The 2025 Urbanist Gift List
Something for everyone on your list, from YIMBaby to Nana Nimby.
Whether you’re looking for a pro-housing gift for the YIMBYs in your life or wanting to send your mother a little nudge, this list should help you finish up your gift-buying just in time for Chrismukkah.
1) Upzone Your Christmas Village
You can pick up a cute paper kit from West Elm or get a gingerbread-esque light up village from Crate & Barrel. There are also a ton of cheap and cheerful printable villages to choose from on Etsy, including this kit for under $2!
2) Transit-Oriented Menorahs
Hanukkah is around the corner, so pick up a Trolley Menorah or a Bicycle Menorah for a more multi-modal holiday.
3) Books for Kids
Get started on indoctrination early with gems like CITIES and Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site. Lines like “cities are home to millions of people” and “taller and taller buildings are being built all the time” are ones you’ll want to read to your toddler hundreds of times! Almost every book by Richard Scarry is pro-housing. And there are probably thousands of kids books about trains.
Head to your local bookstore or pick up a YIMBY classic from RJ Julia, where part of the proceeds support YIMBY Action.
4) Books for Adults
For your aunt or uncle who enjoys a good think piece from the Atlantic, there is an Abundance of books about housing, transit, and advocacy that are slightly more obscure, but shouldn’t be! Grab a copy of Why Nothing Works by Marc Dunkelman, Arbitrary Lines by Nolan Gray, or On the Housing Crisis by Jerusalem Demsas. There are so many great books, so be sure to add a comment with your favorite!
And for the die-hard YIMBY in your life, there is a book about how great shade is.
5) Actually Cool Gift Shops
Muni in San Francisco and the Transit Museum in New York both have great online stores. And you can often also pick things up in person at the MTA in New York, SEPTA in Philly, and the MBTA in Cambridge, MA. Most cities have a architecture museum or other gift shops with tons of cute things for your local urbanist.
And of course YIMBY Action has shirts and mugs that make a statement!
6) Mugs
If the classic NIMBY Tears Mug seems a little aggressive for the holidays, there are literally hundreds of cute city-themed mugs on Etsy that will warm both the heart and the hands.
7) Maps and Exploring Activities
Most urbanists love an educational adventure, and there are so many cool ways to explore your community. There are so many cool niche maps and kits for getting out into the world.
Grab a celebration of brutalism from Blue Crow Media or a scratch off adventure card pack from Reach International Outfitters. There are also cool apps like Fog of World that color in your path wherever you go, highlighting both where you have wandered and where you’ve yet to explore.
Finally, wrap it all up in apartments!
Grab this gift wrapping paper on Etsy or draw your own on butcher paper!
Got more ideas? Please share in the comments! Also, this is my new jam:
Love the creativity here turning housing advocacy into something tangible people can give and recieve. The upzoned Christmas village idea is genius because it makes density feel festive instead of threatening. I gave my neice a Richard Scarry book last year and didnt even realize how pro-housing it was til now, but she genuinely loves counting all the builidngs. Making urbanism accessible through everyday stuff like this might change more minds than policy papers ever could.
For the gamer in your life, get them a copy of Subway Builder:
https://www.subwaybuilder.com