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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 10d

Happening in half an hour- until 6pm!- Waterloo Region Climate Fest at Gaukel Block!
Perfect timing to reshare this:
“Households in denser neighborhoods close to city centers tend to be responsible for fewer planet-warming greenhouse gases, on average” 1/2
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 12d

Whenever people talk about "luxury housing," I remember there are literal mansions in Hartford, CT that are now selling for less than it costs to buy a starter home in Silicon Valley. If we judge luxury by market value, there is no housing that is intrinsically, permanently "luxury housing."

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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 11d

Interested in learning more about ending exclusionary zoning and scaling up non-market housing? Worth registering for the recording later even if you can't make it noon PT, 3 EST on October 1:

BC Policy Solutions @bcpolicy.bsky.social · 15d

Our 2nd fall webinar, The Housing Crisis Is Solvable, features @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and Sarah Ellis on where urgent action is needed with lessons from on-the-ground efforts to create new non-profit housing.

Learn why recent policy has fallen short.

Oct. 1, noon PT
bcpolicy.ca/events

The Policy Sleight of Hand Behind “Growth Should Pay for Growth”

Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Mike Doherty 🇨🇦 🏳️‍🌈 @mikedoherty.ca · 11d

"Growth should pay for growth" is a political choice to socialize the benefits of immigration while privatizing its infrastructure costs onto younger cohorts, insulating established homeowners and corporations from financial responsibility

open.substack.com/pub/missingm...

Houses don't use libraries, people do

open.substack.com

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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 11d

@jensvb.bsky.social; @tomdavidoff.bsky.social; @lausterna.bsky.social and Tsur Somerville
find that expediting permitting processes and reduced parking mandates were crucial components determining the success of BC upzonings:

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · Aug 24

Interesting new paper compares density upzonings in two similar BC cities that had dramatically different effects in terms of construction & value uplift.

Keys to the difference? Effects were only felt when upzoning was accompanied with expedited permitting processes & reduced parking requirements.

Upzoning and redevelopment: The details matter

Facing worsening housing affordability, policymakers in a growing number of jurisdictions have heeded economists’ calls for increases in supply throug…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 13d

Limiting housing supply below demand makes a neighbourhood/city more exclusive.

Who gets excluded? It’s not the people on top of the income spectrum. They can live where they want.

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Melissa Bowman @dtkmelissa.bsky.social · 15d

Exactly this.
"It doesn’t matter if there’s room for people to live; if there’s no space for cars, people don’t get to move in. We don’t ask, “Is this a good place for someone to live?” We ask, “Where will the cars go?” -Philip Mills www.therecord.com/opinion/cont...

Who are homes for?

Waterloo Region faces a housing crisis as prices have far surpassed incomes, making homeownership unattainable for many despite hard work and saving. Philip Mills says the old idea that hard work alon...

www.therecord.com

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Melissa Bowman @dtkmelissa.bsky.social · 15d

Residents complaining that nobody wants to live in characterless glass boxes in the sky while also actively working to make those homes less livable is really something. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...

Text: An offer from the applicant to prohibit balconies on the back of the building (facing the residential neighbourhood) and to limit windows to 15 per cent of the total rear façade as a means of addressing some of the privacy concerns was accepted by the tribunal and included in the new zoning bylaw amendment.

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Office of the Federal Housing Advocate @housinglogement.bsky.social · 15d

I understand that today's @cambridge.ca council meeting will be debating a motion to study the impact of evictions of encampments during extreme weather events. This is the type of study that will help council make informed decisions to protect people and uphold their fundamental #HumanRights. –MJH

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Office of the Federal Housing Advocate @housinglogement.bsky.social · 15d

Yesterday, I visited #Cambridge and #Kitchener, Ontario. I heard about the challenges experienced by people living in #encampments and organizations that support them.

The Federal Housing Advocate meeting with advocates, service providers, and encampment residents

A community whiteboard with a drawing that says "Housing is a human right!"

Photo of the 100 Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Carolyn Whitzman @cwhitzman.bsky.social · 23d

The approach - govt land for nonmarket hsg, definition of affordability, designated funds to address homelessness thru supportive hsg, including acquisition of apts, supporting construction innovation - is right. Now we need targets, timelines, action. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

Carney allots $13-billion to build affordable housing under Build Canada Homes

Ana Bailão, a former Toronto city councillor and mayoral candidate, will lead Build Canada Homes

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Reposted by Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard

Brian M 🇺🇦 @bravado1.bsky.social · 19d

There’s something so deeply cynical about the neighbourhoods with “all are welcome here” and “#lovemyhood” signs being the most opposed to giving that gift of their neighbourhood to anyone else. (As was given to them by previous generations)

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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

So, if we successfully promote the principle that we should take a broader geographical lens to what people actually want- you get more market housing AND more social housing 3/3

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

both types of NIMBYism (market and non-market) are wrong for a shared key reason: NIMBYism is not even consistent and logically coherent across geographical boundaries 2/3

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

One reason that public housing advocates should oppose NIMBYism in principle - NIMBYism is particularly harsh (see below) for public housing and shelters + it's part of the same trend for market housing
(Hat tip to @russilwvong.bsky.social for sharing the graph below in his excellent newsletter) 1/3

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

NIMBYism in a nutshell: people support housing (and shelters) but not in THEIR neighbourhood (pg. 8 below):
web.uri.edu/harrington/w... 1/2

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

So every time we listen to local housing opponents we are ignoring the local housing opponents in other neighbourhoods that want more housing in *that* neighbourhood... 2/2

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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

NIMBYism in a nutshell: people support housing (and shelters) but not in THEIR neighbourhood (pg. 8 below):
web.uri.edu/harrington/w... 1/2

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Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

!!! Where?

Cambridge must lead with compassion

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

And Citizens for Cambridge cite Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle: “forced evictions and enforcement approaches do not address the underlying systemic issues and put people at risk of even greater harms.” 6/6 mailchi.mp/citizensforc...

mailchi.mp

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

@reganbrusse.bsky.social also witnessed displacement in Cambridge and reminds us that "the Federal Housing Advocate wrote to the City of Cambridge to express concern with .. the issuing of eviction notices during heat waves" 5/6 pub-cambridge.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

and they don't address the root of neighbour concerns either: "when people are displaced, 91% remain unsheltered and 79% stay in the same neighbourhood following a move along order" 4/6 pub-cambridge.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

Erin Dej explains why encampment evictions put people at risk: "Outreach workers and health care providers cannot find individuals who they previously supported...
cutting off access to medication and treatment plans, essentials such as bottled water, food, and warm socks" 3/6

Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard @wryimby.bsky.social · 19d

@lpin.bsky.social has the receipts that encampment evictions during extreme weather have indeed happened in Cambridge despite denials- ahead of the motion to discuss prevent such evictions on Tuesday... 2/6 pub-cambridge.escribemeetings.com/filestream.a...