YIMBY Country

Somewhere along the journey from inspiration to legislation, a good idea needs to be carried along by people like Chris Parker. Parker's work is to map the big abstract facts of his field, economics, across the rocky landscape of politics.First at the Auckland Council and then for New Zealand's central government, Parker was a key figure in moving his country to the leading edge of housing policy. We talked about why economics seems to be on so many New Zealanders' minds, why housing developers should have to pay for their own pipes, and what Americans should remember to be proud of.

New Zealand's former minister for housing and resource management is a very specific and important sort of legislator: the kind whose power and influence revolve around the fact that he's a bit of a nerd.During the 2010s, MP Phil Twyford used any means necessary to build a fresh understanding of the housing crisis that was tearing through the lives of his constituents. His conclusions spread to both his political friends and foes, leading his country to do something none ever had - even as he was driven from his ministry and his party from power.We spoke about how that all went down, the oddly durable new politics it unlocked, and the dilemma of getting credit for big ideas.Discussed in the show:"Up-Zoning New Zealand: The localisation of a globally mobile policy idea" by Eleanor Westthe "leaky homes crisis" of poorly built homes in New Zealand from 1988-2004KiwiBuild, the NZ Labour Party's failed attempt to build 100,000 publicly subsidized homes by 2028

After seven years as a professional YIMBY, I wanted to know: What happens after you win? So I decided to go to the other side of the world and ask.