About
YIMBYtown is the biggest national pro-homes conference in the country and we’re thrilled it is coming back to New England, just in time for the beautiful fall weather.
Get ready for 3 days of exciting speakers, thought-provoking panels, hot takes, fun local tours & activities around New Haven, and — of course — some great apizza!
This convening will feature grassroots advocates and organizers, academics, public officials, and other thought leaders who are at the forefront of pro-homes advocacy across the country (and world). Join with hundreds of other individuals advocating for more affordable and abundant housing in their communities for networking and shared learning. Participants will have the opportunity to hear directly from the advocates behind the country’s biggest pro-homes policy wins, share lessons learned from policy campaigns and implementation, discuss organizing and communications best practices, and explore issues that closely intersect with pro-homes advocacy, including racial justice, transit, and climate.
About Your Host

DesegregateCT is a pro-homes coalition of 80 nonprofit and neighborhood groups founded in 2020 dedicated to creating a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable Connecticut through researching, educating, and advocating for land use reforms. We take an “All of the Above” approach to solving the housing shortage and climate crisis, meaning: build all types of homes, work at all levels of government, and connect all related issues and stakeholders. We are a program of the Regional Plan Association, a 100-year-old research, planning, and advocacy organization serving the NY-NJ-CT tri-state region and are also a proud founding member of the Welcoming Neighbors Network, a bi-partisan national group of state and local advocacy groups promoting land use reforms.
2025 Advisory Committee
We’re excited to have a dynamic advisory committee that is leading planning efforts for our 2025 conference. This committee includes grassroots housing advocates and organizers, city officials, non-profit leaders, and other individuals from New Haven and beyond. It is committed to creating an event that is relevant, exciting, and inclusive.
(Host) Pete Harrison CT Director, Regional Plan Association
(Host) Nick Kantor Program Director, DesegregateCT
Aaron Brown Portland Neigbhors Welcome ( Previous YT host)
Aicha Woods Yale – Urban Programs Manager, School of Environment (and former New Haven City Plan Director)
Alexandra Daum Yale – Associate VP of New Haven Affairs and University Properties
Anika Lemar Singh Yale – Clinical Professor of Law at Yale Law School
Caroline Tanbee Smith New Haven Board of Alders
Charlie Gardner Mercatus Center
Chelsea Ross Partnership for Strong Communities
Dan Reed Greater Greater Washington
Darrell Brooks Buelah Land Development
David Kooris Municipal Redevelopment Authority
Denzel Burnside Wakeup Wake County
Doug Hausladen Park New Haven
Dustin Nord CT Business and Industry Association Foundation
Jim Perras Home Builders & Remodelers Association of CT
John Guszkowski Tyche Plannng & Policy Group
Jay Crossley Farm and City (Previous YT host)
Jesse Kanson-Benanav Abundant Housing MA (previous YT host)
Jon Cabral Connecticut Project
Johnny Shively Elm Cities Communities
Julia Beebe Welcoming Neighbors Network
Karen DuBois-Walton Community Foundation of Greater New Haven
Mary Donegan UCONN – Geography, Sustainability, Community and Urban Studies
Melissa Kaplan-Macey Housing Collective
Ratnika Prasad Abundant Housing Illinois
Sam Gardner Wies & Garnder Architects
Walter Glomb Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities