Infill: A YIMBY Podcast

On this episode of Infill, Sonja Trauss is joined by renowned author Richard Rothstein and his daughter Leah Rothstein, co-authors of the book Just Action, also known as the sequel to Richard's groundbreaking work The Color of Law. Together, they explore how housing laws perpetuate segregation and what local communities can do to fight back and build more integrated, equitable neighborhoods.In this discussion, Trauss and the Rothsteins tackle the hard questions: Why don't race-neutral policies go far enough? How do local efforts build momentum when national politics seem stalled? And what can everyday people do to push for change in their own backyards?Tune in to hear more about Richard’s and Leah’s journey into writing Just Action, why race-conscious remedies are necessary to address the legacy of government-sanctioned segregation, and get actionable ideas for how your community can organize to make a difference. Read Just Action: https://www.rjjulia.com/book/9781324093244Read The Color of Law: https://www.rjjulia.com/book/9781631494536Follow 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, Gillian Pressman talks with two powerhouse voices: Sonja Trauss, founder of the YIMBY movement and Executive Director of YIMBY Law, and Misha Chellam, founder of the Abundance Network. Together, they unpack the transformative idea of “abundance,” sparked by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s new book. They explore what resources it takes to build abundance and how we can build the political power to make a future of abundance our reality. You'll hear thoughts on how YIMBY and Abundance movement leaders are creating systems that empower local advocates to get involved in politics, how different kinds of people in your movement can help you win, and the benefits of various approaches to building power. Whether you're new to the YIMBY movement or deep in the policy trenches, this episode will inspire you to think bigger, act bolder, and advocate harder for a future of abundance for all of us. Read the Your Role in Abundance Substack article: https://modernpower.substack.com/p/your-role-in-abundanceLearn more about the Abundance Network: https://www.abundancenetwork.com/Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/Follow 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/

Zellnor Myrie, a New York State Senator and mayoral candidate, shares his bold vision for housing reform in NYC. He highlights the critical link between housing availability and economic opportunities, emphasizing why this matters nationally. Myrie discusses rent stabilization, affordable housing strategies, and innovative measures to increase housing supply. He delves into the complexities of local policies like short-term rentals and urges voter engagement to tackle the pressing housing crisis, aiming to make New York more equitable and opportunity-rich for all.

Sara Bronin, an accomplished architect, attorney, and author of 'Key to the City,' joins to unravel the complexities of local zoning codes. They discuss how these codes impact housing affordability, environmental sustainability, and even nightlife. Bronin highlights the power of the National Zoning Atlas in transforming community planning, and the hidden effects of zoning on food systems and segregation. Their conversation also emphasizes the need for more equitable zoning practices to create abundant housing and healthier communities.

Azeem Khanmalek, the Executive Director of Abundant Housing LA, and Jordan Grimes, Resilience Manager at Greenbelt Alliance, discuss the urgent need for housing policy reform in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. They highlight how dense housing can bolster resilience against climate-related disasters. The guests also address the challenges of price gouging and inadequate temporary housing solutions for displaced families. Their conversation stresses the importance of sustainable land use and community advocacy in shaping future housing strategies.

Everyone knows that the cost of living, especially housing, has reached a high that feels unsustainable for most Americans to maintain. So, what can we do to solve this problem? In 2024, the Chamber of Progress released its Democratic Cost of Living Agenda. The Agenda is a low-cost policy framework with actionable recommendations for legislators to help lower costs in several sectors for families. On this episode of the Infill podcast, YIMBY Action's Mariah Redfern speaks with the author of the Cost of Living Agenda, Dr. Gary Winslett. They discuss the policies that the Chamber of Progress suggests as solutions for high housing prices, why we must take new approaches to our housing policy, and how people can get involved. Read the Democratic Cost of Living Agenda: https://bringcostsdown.org/Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/Follow YIMBY Action on X: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/ 

On this episode of the Infill podcast, our Executive Director Laura Foote speaks with Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawai'i. They discuss why housing is a priority issue for Senator Schatz, how folks are thinking about the housing shortage at all levels of government and the unique opportunity that Democrats and Republicans have to work together on this issue for Americans. Our nation's housing shortage is pushing residents out of their neighborhoods, exacerbating homelessness, and contributing to unequal outcomes in health, finances, and more. In this episode, Senator Schatz and Laura Foote discuss how we got here and what methods it will take to make community members and elected officials understand the importance of building more homes. Learn more about Senator Brian Schatz: https://www.schatz.senate.gov/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/

On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Law's Executive Director Sonja Trauss speaks with Dr. Adam Ozimek, Chief Economist for the Economic Innovation Group about their idea to get the federal government more involved in housing policy. Pro-housing advocates understand that we need to incentivize local governments to remove barriers to building new homes. The Economic Innovation Group has come up with a new idea called "Density Zones" to empower local governments to facilitate more building by incentivizing them with rewards from the federal government proportional to the number of new homes built. So, how would this work? The first step would be for the federal government to develop standardized zoning and building codes drawn from best practices nationwide. Then, municipalities would have the ability to adopt this code for specific areas within their jurisdiction. These standardized best practices would help streamline building by providing a set of rules that developers can use to operate with. Finally, areas that meet the program's targets would be rewarded with "Density Dividends," which could be used to do things like building infrastructure or new schools to accommodate the new homes. Tune in to learn more about the ideas that the Economic Innovation Group is working on, and how they think "Density Zones" could make it easier for state and local governments to their tackle housing shortages. Learn more about Density Zones: https://agglomerations.substack.com/p/how-the-next-president-can-solveLearn more about the Economic Innovation Group: https://eig.org/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/

Max Podemski, an insightful author on urban housing, discusses his groundbreaking book on the evolution of American housing. He explores how historical immigrant communities shaped dense, multi-family homes, contrasting them with today's fixation on single-family homes. The conversation navigates through the architectural history of cities like Boston and Los Angeles, critiques modern urban initiatives, and emphasizes the need for adaptable housing policies. Podemski also tackles the impact of zoning and housing finance on social mobility and community dynamics.

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-voteLearn More about YIMBY Action: https://new.yimbyaction.org/Follow YIMBY Action on X: https://x.com/yimbyactionFollow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyactionLearn more about Up For Growth: https://upforgrowth.org/