Have you ever argued why it’s important to build enough housing in Greater Washington and other cities to meet demand, open up access to jobs, prevent displacement, or protect the environment? If so, you must watch this amazing keynote address from Seattle’s Sara Maxana at the recent YIMBY conference in Boulder, Colorado.

Maxana dissects the best ways to talk about these issues — and the ways not to talk about them. She articulates the importance of more housing better than almost anyone. And don’t miss the entertaining caricature of the unproductive approach near the start.

I’ll dissect some of the key parts of the video in upcoming posts, but in the meantime, it’s worth watching the whole 41-minute keynote. I learned a lot watching it last month at the conference, and organizers just got the video online so you can too. Check it out.

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Tagged: development, housing, housing supply, seattle, video, washington state

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.