| Key takeaways |
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| The YIMBY movement (“Yes In My Backyard”) is a coalition of residents, policymakers and housing advocates pushing for more abundant, diverse and affordable housing in the places people most want to live. After two decades of underbuilding, U.S. cities are now adopting YIMBY laws that loosen single-family zoning, legalize accessory dwelling units and clear the way for missing middle housing close to jobs, transit and schools. Pacaso supports the YIMBY movement as a pro-housing supply solution. By turning a fully managed luxury home into a co-owned asset for up to eight families, Pacaso reduces second home demand pressure on local primary housing markets and makes more efficient use of existing inventory. |
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- What does YIMBY stand for, and what is the YIMBY movement?
- How does NIMBY vs YIMBY shape local housing decisions?
- Which U.S. metros are leading the YIMBY movement?
- What YIMBY laws and legislation are reshaping housing?
- How does the YIMBY movement address common community concerns?
- Who are the major YIMBY organizations, and where do people discuss YIMBY housing?
- How does Pacaso co-ownership support the YIMBY movement?
- YIMBY movement FAQs
| Definition |
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| The YIMBY movement (“Yes In My Backyard”) is a pro-housing movement that supports building more homes, of more types, in the neighborhoods that need them. YIMBY advocates push for zoning reform, missing middle housing, accessory dwelling units, by-right approvals and other YIMBY laws that increase housing supply, lower prices and create more inclusive communities. |
What does YIMBY stand for, and what is the YIMBY movement?
YIMBY stands for “Yes In My Backyard.” The phrase started as a direct counter to NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”), which describes residents who oppose new housing or development near their homes. So when people ask what YIMBY stands for, the short answer is: it’s a pro-housing identity. People who say “yes in my backyard” believe more homes should be built, closer to jobs and transit, in more shapes and sizes than the postwar single-family default.How does NIMBY vs YIMBY shape local housing decisions?
Most local housing fights come down to NIMBY vs YIMBY. NIMBY residents tend to support housing in the abstract but oppose specific projects nearby, often citing parking, traffic, neighborhood character or property values. YIMBY residents argue that those concerns, while real, have been used to block so much housing for so long that the cumulative effect is sky-high prices, longer commutes and exclusion of renters and lower-income workers from desirable neighborhoods.A side-by-side helps make the difference concrete:| Topic | NIMBY view | YIMBY view |
| New apartments | Add traffic and crowd schools | Add neighbors, customers and tax base |
| Single-family zoning | Protects neighborhood character | Restricts who can afford to live there |
| Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) | Change the look of the block | Add gentle density and rental options |
| Co-owned and shared homes | Threaten neighborhood stability | Use existing homes more efficiently |
| Missing middle housing | Doesn’t fit the area | Brings duplexes, fourplexes and townhomes back |
Which U.S. metros are leading the YIMBY movement?
Pacaso’s inaugural Y.I.M.B.Y. Report, produced in collaboration with MetroSight, identified the U.S. metros where high-demand ZIP codes are growing housing supply faster than prices. Those are the places turning YIMBY values into real homes for real families. The top markets:1. Washington, D.C.
Greater Washington, D.C., which spans parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia, ranked first. More than 70 percent of its high-demand ZIPs met the YIMBY criteria. Arlington County’s missing middle ordinance now allows two- to six-unit buildings on lots once zoned exclusively for single-family homes, and Alexandria, Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland, have followed with similar density and YIMBY affordable housing plans.2. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago made the list because its high-demand ZIPs correlated strongly with YIMBY housing growth, even though the metro’s overall demand pressure is lower than the coasts. The 2021 update to the city’s Affordable Requirements Ordinance pushed more new construction into mixed-income neighborhoods.3. Austin, Texas
Austin stood out for the clear demand we found across all of its ZIPs, almost half of which qualified as YIMBY. In May 2024 the Austin City Council voted to reduce minimum single-family lot sizes and legalize triplexes, townhomes and other missing middle homes citywide. Nearby San Antonio also embraced YIMBY real estate reforms in its highest-demand neighborhoods.4. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis became the first major U.S. city to eliminate single-family-only zoning in 2019. Two- to four-unit buildings now make up a growing share of the city’s housing stock, and the policy has been studied closely by other YIMBY organizations as a real-world test case for citywide upzoning.5. Columbus, Ohio
Columbus introduced a plan to reshape the city and allow construction of as many as 88,000 new housing units. The proposal limits car-focused sprawl and simplifies the rules for homeowners and small developers. Nearby Kansas City legalized rental ADUs in 2022, and Salt Lake City joined the YIMBY scale by recognizing that more efficient use of existing homes is part of the supply answer.6. Salt Lake City, Utah and other rising YIMBY markets
In 2023, Utah passed a law requiring municipalities and counties to regulate co-owned homes no differently than any other residential unit. The bill was a milestone for shared homeownership and a clear signal that YIMBY law and YIMBY legislation now extend beyond apartments and ADUs to the way families share existing homes. Other rising YIMBY markets include Seattle, Portland, New York and Philadelphia, where Open New York, the broader YIMBY NYC community and other YIMBY organizations have helped advance state and citywide reforms.What about YIMBY Los Angeles?
