Update: The deadline to apply for the 2023 YIMBYtown conference has been extended one week –
please get your applications in by Thursday, March 2nd.
The YIMBYtown 2023 Site Selection Committee is pleased to officially publish our Request for Proposals to host the next YIMBYtown conference.

Click HERE for YIMBYtown RFP

Click HERE for YIMBYtown Application Submission Form

About the Conference

Previously convened in Boulder (2016), Oakland (2017), Boston (2018) and Portland (2022), YIMBYtown is the national gathering of leaders involved in the pro-housing, “yes in my backyard” movement. It’s a conference for grassroots community organizers, political leaders, educators, housing providers, and activists to identify obstacles and create solutions and to share resources and strategies to tackle exclusionary zoning and pass reforms for abundant housing as initiatives to tackle America’s overlapping problems with homelessness, housing affordability, climate change, and racial inequality. YIMBYtown offers inspiration, tools, and a network for those working to advance abundant, affordable housing and sustainable development in cities across the United States, Canada, and beyond.

YIMBYtown values inclusivity, in all regards. Organizers of his conference have historically prioritized cultivating an inclusive ethos into the event, designing an event that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or ability. YIMBYtown prides itself on deliberately celebrating a diversity of approaches, opinions, and pedagogical backgrounds and bringing people together to collaborate for a future with more housing.

After the fourth iteration of the conference was completed, organizers from previous YIMBYtown conferences convened and created a new YIMBYtown Site Selection Committee to ensure a more thorough, deliberate and robust process for choosing host cities. This Committee, including elected officials and representatives from pro-housing organizations across the country, is now soliciting applications for the next host.

Selection Process

RFPs will be submitted by interested hosting organizations to the YIMBYtown Selection Committee, which will evaluate all the submissions and decide who will host YIMBYtown 2023.

Potential hosts are reviewed based on:

Host organization’s capacity (leadership commitment + time; demonstrable history of rallying volunteers;, fundraising capacity)
Host organization’s intentions with the conference (did this organization recently pass a major victory they want to share? Is there a clear pathway forward for this conference to be a major organizing opportunity for localized growth?)
Location relative to past conferences
Conference attendee cost index; relative price of flights and hotels
Relationships with other local advocates in related housing, racial justice, transportation, climate, public health fields (Is the organization capable of engaging and inviting a variety of local speakers across disciplines to share with the rest of us visiting? Does this organization have a demonstrable track record of collaboration with a “big tent” vision of abundant housing)
Great urbanism and/or interesting urbanism issues

Responsibilities of YIMBYtown Host Organization

The following is a representative but inherently incomplete list of responsibilities associated with undertaking hosting the conference, based on conversations with previous organizers.

Big picture logistical planning for a two-and-a-half day conference with approximately 300 total attendees, volunteers, and speakers
- Securing venue(s), food, hotel blocks, A/V assistance/equipment, for starters
- Managing the logistical aspects of ticket sales
- Writing, preparing, printing and delivering conference materials and swag
Communications
- Conference organizers will be expected to manage the existing YIMBYtown website, e-newsletter, and social media, both in the lead-up to the conference but during the event itself
- Managing relationships with local media, and working with national partners on engaging with national media.
- Graphic Design
Conference Programming Responsibilities:
- Conference organizers in 2016, 2017 and 2018 issued a call for proposals for potential speaker topics; organizers in 2022 lined up all of the programming independently. With the emergence of the Site Selection Committee to provide assistance in procuring speakers, we expect future conferences to rely both on national partners and local connections.
- Confirming all keynote speakers. This also entails prioritizing diversity of speakers, perspectives, geography, and balancing objectives of different groups across the country, as well as enlisting previous hosts/existing national partners for assistance in recruitment.
- Coordinating panel topics & confirming all speakers
- Planning after hours activities (happy hours, workshops, etc.)
- Coordinating potential potential tours
- Introducing national folks to the local rabblerousers, and vice versa (with particular encouragement for local hosts to use opportunity for base building and new partnership cultivation)
Supplemental fundraising, in addition to existing identified philanthropic funds. The host organization will need to collaborate with national partners and take a leadership role on prospecting and managing asks to potential local donors

Proposal Deadline

The deadline for submission of bids to host the Annual YIMBYtown Conference is 11:59pm Pacific, ~~February 23, 2023~~ March 2nd, 2023.

Decision Date

The organization chosen to host the annual conference will be notified by the YIMBYtown Selection Committee in March.

Additional Information

Questions and requests for additional information should be sent to [email protected].

Prior YIMBYtowns

2016: Boulder, CO – Better Boulder
2017: Oakland, CA – East Bay for Everyone
2018: Boston, MA – Abundant Housing Massachusetts
2022: Portland, OR – Sightline Institute, Portland: Neighbors Welcome