The ‘Yes In My Backyard’ grants are designed to help cities identify the most effective avenues for increasing density and spurring more housing construction in historically reluctant neighborhoods.

An $85 million federal grant program included in the omnibus funding package passed late last year aims to counter NIMBY opposition to new housing development and help cities pass zoning reforms that encourage increased housing production, higher density, and transit-oriented development, writes Kery Murakami in Route Fifty.
According to the omnibus, HUD will award grants to cities that demonstrate ‘a commitment to overcoming local barriers to facilitate the increase in affordable housing production and preservation.’ Cities with ‘an acute demand’ for housing affordable to households below the median income in their area will also get preference for the grants.
A prior proposal by President Biden called for federal grants for cities that eliminate ‘exclusionary’ zoning laws, but it was not included in the bipartisan infrastructure law. “However, Biden in his budget request last March called for the creation of a $10 billion state and local grant program to encourage and support zoning changes that would allow more kinds of housing to go up in what are often largely white and wealthier neighborhoods.”
The federal initiative is partly modeled on a Washington state program that awards grants to cities “to examine how their zoning policies were restricting the supply of housing, as a shortage of homes contributed to sharply rising real estate prices.” The program yielded changes to zoning codes in Tacoma, Walla Walla, and other cities.
FULL STORY: The New Federal Grants to Help Cities Ditch 'NIMBY'-backed Zoning

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

A Serious Critique of Congestion Costs and Induced Vehicle Travel Impacts
Some highway advocates continue to claim that roadway expansions are justified to reduce traffic congestion. That's not what the research shows. It's time to stop obsessing over congestion and instead strive for efficient accessibility.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Mapping Sidewalks for Improved Connectivity
A new tool uses aerial image recognition to map a city’s sidewalks and crosswalks. Its developers hope it will aid in creating a more comprehensive understanding of pedestrian networks and where improvements are needed.

Long Beach Residents Oppose Proposed Homeless Services Hub Near Rail Terminus
L.A. Metro’s “end-of-the-line” policy forces people experiencing homeless off transit every night at the same time and location. A proposed hub would provide services a few stops before the end of the line in Long Beach.

The Nation's Most Advanced Secessionist Movement
Legislation supporting the Greater Idaho Movement, which would annex over half of neighboring Oregon, has advanced in the Idaho legislature.
City of Greenville
City of Greenville
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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