We probably shouldn't have spent the last 30+ years preventing any apartments from being built in the most desirable parts of Sydney

Two years ago we were photographed by the AFR in front of these really pedestrian homes in a heritage conservation area in Roseville. They subsequently got upzoned in Ku-ring-gai’s masterplan… and now there’s a DA for 130 homes at 9 storeys on this site.

Please never let Mosman Council stop finding new ways to argue against housing

Rents fell in Austin when they built more homes. Good things are possible when you do planning reform 🏗️

Building more homes works

Perhaps instead of claiming that student housing is crowding out apartments, Randwick council might consider zoning additional capacity in Kensington and Kingsford? They have the ability to do that www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Parliamentary inquiry into community consultation practices finds that local government ‘opt-in’ consultation is biased against renters and the young →

A massive victory in the war against upper-level setbacks! The Mid-Rise Code offers greater housing certainty for Melburnians. It also winds back one of the most damaging and poorly evidenced planning controls: upper-level setbacks.

WATCH/LISTEN: This is an EXCEPTIONALLY good break-down (and highly entertaining conversation) of the history and insanity of the attacks on the “15-Minute City,” aka the simple idea of HAVING MORE THINGS NEARBY. By @iandunt.bsky.social & @dorianlynskey.bsky.social of @originstorypodcast.bsky.social.

Last call for tickets to see Alain Bertaud and Lucy Turnbull talk about cities and what they are for. It’s on Monday, but we’re currently tracking to sell out sometime tomorrow: events.humanitix.com/order-withou...

Last week, our lead organiser, Jonathan O'Brien, was on A Current Affair. He argued that we should not empower a loud minority to block new homes being built where people want to live.

PRESS RELEASE → Whilst YIMBY Melbourne applauds the Coalition’s more positive housing vision, their plans leave too much to be desired.

Last night Willoughby council decided to lock up more housing under heritage protection within 800m of a train and metro station. Decisions like that across Sydney and Australia lead directly to the reality outlined in the SMH this morning. www.smh.com.au/property/new...

Last week Sydney YIMBY was at Willoughby council speaking against a proposed new heritage conservation area. This week, Mayor Tanya Taylor has moved a motion to look at how we can make it easier to develop in heritage conservation areas. This passed after 45 mins of debate. A positive step!

Just over a week til our biggest event yet: Order Without Design with Alain Bertaud and Lucy Turnbull. Come see the former principal planner at the World Bank and former mayor of Sydney discuss how we can make our city better. 🎟️ just $20, bookings essential. events.humanitix.com/order-withou...

Amazing that people move to the CBD then complain about noise. State government should tell these people to get lost, instead they’re scrapping plans for a 24 hour cultural venue at Barangaroo.

The final draft plans for Melbourne’s Activity Centre Program show a promising vision for housing where people want to live. But YIMBY Melbourne warns that restrictive minimum lot size rules could leave new homes on the drawing board.

This is what winning looks like.

Cities are the vital engines of the Australian economy, and how we build them matters. This is a vital evening for those passionate about solving the housing crisis, and building more affordable, liveable, and sustainable Australian cities. events.humanitix.com/order-withou...

Cities are the vital engines of the Australian economy, and how we build them matters. This is a vital evening for those passionate about solving the housing crisis, and building more affordable, liveable, and sustainable Australian cities. events.humanitix.com/order-withou...

We do not build enough homes where people want to live. Why? Because our urban planning systems make it impossible. We need our planning system to say 'yes', not 'no'.

1300 homes next to Concord West station are up for consultation. Make a submission in favour by Monday: www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projec...

Commonwealth policy leaves young Australians locked out of community housing. The "youth housing penalty" is one of the factors behind the low rate of social housing tenancies being offered to young people, currently less than 3%. 👇

15 homes in Merri-bek turns into 3. This is how urban planning created the housing crisis.

Planning in NSW just got a bit better. What have they changed? Read here: www.sydney.yimby.au/blog/plannin...

