Editor’s note: The YIMBYtown 2020 conference has been postponed due to precautionary measures instated to protect Oregonians—and everyone—from COVID-19 exposure. Stay tuned for updates about rescheduling and interim programming online.
Sightline Institute’s mission is to make the Northwest a global model of sustainability—strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. As we’ve grown our housing and urbanism program, it has become increasingly clear that housing policy is, in fact, climate policy—and climate justice policy. Housing and climate movements can work together to achieve more equitable, energy-efficient, climate-resilient cities.
In that spirit, Sightline and Portland: Neighbors Welcome are excited to host YIMBYtown 2020: Fair and Sustainable Cities, April 2-4, in downtown Portland. The YIMBYtown conference is a national convening of the pro-housing, “yes in my backyard” movement. This will be the fourth North American gathering for community leaders, organizers, planners, policymakers, educators, housing providers, and anyone eager to share resources and strategies for building more affordable, sustainable, and equitable communities.
YIMBYtown 2020 will focus on the intersections of affordability policy, community stability, and climate change. We’ll explore solutions that help cities address homelessness, decrease segregation, and expand access to areas of opportunity while reducing traffic and sprawl. We’ll also spotlight and build on recent abundant housing wins, bringing successful housing campaign leaders to share policies, tactics, and lessons learned for local and statewide action.
We invite you to join Sightline’s housing team along with a roster of urbanist thinkers and trailblazers. Among a growing list:
- Jenny Schuetz, a Fellow in the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program and an expert in urban economics and housing policy.
- Maya Rosas, the President and co-founder of the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County, the first YIMBY Democratic club in the nation.
- Payton Chung, a housing developer and author who has written for the Urban Land Institute, Greater Greater Washington, the American Institute of Architects, and Streetsblog USA.
- Conor Dougherty, an economics reporter at the New York Times and the author of the book Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America.
- Alex Baca, Housing Program Organizer at GGWash and writer and commentator for CityLab, Slate, and Vox, among other publications.
Find program updates on the conference website and YIMBYtown’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. Click the button below to register.
We are offering Sightline readers a discounted rate through Friday, January 31. Just enter the promo code “SightlineYIMBY” when prompted to receive $50 off tickets.
YIMBYtown also has a scholarship program to make this conference accessible to all who wish to attend. Please share our scholarship application with your networks.
We look forward to seeing you in Portland this spring.
