Recent real estate development projects have hit a little too close to home for some Aucklanders. Rather, the projects are often touted as being a nuisance or even going against the wishes or culture of the neighbourhood, or in their “backyard” – a saying that eludes to the idea that these new residential projects are being built so densely in certain neighbourhoods that their negative impact far outweighs the positive.

This more visible, opposing group has been coined NIMBYs, or Not In My Backyard. The group that supports these developments, as well as the inclusion of many more, are referred to as YIMBYs, or Yes In My Backyard.

The San Francisco-based group, which is headed by Laura Foote Clark, leads a campaign which targets cities that don’t approve of building projects. YIMBYs takes aim at single-family homeowners in dense urban neighbourhoods, as single-family homes in many densely populated cities are often seen as insufficient uses of space.

Why YIMBYS Say Yes

In line with the current developmental phases, YIMBYs advocate for the results of these new housing projects going up in Aucklanders’ “backyards.”

From their point of view, the New Zealand market, specifically Auckland, clearly wants density as well as a greater, more sophisticated choice in housing. YIMBY groups want a reduced need for cars as a primary method of transportation around the city as well as for dense infill housing to be built close to transportation networks.

In most urban centres, these very factors determine the demand and desirability of an area while also meeting the needs of the greater population to not only have quality housing, but also housing that is located where people live and work.