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Are there any online tools that YIMBYs can use to see and alert when a new development is planned for their neighborhood? I'd love to know when I need to go the

Are there any online tools that YIMBYs can use to see and alert when a new development is planned for their neighborhood? I'd love to know when I need to go the local council and tell them to just build some damn housing.

Top19 9y ago
+1 for this
mynameishere 9y ago
So you want the 49 unit building full of mentally ill, momentarily-homefull homeless people living next to you? If you're serious that's great, but it seems like maybe you haven't thought about it too much. On another note, I'm curious about the ease with which the taxpayers were convinced to blow money on said project. "Free cash for bums? Sign me up!" Was the proposal written in a way that made it seem like they'd be doing the opposite of what was intended? That's really, really common for particularly insane referenda.
deepsun 9y ago
You should get those notifications by regular mail, they must notify the neighborhood. At least I keep receiving all those mails.
unionstrong 9y ago
Get involved. Go to meetings. Talk to people. This isn't a technology problem so much as an involvement problem. RSS feeds of some of these things already exist too. But first and foremost, talk to people.
- davidw 9y ago
  Yes, but, it's also a tech problem. For instance, here in Bend, I like to comment favorably on proposed developments, but it's hard to catch the open comment period. I've talked with city staff about the issue, and eventually they'll switch to another platform that allows it, but for now, it's a matter of looking at the site every now and then.
apike 9y ago
Local YIMBY groups often send notices like this out. For example, in Vancouver, the Abundant Housing Vancouver group has a mailing list and Twitter feed for proposed housing developments worth supporting. Supporters of housing can then be the "yes" voice that city councils rarely hear on these projects.
pfarnsworth 9y ago
It's not housing that's the issue. It's mental health. Most homeless people are suffering from mental health so giving them a place to stay won't solve anything.
- cbhl 9y ago
  I've spent a few nights in the psych ward at Zuckerberg General. There were quite a few homeless people. There were people that faked being crazy to get a bed and a hot meal, and the psychiatrist had to kick them back out onto the street. Mental health services are ineffective if a person's basic needs aren't met. Giving homeless people a home is far from enough, but you can't expect a homeless person to get better if they are stuck out on the streets.
  - cal5k 9y ago
    In Toronto many people who were formerly institutionalized are now living on the streets. I walk through an area with a high concentration of shelters on a daily basis, and I can tell you that most of these people suffer from some kind of mental health disorder ranging from mild to severe. It's certainly not helped by addiction, but I can't help but feel like homeless shelters or the streets are not the right place for these people. Nor could most of them be expected to look after their own needs if they were given enough money - we already have a reasonably generous welfare system in Canada.
- oblib 9y ago
  That's not entirely true. There are a lot of working homeless living in cars, nightly and weekly rental motels, tents, staying with family, friends, etc.
  - prostoalex 9y ago
    Those ones are actually quite rare in LA. People who are down on luck have access to shelters, church outreach efforts and government assistance. They also have access to a fairly large job market and a public transportation system that's pretty reasonable for the US, so being rational people they are generally off the street pretty quickly.

Top19 9y ago

+1 for this

mynameishere 9y ago

So you want the 49 unit building full of mentally ill, momentarily-homefull homeless people living next to you? If you're serious that's great, but it seems like maybe you haven't thought about it too much. On another note, I'm curious about the ease with which the taxpayers were convinced to blow money on said project. "Free cash for bums? Sign me up!" Was the proposal written in a way that made it seem like they'd be doing the opposite of what was intended? That's really, really common for particularly insane referenda.

deepsun 9y ago

You should get those notifications by regular mail, they must notify the neighborhood. At least I keep receiving all those mails.

unionstrong 9y ago

Get involved. Go to meetings. Talk to people. This isn't a technology problem so much as an involvement problem. RSS feeds of some of these things already exist too. But first and foremost, talk to people.

davidw 9y ago
Yes, but, it's also a tech problem. For instance, here in Bend, I like to comment favorably on proposed developments, but it's hard to catch the open comment period. I've talked with city staff about the issue, and eventually they'll switch to another platform that allows it, but for now, it's a matter of looking at the site every now and then.

apike 9y ago

Local YIMBY groups often send notices like this out. For example, in Vancouver, the Abundant Housing Vancouver group has a mailing list and Twitter feed for proposed housing developments worth supporting. Supporters of housing can then be the "yes" voice that city councils rarely hear on these projects.

pfarnsworth 9y ago

It's not housing that's the issue. It's mental health. Most homeless people are suffering from mental health so giving them a place to stay won't solve anything.

cbhl 9y ago
I've spent a few nights in the psych ward at Zuckerberg General. There were quite a few homeless people. There were people that faked being crazy to get a bed and a hot meal, and the psychiatrist had to kick them back out onto the street. Mental health services are ineffective if a person's basic needs aren't met. Giving homeless people a home is far from enough, but you can't expect a homeless person to get better if they are stuck out on the streets.
- cal5k 9y ago
  In Toronto many people who were formerly institutionalized are now living on the streets. I walk through an area with a high concentration of shelters on a daily basis, and I can tell you that most of these people suffer from some kind of mental health disorder ranging from mild to severe. It's certainly not helped by addiction, but I can't help but feel like homeless shelters or the streets are not the right place for these people. Nor could most of them be expected to look after their own needs if they were given enough money - we already have a reasonably generous welfare system in Canada.
oblib 9y ago
That's not entirely true. There are a lot of working homeless living in cars, nightly and weekly rental motels, tents, staying with family, friends, etc.
- prostoalex 9y ago
  Those ones are actually quite rare in LA. People who are down on luck have access to shelters, church outreach efforts and government assistance. They also have access to a fairly large job market and a public transportation system that's pretty reasonable for the US, so being rational people they are generally off the street pretty quickly.