A classic game gets a sardonic update for the modern world.

A new game combines old-school nostalgia with snark as it pokes fun at NIMBYism, calling on players to create a community piece by piece à la Sim City. There’s just one catch: “ERROR. CAN’T BUILD IN NIMBYVILLE.” In an article for Bloomberg, Allison Nicole Smith describes the all too serious issues that prompted the game’s developers to create the project.
The game is designed to satirize the often Sisyphean task of trying to get housing built in communities resistant to change. “Unlike “SimCity,” where players can encounter out-of-this-world challenges like UFO invasions and zombie attacks, the obstacles in Sim Nimby are all too plausible. Steve Nass and Owen Weeks, 33-year-old advertising copywriters and self-professed YIMBYs (that’s Yes in My Backyard) based in Brooklyn, New York, made the game as a way to channel their frustration with the local politics swirling around development projects.”
Nass says he based the game in part on anti-development discourse he heard during his time living in San Francisco, but that the game resonates with people from cities around the world—and that’s not entirely a good thing. According to Nass, “Usually you want a joke to transcend boundaries and culture, but in this case, it’s a bit depressing.”
FULL STORY: The Building Game That Doesn’t Let You Build

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Washington State Plans Ambitious ‘Cycle Highway’ Network
The state is directing funding to close gaps in its existing bike network and make long-distance trips more accessible.

Homeowners Blame PG&E for Delays in ADU Permits
The utility says it has dramatically reduced its backlog, but applicants say they still face months-long delays for approvals for new electrical work.

Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland