Infill: A YIMBY Podcast

Rollin Horton, a Nashville councilmember advancing housing and childcare reforms, joins Stephen Smith, a building-code researcher, to explore single-stair apartments. They trace Nashville’s unanimous reform, question the value of fire escapes, and examine how elevators, windows, air conditioning, zoning, and light wells shape housing costs and design. They also discuss childcare zoning and why better architecture may not overcome NIMBY opposition.

Yonah Freemark, Urban Institute researcher who studies zoning and housing, explains how upzoning did and did not spur construction in New York City and Philadelphia. He contrasts effective versus cosmetic rezones, draws lessons from Chicago, and discusses how new housing interacts with rents, moving chains, and local market demand. They also cover how research and advocacy can work together to shape policy.

In this episode, YIMBY Action Executive Director Laura Foote sits down with Will Wilson, volunteer leader of our RVA YIMBY chapter, and Brian Goggin, an affordable housing developer, urbanist, and Policy and Project Manager with True Ground Housing Partners. Together, they discuss how the Commonwealth Housing Coalition helped make Virginia's 2026 legislative session one of the state's most successful for pro-housing reform to date. The conversation explores how a growing coalition of advocates helped pass landmark legislation legalizing more accessory dwelling units (ADUs), expanding opportunities for faith-based housing, reforming parking requirements near transit, and allowing manufactured housing in more communities. They also discuss the political strategy behind building bipartisan support, overcoming local opposition, and why coalition-building has become one of the YIMBY movement's most effective tools. Laura, Will, and Brian also look ahead to what's next for Virginia, including implementation challenges, future zoning reforms, permitting improvements, and how grassroots organizing continues to shape housing policy across the state. Whether you're interested in housing advocacy, land-use reform, or the politics of building more homes, this episode offers an inside look into how meaningful policy change happens. Join YIMBY Action's Email List: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/yimby-action-mailing-list Learn more about the Commonwealth Housing Coalition: https://www.commonwealthhousingcoalition.org/ Learn more about our RVA YIMBY chapter: https://rvayimby.org/ Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/ Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.social Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Alex Horowitz, Project Director at Pew’s Housing Policy Initiative, researches housing supply, affordability, and homelessness. He discusses how new housing creates vacancy chains that relieve pressure on older, lower-cost units. They cover why shortages hit low-income renters hardest, how metropolitan supply affects Class C rents most, and the role of zoning, permitting, and regional policy in shaping affordability.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Scott Wiener traces his journey from a childhood shaped by building community from scratch to becoming one of the country’s most influential pro-housing lawmakers. He walks through the moment the housing crisis “clicked” for him—defending tenants facing eviction, watching even compliant projects get buried in process, and realizing that scarcity isn’t accidental—it’s policy. Tune in to hear Scott and YIMBY Law's Sonja Trauss discuss how political courage actually develops: from lived experience, data, and the quiet realization that the loudest voices aren’t always the majority.   The conversation also dives into the politics of governing in the real world, from delivering constituent services that build trust, to navigating backlash across issues like housing and foreign policy. Wiener lays out an ambitious federal housing vision: massive investment, faster permitting, and aligning incentives so cities actually build. He makes the YIMBY case clear: if we want affordability, stability, and equity, we have to build more homes, faster.   Join YIMBY Action's Email List: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/yimby-action-mailing-list Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/ Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.social Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Patrick Wolff, long-time YIMBY activist and candidate for California Insurance Commissioner, outlines how insurance barriers shape housing, climate resilience, and market health. He explores regulatory roots, the FAIR Plan’s role, and ideas to boost transparency, competition, and risk-reduction incentives. The conversation spotlights reforms, public support for mitigation, and why insurance policy matters for housing access.

On this episode of the Infill Podcast, we’re giving listeners an inside look at YIMBY Action’s new Scorecards for statewide elected officials, starting with Virginia. Rising housing prices are a huge concern for American voters. YIMBY Action’s Scorecards will be a critical tool for residents to understand which elected officials are taking bold action on housing, so we can make our neighborhoods more affordable for everyone.In this discussion, we’ll talk to the architect behind the first YIMBY Action Scorecard, our very own Senior Campaigns Manager Joh Gehlbach. We’ll discuss what these Scorecards tell voters, what we’re already learning from this Virginia iteration, and how this tool will help voters and advocates cut through the noise and hold legislators accountable. Read the Scorecard: https://yimbyaction.org/scorecards/2025-virginia-state-scorecards/Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/joinFollow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.socialFollow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction

Meet Drake Warren, a 26-year-old running for Cook County Commissioner in Illinois. He is an engineer and housing advocate who fell in love with Chicago in college. Now, he wants to give back to the community he has made a home in by running for a local government office. He believes that Chicago has begun to lose its YIMBY roots and wants to serve his community by running for office, so that he can help more homes be built in his city and county. On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Action's Jennifer Borrero speaks with Drake about why he was inspired to run for Cook County Commissioner. He breaks down what he thinks current leaders are missing in housing policy, and why more people must become familiar with local politics. They also discuss the importance of having balanced experiences in government and finally, how we can get more young folks plugged into local government and advocacy. If you're curious about what it's like to run for local office or want to hear a great discussion about how local politics shapes the world around us, then this is the episode for you. Tune in! Learn more about Drake Warren: https://drakefor10.com/ Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/ Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.social Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Law’s Executive Director Sonja Trauss sits down with author Marc J. Dunkelman to tackle one of the biggest questions facing Americans today: why are we unable to build the infrastructure, housing, and public works that our communities so desperately need? Drawing from his new book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress — and How to Bring It Back, Dunkelman explores how even well-intentioned procedural reforms, community protections, and environmental reviews can create veto points that stall change, particularly in housing policy. They also delve into the shift in Americans’ connectedness that has impacted our political landscape, what tactics and reforms could cut through the red tape, and how housing advocates can push for structural shifts that unlock homebuilding, transit, and equity. Finally, Marc and Sonja explore the similarities and differences between Dunkelman’s thesis in Why Nothing Works and the thesis of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in their book, Abundance. In addition to highlighting the challenges of the bureaucratic processes we have now, Dunkelman also encourages readers and listeners of this episode to consider who should have the power to make decisions on behalf of communities. Tune in to hear more about the changes that Dunkelman has written about in American politics, and the historical context of the tension we are still feeling today as we navigate decisions about the architecture of power. Get Marc Dunkelman’s newest book, Why Nothing Works, here: https://rjjulia.com/book/9781541700215Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/joinFollow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.socialFollow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Action Managing Director Gillian Pressman speaks with Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. Daryl recently released her book, Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work, and she is a keynote speaker at the upcoming 2025 YIMBYTown conference in New Haven. Tune in to hear Gillian and Daryl dive into her YIMBY origin story and why she is starting a YIMBY Action chapter in Wisconsin. You'll also hear about why Daryl supports grassroots organizing as such a powerful tool for reform, and why we need YIMBYs to build power across coalitions to change the politics that are causing our housing shortage. Daryl also discusses how the lenses of identity inform how people show up for (or against) housing. Get Daryl's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Hate-Game-Economic-Cheat-Codes/dp/0226839524 Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/ Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/yimbyaction.bsky.social Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/