America is short on homes.

There are 4.7 million fewer housing units than families in the United States, according to a recent report from the real estate website Zillow. And this shortage is getting larger over time, in part because the pace of construction has slowed over the past two decades.

Dwellings are especially scarce — and thus, unaffordable — in places where economic opportunities are plentiful. As a result, the housing shortage hasn’t just fueled displacement and inflation but also stymied economic growth and social mobility. It is arguably the single biggest economic problem in America today.

The Yes In My Backyard (or “YIMBY”) movement seeks to solve it. This faction — a loose constellation of advocacy groups, think tanks, and intellectuals — is animated by one basic obser

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