Source: Niskanen Center
by Rick Hills & David Schleicher
“When ‘YIMBYs’ first appeared on the scene, it appeared to many as though they had come out of the blue. YIMBYism was a radical departure from the norm of American land use politics, in which the only groups involved were developers of specific projects, neighborhood groups opposed to growth, preservationists, and ‘housers’ interested in subsidized housing but without any interest — and some hostility — to broader housing growth. That there might be individuals and groups committed to increasing housing supply by reducing the strictness of land use controls on ideological groups was almost unthinkable. But it turns out YIMBYism is part of a long American tradition. From before the Founding through most of the 20th century, American property law promoted development, active use of land, broad ownership, and liquid property markets, far more than did the property law of our English forebearers.” (03/06/25)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/yimbyism-is-an-american-legal-tradition-heres-how-to-revive-it