How One Gen Z Leader Wants to Use YIMBYism to Save Chicago

Meet Drake Warren, a 26-year-old running for Cook County Commissioner in Illinois. He is an engineer and housing advocate who fell in love with Chicago in college. Now, he wants to give back to the community he has made a home in by running for a local government office. He believes that Chicago has begun to lose its YIMBY roots and wants to serve his community by running for office, so that he can help more homes be built in his city and county. On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Action's Jennifer Borrero speaks with Drake about why he was inspired to run for Cook County Commissioner. He breaks down what he thinks current leaders are missing in housing policy, and why more people must become familiar with local politics. They also discuss the importance of having balanced experiences in government and finally, how we can get more young folks plugged into local government and advocacy. If you're curious about what it's like to run for local office or want to hear a great discussion about how local politics shapes the world around us, then this is the episode for you. Tune in! Learn more about Drake Warren: Learn more about YIMBY Action: yimbyaction.org/join Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: Follow YIMBY Action on BlueSky: Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook:

You can listen to How One Gen Z Leader Wants to Use YIMBYism to Save Chicago online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How One Gen Z Leader Wants to Use YIMBYism to Save Chicago is an episode from INFILL by YIMBY Action.

This episode is 00:30:38 long.

This episode was published on Sep 26, 2025.

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