Lovely message in our inbox this morning 😊 One of the foundational NIMBY beliefs is that renters aren't worthy of having a say about their communities.

Final showdown over 30,000 homes in the inner west is happening from 5:30pm on Tuesday. We need you there! RSVP: thq.fyi/se/YnyOcR0

Sign our petition to increase Mosman’s housing target to 5000 homes over 5 years, so they pull their weight on fixing the housing crisis. supporthousingcode.good.do/mosman/target/

Drinks are back this Wednesday 6pm at the Aurora Rooftop Hotel. Come chat urbanism and housing with us. RSVP: membership.sydney.yimby.au/public/sched...

ABC Compass followed around the @sydney.yimby.au team for a week and turned it into a whole episode and I love it so much, you should watch it feat. @pleasedontatme.bsky.social, @erinrileyau.bsky.social and friends youtu.be/TS5HuijPvho

Inner West Council wants to build 30,000 homes and we need *your* help to make it happen. Have your say in less than 2 minutes at yimby.au/innerwest, and show us what you sent in the replies below.

Did you know there's an abandoned half-built station in the eastern suburbs? @sydney.yimby.au have launched a petition to have Woollarah Station finally built. The population in that area has been going backwards so it's a great opportunity for more TOD. supporthousingcode.good.do/station/wool...

We’ve got two big events on for Activism April, and if you come along to both we’ll give you a free t-shirt! - Activism training - Biggest Inner West Council meeting in years to upzone for thousands of units in Marrickville, Ashfield & Dulwich Hill. RSVP: membership.sydney.yimby.au/public/sched...

Have your say on 2500 new homes in Parramatta North: www.sydney.yimby.au/blog/parrama... This area has been stuck in planning limbo for a decade while heritage advocates keep delaying - this time they want to ‘press pause’ until 2029. We need housing now!

Pertinent to Sydney too!

This from the latest E61 report is a key reason why we should be making room in our biggest cities instead of chasing decentralisation which makes everyone poorer. Agglomeration effects are real and can’t be wished away by policy. e61.in/cities-foste...

@sydney.yimby.au @cityofsydney.bsky.social has put up for consultation their entertainment zones policy, which aims to relax rules around the night time economy. Not housing related but NIMBYs will be out in force and need to be countered! Takes 5 mins www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/policy-plann...

Day 2 of our asks for reforming the Planning Act, this time focused on DCPs: - Abolish council DCPs, have one state-wide one - Abolish parking minimums - Abolish upper level setbacks below 10 storeys - Define permitted envelope for each site, no refusing designs in that envelope.

This week we’ll be outlining our wishlist for the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act review. Today, zones and controls: 1. Remove height limits/FSR entirely in CBD, North Sydney, Parramatta and Bondi Junction. 2. Sites can only have one of a height or FSR limit.

This 22 storey development in Crows Nest has now been approved. Thanks to everyone who wrote in favour!

1. Developer files a DA to build some units. 2. City of Sydney says they’re too tall, ‘uncharacteristic’. 3. Developer reduces number of units, reaches agreement with City of Sydney. 4. Land and Environment Court rejects application because there’s not enough units. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

We should interrogate this assumption.

18mths ago people said we were lying about not being able to put solar panels on homes in Inner West heritage conservation areas. Latest Grand Designs shows reno to make an off-grid sustainable home and guess which Council tells them they can’t put solar panels on? m.youtube.com/watch?v=YboU...

65 pages of reports to change the use of a rooftop Barangaroo premises from a licensed restaurant to a bar, for the same opening hours. Who benefits from this stuff, other than the consultants?

We’re going to fall well short of our housing accord target and DPHI is responding by watering down their reforms to the consistency of skim milk. People are sleeping in their cars and they’re handwringing over whether four storey apartments are “discordant” with $3m terraces adjacent to the CBD.

North Sydney Council says apartment building should be shorter and less affordable.