A few of the faces and voices from YIMBYtown

“Housing and transit are two sides of the same coin. And to me, it doesn’t make sense to continue speaking of the two in different rooms. I am interested in how we intersect or interact with these systems based on how we self-identify, whether it’s race, ethnicity, gender ability, citizenship status, all that kind of stuff.”
— Wendell Joseph, Urban Planner, Boston MA (@wendelltjoseph)

“People not in this sphere don’t always think of transportation and housing as connected, but there are lots of people here bringing insights from different areas all creating that connected vision. It’s cool to see it culminating in this conference.”
— Adah Crandall, Sunrise Movement PDX (@adahrae11)

“In Franklin, it became clear that just the base of a lot of our struggles were land-use decisions. And we’re starting to recognize that the math of the suburban development pattern is not sustainable math.”
— Cobi Frongillo, City councilor, Franklin MA (@cobifrongillo)

“I’m pretty new to the YIMBY movement, but I’ve been following housing broadly. I feel very curious to meet people and learn about how people are making connections and organizing, especially at the intersection of climate and housing.”

— Rachel Leider, Organizer at California YIMBY (@racheleiderach)

“What’s really important to me is educational equity and making sure that no matter what zip code kids are from they have access to the same educational experience and learning opportunities.”

— Kassie Infante, Education advocate, Brookline, MA (@kassie_infante)

“Biking through inner northeast and southeast Portland is incredibly beautiful, but — and there’s a big but — I’m incredibly frustrated when I see six homes per block. That is ridiculous. I want to share what we have with everyone because more people need to be able to take in that beauty.”

— Tim Davis, Civic booster and urbanist (Portland)

“The YIMBY movement is the spearhead of changing the discussion around housing. Having an abundance of housing and dense urban centers is our best way of promoting sustainability. We have a shortage of great urban places and abundant housing is a feature of great urban places.”

— Joe Cortright, City Observatory, Portland (@joe_cortright)

“I’ve been doing bike and walking advocacy for a long time and we’ve made a lot of progress, but we keep running up against challenges building housing. If you have great biking and transit, but no one can live next to it, then that’s the issue. So I’m just here to learn.”

— Bill Lindeke, MinnPost, St. Paul, MN (@billlindeke)

“Infrastructure is a way of making your grandchildren live by your values even after you’re gone.”

— Jarrett Walker, Human Transit (@humantransit)

“From an organizing standpoint, it’s okay to let things die. It is okay to let certain things go. Letting go is part of growth for your community, because communities are not supposed to stay the same forever. Cities are given meaning by the people who live in them. And part of being a human is letting things go to make room for something new.”

— Alex Contreras, Happy City Coalition, Downey, CA (@contrerasforca)

“I don’t see my job as building coalitions. I view my job as building a constituency. Ultimately, my goal is to get elected officials to realize they are elected by voters who want more transportation, fewer single-occupancy vehicle trips, more integrated neighborhoods, more desegregated neighborhoods, more affordable housing, more access, more opportunity.”
— Alex Baca, Greater Greater Washington, Washington DC (@alexbaca)