"Yes in My Back Yard!" that's the rallying cry of a growing Toronto movement hoping to create a more positive and productive dialogue between neighbourhood groups, and the policy makers and developers making decisions in their communities.
For the past six years, Toronto's
Centre for City Ecology has been hosting the annual
YIMBY! Festival, an event that invites civic organizations, neighbourhood groups, Toronto residents, and policy makers to engage with each other from a YIMBY framework.
By substituting the oft-used acronym NIMBY (not in my back yard) with YIMBY, the festival organizers hope to encourage more communication between different urban stakeholders, and to challange the use of the dismissive NIMBY label on groups who want a say in their communities.
Founded in 2006 by the prolific Toronto architect, artist and activist
Christina Zeidler, the YIMBY! Festival was launched as a way of combatting what Zeidler saw as the perception that communication between neighbourhood groups and policy makers was inherently antagonistic.
"We work to make the YIMBY Festival a connection point between community groups who have similar goals, politicians who represent them, and local Torontonians who want to get involved," says Dania Ansari, a YIMBY! Festival organizer. "This city is full of people working on similar initiatives in neighbourhoods across Toronto, and YIMBY is a chance for them to get to know each other better, possibly form collaborations, and to be encouraged by each other's work."
This year's YIMBY! festival will be held on Saturday February 16th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Toronto Reference Library's
Bram and Bluma Appel Salon. It's free and open to everyone.
"The programming is different every year, depending on who is participating," says Ansari. "The themes of the day and activities are new every time to keep things interesting and also to address current issues that communities, and the city in general, is facing at the time. [For this year's event] we have several activities planned for children, general performances, art displays and panel discussions."
Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, the Toronto Historical Association and Toronto Park People are among the organizations already register for this year's festival. Last year more than 45 local organizations participated.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Dania Ansari