A new survey found that 64% of Americans think that the relationship between local officials and developers makes the approval process unfair.
The Saint Index asked people a lot of questions about city planning, and concluded that NIMBYism is more prevalent than ever, and skepticism over the planning process is the rule of the day. Nearly 1 in 5 people surveyed had actively fought a development from being built:
"Opposition activities include forming neighborhood groups, calling and writing elected officials, signing or gathering petitions, attending and speaking out at local hearings, fundraising, and hiring lawyers and experts such as traffic engineers and environmental consultants."
Asked why they were opposing development, "protecting the environment" ranked highest, followed by the more direct impacts like property value and increased traffic.
Lots of interesting results over at The Saint Index.
FULL STORY: The 2011 Saint Index
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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.
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