News and announcements
Press releases and statements that get attention. The latest from YIMBY Melbourne’s news desk.
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.
Opposition housing plan a reversion to the 30 year status quo
Whilst YIMBY Melbourne applauds the Coalition’s more positive housing vision, their plans leave too much to be desired.
Final 23 Activity Centres most ambitious yet, but unnecessary constraints remain
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.
ANNOUNCEMENT → Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities — the Australian Tour
Join Alain Bertaud, former Principal Planner at the World Bank and author of Order without Design: how markets shape cities, for an insightful evening exploring how this intersection between policy and markets can be made to work on behalf of all Australians.
Submissions Guide - Central Coburg
Submission guide for Merri-bek Council's Central Coburg plan.
The Victorian planning system now says “yes” by default
The passage of the Planning Amendment Bill 2025 is the capstone atop three years of YIMBY Melbourne’s pro-housing advocacy.
Reducing parking mandates and standardising levies is a good step forward
Abolishing mandates and standardising levies will create a planning system geared to say "yes"
Jess Wilson has an opportunity to reset the Victorian Liberals on housing
The first Millennial party leader now has the opportunity to lead for the next generation of Victorians.
Planning Amendment Bill correctly implements “to increase housing supply” as core goal
The new Planning Amendment Bill is a step toward a system that says “yes” by default.
Draft Activity Centre plans continue to show real-world potential
The draft plans show promise in allowing more homes where people want to live
The Planning Institute of Australia proves our point: it's the system not the supply
We never said that there are too many planners. We said that the sector's productivity has collapsed.
YIMBY Melbourne secures major funding to accelerate movement for housing abundance
Open Philanthropy grant enables expansion with new staff and board to tackle Australia's housing crisis at scale.
Sydney’s Planning System Is Not a Model—It’s a Cautionary Tale
Restrictive FARs in Sydney are a big reason why its recent planning reforms will be less effective than Melbourne's equivalent. Rather than a guide, Sydney offers us a cautionary tale. We should think twice before we follow in their footsteps.
The Brick Book, 2025 (with the Abundant Housing Network Australia)
Politicians on all sides have failed to produce meaningful supply-side policies as part of their election platforms. The Abundant Housing Network of Australia has six.
94% of Australians support upzoning around train stations
The more that Australians learn about restrictive zoning, the more that they want to see outdated rules reformed.
YIMBY Melbourne welcomes Plan for Victoria—now it's time to build the housing Victorians need
There's a lot to like in this new Plan. Now it's time for state and local governments to move quickly, enabling and delivering the homes that people need.
Final Activity Centre Program is a hopeful vision of a marvellous Melbourne
YIMBY Melbourne welcomes the Government's ambition to undo decades of indifference and build the city Melburnians deserve.
Deemed-to-comply deemed compliant with pro-housing vision for planning
YIMBY Melbourne welcomes further codification of the planning system, reducing the burden of its byzantine structures, and saying yes by default.
Housing target enforcement welcomed—but the maths really matters
YIMBY Melbourne welcomes the willingness and ambition of the Victorian government to enforce targets—but housing capacity must be feasible capacity.
Housing reform scale back is a slap in the face for Melburnians who need homes
The Victorian government has capitulated to wealthy landowners to turn a reform from walkable to unworkable.
The Next 25: An open-data model for selecting Activity Centres
Modelling the additional 25 train stations that should be prioritised for inclusion in the Government’s centrepiece Activity Centre Program.
One year on, The Victorian Government has found Melbourne's Missing Middle
The policy reflects the overwhelming need and demand of Melburnians, as well as the overwhelming evidence—and the advocacy of YIMBY Melbourne.
Team Hakim & Team Wood poll strongly after Lord Mayoral Housing Town Hall
The two saw the strongest poll swings in their favour. Meanwhile, the post-event straw poll showed big swings against Reece, Koutoufides, and the Liberals.
YIMBY Melbourne declares war on upper-level setbacks, the planning rule that's ruining our city
Upper-level setbacks are the worst rule the Victorian planning system has to offer: with high costs that are completely unjustified, it represents a system lacking rigour, oversight, and accountability.