YIMBY Los Angeles is shorthand for the network of advocates pushing California cities to permit more homes near jobs and transit. While Los Angeles itself didn’t crack the top of our YIMBY scale, the state’s package of pro-housing laws (SB 9, SB 10, AB 2097 and others) has reshaped what is possible at the parcel level statewide and changed how YIMBY real estate gets built across Southern California.What YIMBY laws and legislation are reshaping housing?
The fastest-growing area of YIMBY housing policy is statewide preemption: laws that override the most restrictive local rules to make more homes legal by right. The most influential YIMBY legislation in recent years includes:- Single-family zoning reform: Minneapolis (2019), Oregon HB 2001 (2019), California SB 9 (2021), Cambridge, MA (2024) and Washington State HB 1110 (2023) all legalize duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes on lots once limited to one detached home.
- ADU and “granny flat” legalization: California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Vermont and Massachusetts have all loosened ADU rules so homeowners can add an income-producing unit, in-law suite or aging-in-place option.
- Parking minimum reform: California AB 2097 (2022) eliminated parking minimums near transit. Buffalo, Minneapolis, San Diego and Anchorage have done the same citywide, freeing land and capital for housing instead of cars.
- Office-to-residential conversions: New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Boston have launched programs to turn underused commercial space into homes, a YIMBY-aligned answer to post-pandemic vacancy.
- Co-ownership preemption: Utah’s 2023 law (championed by Pacaso) prevents cities from singling out co-owned homes for stricter rules than any other residence, protecting an efficient model that puts more families in fewer homes.
- Faith-based housing (“Yes In God’s Backyard”): California SB 4 and similar laws in other states allow places of worship to build affordable housing on their land, an offshoot of the YIMBY movement aimed squarely at YIMBY affordable housing.
How does the YIMBY movement address common community concerns?
Even residents who agree the country needs more homes often have legitimate questions about how new development plays out on their block. The YIMBY movement has spent the last decade gathering data on those concerns. Here is how the most common ones look once you check the evidence.Parking
The most common pushback on new housing is parking. The data from cities that have eliminated parking minimums (Buffalo, Minneapolis, San Diego, Anchorage) shows that builders still add parking where the market wants it; they simply right-size it instead of overbuilding. Studies from UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies have found that requiring two off-street spaces per unit can add $50,000 or more to the cost of a single home, much of which is passed straight through to buyers. Removing those minimums lowers prices without producing the parking apocalypse opponents predict.Short-term rentals vs co-owned second homes
In second home destinations, the most common concern is short-term rental impact. Pacaso is structurally different from a short-term rental. Pacaso owners are real owners with deeded shares; they don’t rent the home to strangers, and the home isn’t turned over every weekend. Where a single short-term rental home in a resort town might host 50 to 100 guest groups in a year, a Pacaso home is occupied by the same up to eight families across the same year, with stays scheduled through Pacaso’s SmartStay™ scheduling app. The result is fewer turnovers, less wear and tear on the neighborhood and lower noise and traffic impact than the typical short-term rental on the same block.Neighborhood disruption and home values
A 2023 Pacaso economic impact study found that Pacaso homes reduce competition for local primary housing, because each Pacaso buyer represents one share of one second home rather than a whole home pulled off the market for one family’s occasional use. Independent analyses of upzoned neighborhoods, including the University of Minnesota’s tracking of post-2019 Minneapolis data, show that adding gentle density does not depress nearby property values; it increases options for buyers and renters across price points. The YIMBY movement’s answer to neighborhood-disruption fears isn’t to dismiss them; it’s to point at the cities that have actually built more housing and ask what changed.Who are the major YIMBY organizations, and where do people discuss YIMBY housing?
