Harris' VP pick highlights growing YIMBY energy
As the Democratic party welcomes Tim Walz as Harris' running mate, YIMBYs are celebrating and organizing.
I was honored to be part of the first Strong Towns Albuquerque Leadership Team. The pro-housing, pro-transit group quickly became the largest Strong Towns chapter in the nation (so I’m told) as we organized some of the local energy for change - giving the issue a louder voice than it has ever had in the Duke City. I can’t believe how many people have turned out for the Strong Towns meetings.
One of the coolest moments was when Ray Delahanty, creator of the popular YouTube channel City Nerd, agreed to do a live Q&A with Strong Towns ABQ. In preparation for the event in Albuquerque this past May, I got to have a couple of beers with the City Nerd himself to plan the event. I asked him if he too thought YIMBY energy was building, or if that was just in my head. His answer was “Yeah. Definitely.”
Now it’s August, and it’s become more obvious that energy around the US is growing for things like public transit and housing density. The most recent YIMBY energy is coming from the highest level of government: The Harris-Walz presidential ticket. Kamala Harris’ new VP running mate has been elevated from an unknown Midwestern State Governor to a wildly popular Democratic VP nominee. If you’ve been reading the news, you’ve likely heard about his policies on free school lunches and marijuana legalization. But the housing policies Minnesota passed under Walz’s watch are the most impressive to me given how strong opposition seems for similar policies at the local level here in Albuquerque.
State-level Democrats in Minnesota have accomplished pro-housing policies that every urbanist wishes their local City Council would pass. Recent Minnesota laws legalized higher-density housing in cities and cheaper-to-build housing structures that are largely prohibited across the US. These tweets about summarize what Walz stands for in terms of housing, transit, clean energy, and more:
As a result, Minnesotan cities have seen more stable rent prices, huge investments in transit (including trains), and more clean energy projects. YIMBYs across America can’t believe their luck as Harris-Walz might be the most ‘Yes In My Backyard’ ticket in the US ever. In response, people are organizing.
YIMBYs for Harris is a group organizing a call on August 28th to “celebrate the pro-housing record of the Harris-Walz ticket, raise money, and recruit volunteers for the campaign…” (Sign-up link here)
Train Lovers for Harriz/Walz is another group organizing a call on August 15th “for train lovers, bikers, walkers, rollers, riders, workers, etc. to support the Harris/Walz campaign!” (Sign-up link here)
States across the US are following suit as bipartisan efforts in California, Colorado, Montana, Massachusetts, and more are adopting similar laws to Minnesota that alleviate housing prices.
Even the State of New Mexico has gotten into the zoning reform action, albeit so far in a small way. During the 2024 legislative session, the New Mexican Legislature and Governor signed into law the Housing Development Fund - a revolving loan fund housed at the New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) that aims to finance affordable housing projects across the state. NMFA’s new policies for the program note the prioritization of projects in cities that undergo zoning reforms. Still, it’s unclear whether NMFA’s below-market interest rates will induce enough zoning reform to make a large dent in the 32,000-unit housing shortage New Mexico has. Either way, one loan fund can’t completely fix New Mexico’s housing crisis. But it appears this is just the beginning for New Mexico’s Governor, Michelle Lujan-Grisham.
Also during the 2024 legislative session, the NM legislature followed Lujan-Grisham’s desires and created the state’s first Office for Housing. According to a press release from the Governor’s office, the new housing office “aims to improve housing availability and affordability across the state, and… is now accepting applications for the team that will tackle these issues, including the position of Director of Statewide Homelessness Initiatives.”
The new housing office hasn’t given explicit examples of deregulating policies they might fight for, but the office’s job postings mention efforts to “[close] the 30,000+ unit statewide housing deficit,” and “[lower] regulatory barriers to creating new housing…” If you’re interested and qualified, apply to work for the Office for Housing team here and here.
Now, while Strong Towns-esque policy reforms are becoming more popular at state and federal levels, many local-level efforts to legalize housing still fall short. Albuquerque, for example, recently considered a very minor zoning change that would have legalized building duplexes in key transportation corridors and city centers around the city but was turned down by the City Council. In response, I wouldn’t be surprised if local housing advocates, like Strong Towns ABQ, turn to State-level leaders to help increase the housing stock in New Mexico - as Tim Walz and Minnesota did.
Thanks for the great article that was full of good information that made me hopeful!