Is Local Control Good or Bad?

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Going after wealthy areas when they try to exclude affordable housing is one thing that YIMBYs and housing justice activists of all stripes actively agree upon. Even here, however, there’s a wide difference in style and approach, and some of the differences bring up startlingly fundamental questions about participatory democracy and power dynamics. In fact, different reactions to the idea of “local control” may be one of the biggest differences between YIMBYs and equity advocates. CaRLA, a legal nonprofit started by YIMBY leader Sonja Trauss, sees itself as a counterweight to NIMBY objections, especially when it’s not politic for developers to sue the towns they want to continue working in. The group is intended to be the implementation of YIMBY groups trying to walk their talk about focusing on wealthier outlying communities. California’s Housing Accountability Act (HAA), passed in 1982, is considered an “anti-NIMBY law.” It prohibits municipalities from turning down housing projects

A Daly City-bound BART train west of Dublin/Pleasanton station. Photo via wikimedia Going after wealthy areas when they try to exclude affordable housing is one thing that YIMBYs and housing justice activists of all stripes actively agree upon. Even here, however, there’s a wide difference in style and approach, and some of the differences bring up startlingly fundamental questions about participatory democracy and power dynamics. In fact, different reactions to the idea of “local control” may be one of the biggest differences between YIMBYs and equity advocates. Attacking obstructionism CaRLA

Is Local Control Good or Bad?

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