that are already being proposed under the missing middle program: https://www.arlnow.com/2023/07/06/new-more-than-a-dozen-missing-middle-permit-applications-are-in-the-works-so-far/

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/