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Why Ireland's YIMBYs are having a moment
Why Ireland's YIMBYs are having a moment

The Journal

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • The Journal

Why Ireland's YIMBYs are having a moment

FOR THE DOZENS of (non political) people who actually read public consultations on Irish infrastructure projects, the recent decision on Ballyboggan came as a shock. The location is planned to be the capital's newest town , with officials planning to deliver 6,000 homes at the site of the Dublin Industrial Estate, which is close to Glasnevin Cemetary and only a short distance from the city centre. 6,000 sounds like a lot, and it is. But under Dublin City Council's proposed plan, much of the development would be limited to four storeys, with just a few above that height. Normally, these heights would be welcomed by locals in most areas of Ireland. Anyone who has read through planning submissions from local residents (if you haven't, what are you doing with your life) would know that there are often protests over new housing developments. Common issues cited are taller buildings blocking out light, too many new homes putting a strain on local services, too much traffic, and so on. But Ballyboggan was different. Not only were most of the submissions in favour of development – they actually called for taller buildings. While there were plenty of articulate submissions, one in particular succinctly sums things up: 'The plan would represent a huge missed opportunity to provide homes for thousands of people at a time of overwhelming demand.' The one line comment cuts to the core of the most important issues for many in Ireland – housing. Unsurprising, given prices have surged a staggering 40% or so over the last five years. The comment also outlines the solution many people want to see implemented: build more homes. As fast as possible, as affordably as possible, in an effort to tackle the country's crippling supply shortage. Their cause is increasingly being championed by Ireland's YIMBY movement – yes in my back yard. It's meant to act as a counterbalance to so-called 'NIMBYs' – not in my back yard. The proposed Ballyboggan development in Dublin. Dublin City Council Dublin City Council YIMBY vs NIMBY The two terms don't just apply to housing – they apply to any kind of new infrastructure development. In recent years, 'NIMBYism' has increasingly become a dirty word in Ireland. Some of this is with good reason. Think of how county councils zone for low-density property development in the middle of a housing supply crisis. Or the role local objections played in upgrading the Luas green line to a metro. Or local residents objecting to new housing developments in emotional, attention-grabbing terms – such as describing a proposed six-storey apartment block as a ' monstrous tower '. There are plenty more examples, which led then-Taoiseach Micheál Martin to agreeing in 2021 that Ireland has a 'culture of Nimbyism' . But there seems to have been some pushback as of late – which is where YIMBYs come in. Their ultimate aim is simple, at least on paper: Get stuff built. The YIMBY movement has its roots in the U.S. – as did its counterpoint, NIMBY (unsurprising, given that they both use the term 'yard'). The term 'YIMBY' has likely existed in some form for decades. But the movement in its current guise took off in San Francisco in the last 10 years or so, as a way to try to tackle the area's affordability crisis. Put simply: surges in house prices are normally attributed to too much demand, and not enough supply. Given there's not much you can do to lower demand in booming economic areas like San Francisco, YIMBYs want more to improve supply by building more homes, ultimately improving housing affordability. Advertisement The movement grew to become more broadly pro-development, generally pushing for the likes of transport and environmental projects. Given Ireland tends to follow the lead of the U.S. in most areas, it was perhaps just a matter of time before YIMBYism took off here. And resentment with NIMBYism had already been bubbling away for years as the housing crisis worsened – as evidenced by Martin's comments back in 2021. But Irish YIMBYism recently received a more definitive push from John and Patrick Collison, the two self-made billionaires from Limerick who co-founded payments processing firm Stripe. With the company's headquarters based in San Francisco, the YIMBY movement seems to have rubbed off on the pair, who have frequently called for more development in Ireland as a way of tackling surging prices. In May 2024, they helped launch 'Progress Ireland', a think tank which focuses on how to address 'housing shortages' and 'poor infrastructure'. Its ideas already seem to be gaining some traction. In February, the government announced it was considering making cabin homes in back gardens exempt from planning rules. Progress Ireland and other YIMBYs have advocated for similar measures, arguing that boosting the supply of 'small houses' could help ease some of the pressure in the property market. The government is now bringing forward other proposals which would be generally cheered by YIMBYs, such as legislation which would extend planning permission which has been challenged by judicial reviews. This relates to many cases for large housing developments, which are often appealed to the courts. A common complaint is that these judicial reviews tie up housing projects for years due to the slow process of cases being resolved in the legal system. There have even been claims that objectors have taken advantage of this, demanding huge sums of money from builders to withdraw legal complaints. This is a view which Housing Minister James Browne appears to subscribe to, as he said judicial reviews 'have been weaponised by some people'. Regardless of whether you think judicial reviews are being used in the spirit of the law or not, the move to extend planning permission timelines again shows a more pro-development attitude from officials which lines up with YIMBYs. Objection rates So between support from the general public, a new voice in the policy debate, and increasingly favourable attitudes in government, it appears things are going fairly well for the YIMBYs. But it's worth keeping in mind that there are still plenty of questions to answer. The first one being – is the problem of NIMBYism really as big a deal as it's made out to be? Housing lecturer Lorcan Sirr has argued that the issue is overstated. Writing for the Irish Times in 2023, he said just 6% of planning permissions granted nationally in 2021 were appealed. This would suggest that objections may not be as big a barrier for housing development as they are made out to be. This is also backed up by the fact that planning permission for tens of thousands of homes are currently unused. Opposition politicians had called for 'use it or lose it' rules to be introduced, due to the suspicion that some developers were applying for planning permission solely to increase land values. But the government's plan for increased time extensions suggests a move in the opposite direction. There is also the argument that increasing supply alone may not be enough to tackle Ireland's housing affordability crisis. As previously examined , it would likely take a decade or two before boosting supply made a real dent in prices. Regardless, many YIMBYs would argue that doing something to impact a positive change, no matter how small, is better than letting problems continue to worsen. And with the government planning to scale up housing delivery from 30,000 to 50,000 homes a year, it's likely new rules will be increasingly pro-development. The progress of legislation which could broadly be classed as pro-YIMBY over the last year looks like a sign of things to come. In short – it's a good time for those who want something built in their back yard. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal

