The YIMBY Tool Kit

...or, how to say "Yes, in my backyard!" to new development proposals. A new guide developed by the Pivot Legal Society in Vancouver is intended to provide guidance for communities that actually want hard-to-place projects.

1 minute read

September 25, 2011, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Wendy Stueck of The Globe and Mail explains that the manual "will include tips and strategies that have been used in other cities to support projects, including social housing and addiction services..."

The Pivot Legal Society prepared the YIMBY manual after watching homeless shelters get nixed from local neighborhoods. From their website:

"We started to look at strategies for transforming NIMBY attitudes into YIMBY activism when pressure from local residents opposed to new Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) shelters in their neighbourhoods contributed to two of the sites being closed ahead of schedule.

The new toolkit combines tested strategies that have been used successfully in other cities and lots of Vancouver specific information and ideas. "

You can download the tool kit here.

Friday, September 23, 2011 in The Globe and Mail

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

6 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Red SF Muni ticketing machine.

San Francisco Muni Raises Fares a Second Time

A 10–cent fare hike for adults is part of the agency’s plan to chip away at a growing budget deficit.

3 hours ago - San Francisco Examiner

Electric car charging station with several Chevy Bolts charging in parking lot of store in Bellingham, Washington

Electric Grid Capacity Could Hamstring EV Growth

Industry leaders say the U.S. electric grid is unprepared for the increased demand for power created by electric cars, data centers, and electric homes.

4 hours ago - GovTech

Top view new development riverside residential and commercial neighborhood with vacant land in Texas, USA.

Texas Bill Supports Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Areas

Senate Bill 840, which was preliminarily approved by the state House, would allow residential construction in areas previously zoned for offices and commercial uses.

5 hours ago - The Texas Tribune

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.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.