Activity Centres the first step to unlocking Melbourne's Missing Middle
With streamlined planning and Missing Middle density, the government's Activity Centres demonstrate ambition. But as we reform our city, we must ensure we avoid the inequitable planning practices of our conservative past.
Missing Middle Street Trees: Melbourne should plant 60 new street trees for every 100 new dwellings
A model for a greener, greater Melbourne. Enabling all future Melburnians access to robust street tree canopy, boosting amenity and fighting the urban heat island effect.
Housing targets aim high but need demand to back them up
The Victorian Government and YIMBY Melbourne both model 40,000 homes a year in Melbourne's inner LGAs—but the devil's in the distribution.
Take Action: Stonnington Housing Strategy
Stonnington is currently seeking feedback on its draft housing policy, and it is essential that a strong pro-housing voice is heard. As a resident of Stonnington, you can be that pro-housing voice.
Missing Middle Housing Targets for 40,000 new Melbourne homes every year
YIMBY Melbourne's new Housing Targets report lays out a demand-driven model with carrots and sticks to keep Councils accountable and ensure more new homes get built where people want to live.
Maroondah heritage half-win shows flaws in system
After the ABC reported yesterday on the spurious heritage listing of three homes, they were removed by Maroondah Council at the 11th hour. However, the final Overlay passed by Council eight properties whose owners objected remain listed in the final overlay passed by.
Royal Exhibition Building commentary misses the mark, demonstrates need for Melbourne City heritage reform
The Royal Exhibition Building is a great example of a genuine heritage building. But there is no evidence that surrounding buildings meaningfully impact the value of the structure.
Take Action: City of Melbourne Heritage Strategy
Do you work, live, or ever spend time in the City of Melbourne? The City of Melbourne needs to hear a strong pro-housing voice as part of their consultation process.
YIMBY Melbourne kicks off Urban Optimism talk series with 'Rethinking Parking'
The talk series aims to influence the state government's Plan Victoria reforms. The next event, titled 'Unbanning Beauty', will be held on March 13.
Suburban Rail Loop Precincts show a pathway to Melbourne's Missing Middle
The Government’s new high-density precinct plans are promising, but too far in the future for a crisis happening now.
Building Melbourne’s Missing Middle charts a course out of the housing crisis—and toward a better city
YIMBY Melbourne today released our first flagship report—Melbourne's Missing Middle—on necessary changes to Victoria’s planning and tax systems to build a more liveable, sustainable and affordable city for all.
Daniel Andrews calls for 'abundant' housing in key step toward building Melbourne's Missing Middle
The government now has an opportunity to expand activity centres for soft density everywhere.
Everyone agrees: increasing supply is key to fixing the housing crisis
Setting ambitious housing targets and providing incentives to meet them is the best way to ensure that Melbourne and all of Australia has enough homes where people want to live.
What is Melbourne's Missing Middle? The answer can be found in Paris
Enabling six-storeys mixed-use across Melbourne's inner-city is what's needed to earn the title of Australia's 'most liveable city'.
IBAC Report Echoes YIMBY Melbourne Policy: Reform Councils to Enable Better Planning
The establishment of independent Planning Panels with clear, outcomes-focused criteria has the potential to transform housing affordability in Melbourne.
YIMBY Melbourne Relaunch: four key Policy Pillars, Local Action guides, and more
YIMBY Melbourne launches a new website, announcing Policy Pillars and releasing Local Action guides. This comes exactly one month after our Maribyrnong City Council win.
Big Win for Maribyrnong: Council abandons heritage overlay
On Tuesday 20th June, Maribyrnong City Council voted unanimously to abandon Planning Scheme Amendment C172, saving more than 800 homes from onerous heritage protections.
Victorian Budget 2023: Planning reform can’t come soon enough
The budget promises reform to the tune of $23 million, but this will only be as effective as the government is willing to be bold.
Federal Budget 2023: Housing shortage recognised, but future budgets must go further
YIMBY Melbourne applauds the federal government for acknowledging within this year's Budget the critical importance of building more housing.
YIMBY Melbourne launches to bring more housing to your back yard
The grassroots organisation is set to bring local, pro-housing advocacy across key inner-city councils, in May and beyond.