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1. A thread on #NIMBY (not in my backyard) & change in cities:
First off, although it might feel that way, NIMBY isn’t unique to your city, & it’s definitely (probably) not worse in your city than anywhere else. It’s also not surprising, since it’s based on human nature.
First off, although it might feel that way, NIMBY isn’t unique to your city, & it’s definitely (probably) not worse in your city than anywhere else. It’s also not surprising, since it’s based on human nature.
2. #NIMBY isn’t surprising when you understand that it’s human nature, it’s normal, to fear change & to weigh potential loss more heavily than potential gain. So NIMBY should be expected because it can’t be avoided. It’s hard everywhere, & there’s no place that it doesn’t exist.
3. But #NIMBY needn’t be debilitating when it comes to smart, positive & badly-needed change in your city. Cities that are skillful & self-confident listeners can learn a lot from NIMBY fears, & that learning can help make decisions better & outcomes more successful.
4. But let’s be clear — many of the most important decisions cities badly need to make to address the crises we face, around climate, affordability, public health, infrastructure costs etc, WILL be initially unpopular decisions. And the solutions we need WILL raise NIMBY fears.
5. As I’ve said over & over, if those badly-needed decisions aren’t made by leaders, I won’t blame #NIMBYs — I’ll blame decision-makers who knew better, had the information, evidence & expert advice, & still did the wrong, popular thing instead of the right thing for the future.
6. In my experience & observation, the cities that are making real progress, & addressing our challenges more quickly, are the cities showing real political will & leadership, often DIRECTLY in the face of fear of change. Not by ignoring #NIMBY, but by not lazily pandering to it.
