Zoning: A Public Service Announcement

Henry Grabar shares news of a snarky new public service announcement campaign that scores pro-development points while taking digs at the Not In My Back Yard establishment.

"Neighbors for More Neighbors" was launched by Ryan Johnson and John Edwards of Minneapolis, as an obviously tongue-in-cheek, bordering on satire, PSA campaign. The examples of campaign posters that accompany Grabar's article duplicate familiar visual tropes while to driving home unfamiliar talking points like:

• "If he mentions 'neighborhood character, it's time to talk about zoning."
• "You can't beat unaffordable housing by catering to property owners."
• "He said he was for affordable housing, then he wanted to downzone my block."

According to Grabar, "[the] posters, in a sendup of the square, hectoring style of PSAs, offer a humorous reminder of those pernicious acts of NIMBYism that surround us."