NIMBY

Toronto from my room

Website Says 'Yes In My Back Yard'

A website called New York YIMBY is run by a 23-year-old New Yorker named Nikolai Fedak. The site, and Fedak’s pro-development ethos, was recently detailed in the New York Times.

April 8, 2014 - New York Times

Not in my back yard

NIMBY Added to the Oxford English Dictionary

The definitive dictionary of the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, will add the term NIMBY to its latest edition, citing the widespread use and worldwide political relevance of the term as reasons for its inclusion.

April 1, 2014 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Tappan Zee Bridge Bike and Pedestrian Path Sparks Controversy

A recent article calls it likes it sees it: most would consider a three-mile bike and pedestrian path over the Hudson River a gift. Not so in South Nyack, at the western end of a new Tappan Zee Bridge, where such a plan sparked vehement opposition.

March 26, 2014 - New York Times

Ritzy Neighborhoods Struggling Against Infill

The market forces that push developers and landowners to build “more” and “bigger” have cropped up in some of the swankiest neighborhoods in Portland. So far, neighbors who oppose the projects are finding scant legal recourse to prevent the changes.

March 13, 2014 - The Oregonian

Idiot brigade

The Theory Behind NIMBYism

Why should people have veto power over anything built in their neighborhood?

March 12, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

How States Can Combat Affordable Housing NIMBYs

The U.S. is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. But as the landmark Mount Laurel saga illustrates, many communities object to developing such housing. Corianne Payton Scally argues that states should work harder to promote such projects.

October 23, 2013 - Rooflines

10 Principles for Smart Growth in Existing Communities

Frustrated by what's passing as "smart growth" and "transit oriented development," Bill Adams postulates ten refinements (or less subtly stated clarifications) of the principles of smart growth and new urbanism.

April 21, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

Idiot brigade

Leaked Settlement Shows the Dirty Underbelly of NIMBYism

In case anyone thought that developers were the only bad actors seeking to profit off of contentious projects, confidential settlement terms leaked to Curbed show how local groups abuse the California Environmental Quality Act for dubious gains.

January 5, 2013 - Curbed LA

The Steps to Creating a Meaningful Vision

In the three steps of placemaking, crafting a meaningful vision is the first and most straightforward, yet it's the most under-leveraged. Continuing his series on "Municipal Placemaking Mistakes," Nathan Norris describes how to get it right.

November 23, 2012 - PlaceShakers

NIMBY Zoning And the Tragedy Of The Commons

Decades ago, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote about the "tragedy of the commons"- when an action that is rational for one person becomes irrational when widely practiced.  For example, suppose that there are a few dozen cattle ranchers near a pasture open to all.  It makes sense for each rancher to let as many cattle graze as possible on the pasture, so that the ranchers can feed their cattle without buying additional land.  But if every rancher lets as many cattle as possible graze, sooner or later the land will be overgrazed and the cattle may starve.

August 27, 2012 - Michael Lewyn

Home Bible Study + Zoning Codes = Prison

A Phoenix man serves time for holding prayer gatherings in his home, part of what attorney and author John W. Whitehead sees as a larger trend toward zoning out home services.

August 7, 2012 - The Huffington Post

Bringing Crowdfunding to Our Backyards

Michael J. Coren shines a light on an innovative crowdfunding site targeting neighborhood improvements.

February 28, 2012 - Fast Co.Exisit

NIMBYs, For Better or Worse

NIMBYism served a purpose once, says Scott Doyon, preventing all sorts of heinous projects from being built. But eventually, it became about stopping ALL change. Doyon has some recommendations for changing course.

July 30, 2011 - PlaceShakers

The Problems of the Public Process

NIMBYism is obstructing the urban planning process, according to architect and New Urbanist Andres Duany. He suggests changing the public participation process to unclog the system.

January 11, 2011 - Architect

Bus-Only Lane Proposal Meets Opposition in L.A.

Officials in Los Angeles are considering a plan to install a bus-only lane on the region's most used commuter route. But neighbors along a small segment of the road are fighting the proposal.

November 30, 2010 - Los Angeles Times

The Evolving Attitude of Environmentalists

Passage of a bill in Berkeley that allows taller buildings to be built in the city's downtown illustrates changing attitudes about development amongst environmentalists.

November 17, 2010 - San Francisco Chronicle

Air Force Quashes Unborn NIMBYism in Arizona

As a preventive measure to avoid future NIMBYism, an Air Force base in Arizona has effectively blocked the spread of residential development close to its borders.

February 4, 2010 - The Arizona Republic

New Eco-Town Plans Meet NIMBY Resistance

The UK government recently announced the sites of four new planned "eco-towns". But local opposition to the projects remains high.

July 16, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

New Power Grid Would Slice Through Rural Areas

Expanding America's power grid to connect wind and solar power plants to the urban areas they fuel will require thousands of miles of transmission lines. Most of it will be built in rural areas where locals are not likely to be very welcoming.

June 30, 2009 - The Daily Yonder

What's Holding Back the UK's 'Eco-Towns'

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's grand plans for 10 carbon-neutral 'eco-towns' haven't lived up to their fanfare, according to some. Now as things move forward, the goals have been watered down a bit.

June 26, 2009 - Architects' Journal

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