The YIMBY movement is a network of national, state and local YIMBY organizations rather than a single body. Some of the most active groups include:- YIMBY Action: A national network advocating for abundant housing and inclusive communities. Pacaso is a member of YIMBY Action and supports its policy work.
- California YIMBY: Co-sponsors of statewide YIMBY legislation including SB 9, SB 10 and the parking reform bills.
- Open New York / YIMBY NYC: Pushed for the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity reform package, the largest pro-housing zoning change in New York City history.
- Abundant Housing LA and YIMBY Los Angeles: Coordinate Southern California’s pro-housing coalitions and weigh in on Los Angeles County’s general plan and rezoning.
- Sightline Institute, Up For Growth and the Mercatus Center: Independent research organizations whose data is widely cited across YIMBY movement news.
How does Pacaso co-ownership support the YIMBY movement?
Pacaso co-ownership is a pro-housing supply solution. Pacaso allows buyers to purchase a share (1/8 to 1/2) of a fully managed luxury home through a property-specific LLC, giving them a true real estate asset. Each Pacaso home houses up to eight owners, which means fewer second homes sitting empty and fewer whole houses pulled off the local market for occasional use. That structure is why Pacaso is a member of YIMBY Action and why our 2023 economic impact study found that co-ownership reduces competition for primary housing in the destinations where Pacaso operates.For buyers, Pacaso turns a luxury second home into something accessible. For neighbors, it means a home that’s actually occupied, professionally managed and not turning over every weekend like a short-term rental. For policymakers, it’s a working example that the YIMBY movement isn’t only about new apartments. It’s about making more efficient use of the homes that already exist. To learn more, explore how Pacaso co-ownership works or browse available Pacaso listings in more than 40 top second home destinations.YIMBY movement FAQs
01: What does YIMBY stand for?
YIMBY stands for “Yes In My Backyard.” It’s the pro-housing answer to NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”) and signals support for building more homes in the neighborhoods that need them.
02: What is the YIMBY movement in simple terms?
The YIMBY movement is a coalition of residents, advocates and policymakers pushing for more abundant, diverse and affordable housing. YIMBY housing supporters back zoning reform, accessory dwelling units, missing middle homes and other YIMBY laws that make it easier to build where people want to live.
03: What is the difference between NIMBY vs YIMBY?
NIMBYs typically oppose new housing or development near their homes, citing concerns about traffic, parking or neighborhood character. YIMBYs argue those concerns, while real, have blocked so much housing for so long that prices, commutes and exclusion have all gotten worse. The NIMBY vs YIMBY debate now drives most local housing votes in the United States.
04: Are YIMBY policies the same as rent control?
No. YIMBY rent control is a common search but the YIMBY movement is mostly focused on supply (legalizing more homes) rather than pricing existing units. Some YIMBY organizations support targeted tenant protections, but the core YIMBY argument is that without more housing, no pricing rule can keep costs down for long.
05: What is YIMBY Action?
YIMBY Action is a national pro-housing nonprofit and one of the most visible YIMBY organizations in the country. It coordinates local chapters, lobbies for YIMBY legislation and supports candidates running on housing-abundance platforms. Pacaso is a member of YIMBY Action.
06: Which YIMBY laws have had the biggest impact?
The most influential YIMBY laws so far include Minneapolis 2040 (eliminating single-family-only zoning, 2019), Oregon HB 2001 (2019), California SB 9 (2021), California AB 2097 parking reform (2022), Washington HB 1110 (2023) and Utah’s 2023 co-ownership preemption law. Each one expanded what kind of homes can be built, or shared, by right.
07: Where can I find YIMBY forums or YIMBY movement news?
Most YIMBY forums are online. The r/yimby subreddit, YIMBY Action’s chapter pages, Open New York’s community channels and writers at Sightline Institute, Strong Towns and City Observatory are good starting points for YIMBY movement news, policy explainers and local meeting recaps.
08: Does Pacaso support the YIMBY movement?
Yes. Pacaso is a member of YIMBY Action, and Pacaso co-ownership is an explicit pro-housing supply solution. It concentrates second home demand into shared, professionally managed homes rather than spreading it across whole houses that sit empty most of the year. Pacaso also championed Utah’s 2023 YIMBY legislation protecting co-owned homes from being treated differently than other residences.