Letters: Why does the Chronicle downplay traffic problems since S.F. Great Highway's closure?
Letters: Why does the Chronicle downplay traffic problems since S.F. Great Highway's closure?

San Francisco Chronicle​

time15-07-2025

  • Politics
  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Letters: Why does the Chronicle downplay traffic problems since S.F. Great Highway's closure?

Regarding 'The bad and good of traffic since the S.F. Great Highway closure' (Letters to the Editor, July 10): It amazes me that in three of the four letters the Chronicle published about traffic on San Francisco's west side since the closure of the Great Highway, one writer saw no difference, one was noncommittal and a third actually claimed that traffic had improved. Those of us not under the influence of the Chronicle's bias know differently. My wife's sister and our son and his family live on Sunset Boulevard, and they report that traffic is worse. When going north on 19th Avenue, every traffic app tells you to abandon it around Ortega Street because it is so clogged. Later this summer, the city will begin repaving 19th Avenue in both directions. It will be a traffic nightmare with the Great Highway's closure, thanks to Supervisor Joel Engardio. Engardio is being recalled, and his billionaire backers have raised $667,000 to save his seat, more than four times as much as recall supporters. Too bad all that money won't be enough to save Engardio's job. Kenneth Jones, San Francisco YIMBYism not nasty Regarding 'When YIMBYs disrespect those who disagree with them, it sounds like right-wing rants ' (Letters to the Editor, July 11): How clever of Amelia Marshall to at first sound measured by stating, 'It behooves us progressives to quit arguing among ourselves.' But she shows her true colors with phrases like 'domineering attitude' and 'outsiders,' and then ends by referring to the 'entitled nastiness of the YIMBY movement.' I am not involved in any YIMBY organization, just a concerned citizen. The YIMBY movement is not 'nasty.' It's one of the most progressive and compassionate views on helping the less fortunate. We have one of the highest homeless rates in the country. A significant reason is NIMBY people who manipulate the levers of the California Environmental Quality Act to delay and diffuse plans for large housing projects. We need to build up, not out. The six-story building in Fairfax referenced in the letter and other projects like it need to be viewed as reasonable if we are going to create a better state for all. Praise those who serve Regarding ''Carrying the torch': WWII soldier who died in prison camp in Philippines identified, buried in S.F.' (San Francisco, July 11): Kudos to Tom Li for his masterfully written, heartwarming and heart-wrenching story. I am so thankful that our military was able to give Army Cpl. Ernest Ulrich a befitting memorial service and burial at the San Francisco Military Cemetery at the Presidio. Things like this are what once made me feel proud to be an American. I fear that this respect for our military and honoring all of our veterans will soon be a distant memory, one of the reasons this story brought me to tears. Ronna Kincaid, Walnut Creek Repeal abuse claim law The students, local taxpayers, teachers and administration are not the responsible parties and should not be punished for terrible crimes they had nothing to do with. The law that allows this should be repealed, not modified at the edges. The state can separately fund services supporting sexual abuse victims. For once, try to take a pragmatic approach, California — one which does not break the critical local services we all need. Jonathan Gole, El Cerrito Park cars in garages Regarding 'S.F. residents had parked in their driveways for years. Then someone started snitching' (San Francisco, July 13): There's a simple solution to the driveway problem. Driveways lead to garages, so park your car in the garage and stop blocking the sidewalk, even if there is enough room for 'two wheelchairs to go in tandem down the street.'

