Yes in My Back Yard Movement’s Plan to Lower Home Prices Is Working

There’s a new movement sweeping America. It isn’t selling out stadiums or inspiring riots, but it does contain a simple idea that has the potential to radically reshape our economy: The US needs more places for people to live.

The adherents of the “Yes In My Backyard,” or YIMBY, movement believe that America’s housing crisis comes down to the fundamental tension between supply and demand. The country simply doesn’t have enough homes, they argue, so people are forced to fight, scrape, and pay exorbitant prices to secure the housing that is available. Building more homes, or “housing abundance” in YIMBY parlance, is the key to improving access and ensuring an affordable cost of living.