‘Newbie Humility’ Meets the ‘Imported NIMBY’

Wolfe writes that an evolving understanding of time and place must be based on the premise that every newcomer must respond humbly to land other than their own — even if it means abandoning expectations imported from elsewhere.

He illustrates his story through Johnny, a mover whose family has been in the area since Santa Fe’s founding in 1610, with repeated experiences with those who visit Santa Fe on vacation, fall in love with its surface beauty and promptly decide to relocate to the “City Different” with an imported NIMBY (not in my backyard) point-of-view:

His grandparents—in their mid-80s— live in a neighborhood his family has called home for generations. Increasingly, they find themselves surrounded by newcomers who express discomfort with their long-standing ways. 

Something as simple as front yard parking—a practice that predates zoning laws and, to some, is simple and practical community life—has become a point of contention. Johnny explained that these new neighbors often arrive with rigid preconceptions of how a historic neighborhood “should look,” missing that his grandparents have maintained the practice for years.

In conclusion, he underscores what should be a first principle for today's planners: Genuine appreciation and administration of a place require a deeper understanding and respect for its complex and intermingled ecosystems (built, natural, and cultural) and a responsibility to approach them as thoughtful participants in a continuing story.