Friday Video: Guess Which Argument Can Get a NIMBY To Change Their Mind About New Housing

Often, the biggest barrier to building housing in walkable and transit-rich neighborhoods isn’t money or policy — it’s neighbors fighting against change. So that’s why we loved the latest from YouTuber Justine Underhill, who focus-grouped video pitches for dense urban housing to see which message resonated the most … and the answer might surprise you.

Will cold, hard, economic arguments win the day? What about focusing on public health or homelessness? Can U.S. suburb-dwellers be persuaded to love city apartment buildings by recognizing that they might want to live in one someday? Or is beautiful architecture the key to getting the skeptical on board?

Find out below … and if anyone runs a similar experiment for funding things like ADA-compliant sidewalks, bike lanes, or transit expansion, let us know.