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise
One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise

The Age

time07-05-2025

  • Politics
  • The Age

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise

If there is one Liberal grateful for Peter Dutton's stunning leadership failings – and his history-making defeat – it must be NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman. Dutton's demise will be the making of Speakman, and will cement his leadership heading into the 2027 state election. But to capitalise on the complete rejection of the federal Liberals – now seen as a party that is anti-renewables, anti-women and anti-migrant – Speakman must ignore the white male Boomer membership of his party, the so-called base, which has proven to be completely out-of-touch with modern Australia. Instead, Speakman must make a virtue of his best asset: a sizeable chunk of his party room are Millennials, including nine MPs under the age of 40. This is a demographic cohort that punished the conservatives at the federal poll. Those younger MPs should guide Liberal policy heading into the 2027 election. The most crucial policy involves housing. The NSW Liberals have struggled to land a position on whether to be NIMBYs or YIMBYs. If the federal results are anything to go by, areas with an increasing number of apartments – such as Bennelong and Parramatta – turned their backs on the conservatives. Opposing high-density living options, such as units around railway stations, will only keep younger voters away. The NSW Liberals need to be a party of YIMBYs. But housing is not the Liberals' only weakness. Election after election, they have failed to acknowledge that if women are to vote for their party, it needs more women candidates. The only conclusion you can draw is that some parts of the organisation – that mystical base that selects candidates – do not really want women in parliament. The party refuses to back quotas, yet cannot find a better way to achieve equal gender representation within its ranks. To be fair, the state Liberals have had a better track record than their federal counterparts, though men still outnumber women in the lower house (15 to nine). However, when you combine both houses of parliament, Liberal women make up 45 per cent of the party room. The party needs to build on that, not rest on its laurels. You need to only look to Gladys Berejiklian's protege Gisele Kapterian, who is on track to buck the overwhelming trend and hold the once blue-ribbon federal seat of Bradfield for the Liberals. Kapterian is an exemplary candidate for the NSW Liberals moving forward: an accomplished progressive woman from a migrant background who wants to serve. Indeed, NSW Labor heavyweights were rooting for Kapterian to beat teal candidate Nicolette Boele amid fears she would run for a state seat if unsuccessful. Kapterian, in Labor's view, would be a threat in Macquarie Street. Berejiklian, mark two. Although the ABC and Nine initially called the seat for Boele, the vote in Bradfield is ongoing and, as of Wednesday, Liberal strategists were quietly confident that postal and absentee ballots would swing the seat in Kapterian's favour. That will be a shame for the state Liberals, who no doubt would have welcomed her into their party room. Her election to federal parliament will at least provide one bright moment for the conservatives in NSW.

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise
One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise

Sydney Morning Herald

time07-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Sydney Morning Herald

