7/30/2011

NIMBY NATION


NIMBY Not In My Back Yard



NIMBY Nation: Mad as hell and I don’t blame ‘em. For now.

  • GOOD NIMBYS

    Good NIMBYs
    NIMBY action as a force for communal good. Courtesy of Scott Doyon.
  • TRUST

    Trust
    Trust in positive change is a limited commodity. Courtesy of Scott Doyon.

Scott Doyon, New Urban Network

You know, I gotta give NIMBYs their due. In many instances, their tireless efforts have kept the world from becoming a worse place, and that’s no small feat. But, sadly, it’s not their only accomplishment.

They’ve also kept the world from becoming a better place.

Welcome to the problem with NIMBYs. Their reactionary nature can’t tell the difference between bad change and good. And that’s a problem if you’ve any hope for building better communities.

Early on, NIMBY action centered around large, substantive initiatives with no shortage of arguable downsides. Nuclear plants. Landfills. Toxic industry. Projects universally loathed no matter where you went.


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