What Willett describes as "democratic input on development" is not really democratic at all: every study of who participates in public comment about new housing finds that older people, white people, homeowners, and project opponents are over-represented. - ThreadSky

maxdubler.com • 8 days ago

What Willett describes as "democratic input on development" is not really democratic at all: every study of who participates in public comment about new housing finds that older people, white people, homeowners, and project opponents are over-represented.

Comments

mapwitch.bsky.social•8 days ago

When I was getting my MCP, everyone immediately understood that planning community meetings privilege certain classes of people. This is not hard!!

nilo.bsky.social•8 days ago

Requiring people to attend public meetings instead of going to the movies is anti-democratic.

kto1243.bsky.social•8 days ago

It wasn’t even well meaning at it’s inception. It was always about enforcing segregation.

cnbecker14.bsky.social•8 days ago

Also, FWIW, I have a working paper where one of the key results is that even today, when no one will admit it, a substantial portion of white people are explicitly motivated by trying to stop non-White people moving into their neighborhoods

vaguepariah.bsky.social•8 days ago

I mean, it's pretty obvious for those of us who have attended more than one council meeting on housing.

vaguepariah.bsky.social•8 days ago

Would love to see the paper btw

futur.blue•8 days ago

seconding the interest!

cnbecker14.bsky.social•8 days ago

I'm presenting it at WPSA this week, so in the event that no one notices anything egregiously wrong with it that I've missed...I'm happy to share afterwards if people remind me

tstaub.bsky.social•7 days ago

📌
For a reminder for me

vaguepariah.bsky.social•8 days ago

Sweet

jeremiah77002.bsky.social•8 days ago

Yes. Ezra Klein is for rationalizing our currently dysfunctional permitting process. We need a way to balance equities that prioritizes building a sufficient quantify of affordable housing. We need to front load the review process so that projects once started can complete on time.

obsoletevernacular.bsky.social•8 days ago

And there's so little predictability in the process that mostly big developers can take these projects on. I don't get how people don't see that

fischer.bsky.social•8 days ago

don’t think there’s any area of policy where public micromanagement of individual projects gets good outcomes, that’s a terrible general principle

nilo.bsky.social•8 days ago

I think it’s crucial to highlight even the most successful state lead housing sectors are dominated by limited public engagement processes. Stockholm’s massive public housing push didn’t have people talked to in small groups about every coloring choice on every home.

crzwdjk.bsky.social•8 days ago

And let's not even mention how building codes are basically written by an industry consortium.

quasirealism.bsky.social•8 days ago

It's wild to think this ultimately is the result of someone clowning on a tweet she made years ago.

obsoletevernacular.bsky.social•8 days ago

I don't think it's democratic for me to be able to go to a meeting and tell someone else what they can do with land they bought because I don't want to share publicly funded resources.

I'm all for environmental regs, but think we need a clear zoning process to remove risk and NIMBY power

maxdubler.com•8 days ago

The relevant studies on public comment are discussed and linked here: https://cayimby.org/blog/stacking-the-deck-how-public-comment-entrenches-bad-housing-policy/

nadeaushow.bsky.social•8 days ago

The link to the study on this page seems to be broken, FYI

maxdubler.com•8 days ago

I am a professional YIMBY. My colleagues are not anarcho-capitalists.

Rather, we are policy nerds who want make it easy to build dignified, affordable, climate-safe, family-friendly housing by implementing better regulations that replace the heckler's veto with the rule of law.

mocomikee.bsky.social•8 days ago

So much of NIMBYism is just comfortable, scared people with a fetish for feeling oppressed. They are so awash in privilege they can’t conceive of themselves as anything but a victim when that privilege is challenged and it’s exhausting.

alainapitt.bsky.social•8 days ago

Why is anyone interviewing her about housing policy or any policy?

mocomikee.bsky.social•8 days ago

Good question, outrage without self reflection still works I guess

vaguepariah.bsky.social•8 days ago

But have you considered that Willett only considers white homeowners to be people?

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