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton's demise

If there is one Liberal grateful for Peter Dutton's stunning leadership failings – and his history-making defeat – it must be NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman. Dutton's demise will be the making of Speakman, and will cement his leadership heading into the 2027 state election. But to capitalise on the complete rejection of the federal Liberals – now seen as a party that is anti-renewables, anti-women and anti-migrant – Speakman must ignore the white male Boomer membership of his party, the so-called base, which has proven to be completely out-of-touch with modern Australia. Instead, Speakman must make a virtue of his best asset: a sizeable chunk of his party room are Millennials, including nine MPs under the age of 40. This is a demographic cohort that punished the conservatives at the federal poll. Those younger MPs should guide Liberal policy heading into the 2027 election. The most crucial policy involves housing. The NSW Liberals have struggled to land a position on whether to be NIMBYs or YIMBYs. If the federal results are anything to go by, areas with an increasing number of apartments – such as Bennelong and Parramatta – turned their backs on the conservatives. Opposing high-density living options, such as units around railway stations, will only keep younger voters away. The NSW Liberals need to be a party of YIMBYs. But housing is not the Liberals' only weakness. Election after election, they have failed to acknowledge that if women are to vote for their party, it needs more women candidates. The only conclusion you can draw is that some parts of the organisation – that mystical base that selects candidates – do not really want women in parliament. The party refuses to back quotas, yet cannot find a better way to achieve equal gender representation within its ranks. To be fair, the state Liberals have had a better track record than their federal counterparts, though men still outnumber women in the lower house (15 to nine). However, when you combine both houses of parliament, Liberal women make up 45 per cent of the party room. The party needs to build on that, not rest on its laurels. You need to only look to Gladys Berejiklian's protege Gisele Kapterian, who is on track to buck the overwhelming trend and hold the once blue-ribbon federal seat of Bradfield for the Liberals. Kapterian is an exemplary candidate for the NSW Liberals moving forward: an accomplished progressive woman from a migrant background who wants to serve. Indeed, NSW Labor heavyweights were rooting for Kapterian to beat teal candidate Nicolette Boele amid fears she would run for a state seat if unsuccessful. Kapterian, in Labor's view, would be a threat in Macquarie Street. Berejiklian, mark two. Although the ABC and Nine initially called the seat for Boele, the vote in Bradfield is ongoing and, as of Wednesday, Liberal strategists were quietly confident that postal and absentee ballots would swing the seat in Kapterian's favour. That will be a shame for the state Liberals, who no doubt would have welcomed her into their party room. Her election to federal parliament will at least provide one bright moment for the conservatives in NSW.

Cambridge's new housing plan is deeply flawed
Cambridge's new housing plan is deeply flawed

Boston Globe

time05-04-2025

  • Business
  • Boston Globe

Cambridge's new housing plan is deeply flawed

Advertisement All new projects can also be built without design oversight or means of legal appeal by neighbors. As a result, residents who invested in solar technology or are considering doing so are now at risk, as their roofs could be shadowed by taller neighboring buildings. The assumption driving the new zoning policy is that loosening zoning restrictions will flood the market with thousands of units of housing, addressing a severe housing shortage in one of the most expensive markets in the country. But a recent study for the Many younger residents may have been led to believe that Cambridge's upzoning would lead to cheaper rents. But in cities across the country, there are mixed results from zoning reform: In Austin, Advertisement In Cambridge, market dynamics, some unique to the city (two world-class universities and a burgeoning life-sciences and biomedical research sector) and some not (suburban boomers exchanging large homes for an urban lifestyle) suggest that upzoning alone is unlikely to create more affordability. In recent weeks, several Cambridge real estate transactions and proposed construction projects is actually likely to lead to more expensive, larger homes. The 'Yes in My Backyard' movement often argues that even an increase in luxury housing development would be good, because it would free up housing downmarket, as affluent households move into newer homes. But this 'trickle-down' housing economics makes no sense in Cambridge, where wealthy homeowners typically do not leave their homes for more luxurious ones, and their current homes do not then become magically affordable. In truth, Meanwhile the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission had it right in its recent Advertisement A surge in luxury housing construction will deepen Cambridge's gentrification, forcing out lower-income residents, including many from marginalized communities. Cambridge is increasingly becoming a city of extremes of rich and poor, where profit-driven policies override community needs. Cambridge residents see a strong need for more affordable housing, according to a YIMBYs celebrating the new measure claim moral high ground, dismissing critics as selfish NIMBYs while ignoring well-founded concerns about gentrification and the environment. Meanwhile, critics of historic-housing demolition, tree loss, heat-island impacts, and traffic congestion have been dismissed. Instead of the new upzoning measure, better alternatives would include leveraging city-owned lots for affordable housing and prioritizing the building of new apartment properties over condominiums. Cambridge is already very dense — one of the densest cities in the state and the Several amendments would improve Cambridge's new measure. First, the city should limit projects relying on the new upzoning criteria to multifamily homes of three or more units. Second, projects six stories tall should be shifted to corridors near commercial establishments. Third, Cambridge should reintroduce design oversight, in part to protect residential solar-power installations. Advertisement If the city truly wants to address its housing crisis, it must abandon the myth that deregulation will solve the problem. Affordability requires proactive intervention, oversight, and a commitment to keeping housing accessible — not a free pass for developers.

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