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NIMBY

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NIMBY is a short name for "not in my backyard."

No tav5
No tav5

It describes people who oppose new buildings or projects near them. These residents often support a project if it were built somewhere else. This viewpoint is often called nimbyism. People who hold this view are called nimbys. Some people think this view is selfish. Others see it as a way to protect their homes.

Supply-demand-right-shift-demand
Supply-demand-right-shift-demand

People oppose many different kinds of projects. Some say no to new houses or schools. Others object to wind farms

Lighthouse DGJ 3876 - Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse (6085165371)
Lighthouse DGJ 3876 - Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse (6085165371)

or solar panels. Some projects face very strong pushback. For example, people opposed a nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

Tour group entering North Portal of Yucca Mountain
Tour group entering North Portal of Yucca Mountain

Some people also oppose homeless shelters or daycare centers. They might even fight against new bike lanes or bus routes.

There are many reasons why people object to local changes. Some worry about more traffic on their streets. Others fear loud noise or bad smells from new factories. Some people think new buildings will look ugly or cast shadows. They might worry that big stores will hurt small local shops. Some fear that new projects will change the feeling of their town. Others worry about the risk of an environmental disaster. These concerns can lead to very big arguments.

This idea has a long history in recent years. The term NIMBY first appeared in a 1979 newspaper in Virginia. It may have come from a man named Joseph A. Lieberman. In the 1980s, a British politician named Nicholas Ridley made the term famous. Comedian George Carlin also used the term in 1992. Some people use other funny names for these groups. For instance, "BANANA" means "build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything."

Stop Heathrow Expansion Placard in Harmondsworth
Stop Heathrow Expansion Placard in Harmondsworth

Another term is "CAVE," which stands for "citizens against virtually everything."

These debates show how people live together in a community. When a new project is planned, neighbors often form groups. They might hire lawyers to file appeals. They may also write letters to newspapers to get support. There are also people on the other side of the debate. They use the name "YIMBY," which means "yes in my backyard." These two groups often have very different ideas about how a city should grow.

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🖼️ Images & Media (11)
File:Nimby unfinished tower (cropped).jpg
Nimby unfinished tower (cropped).jpg
File:Tour group entering North Portal of Yucca Mountain.jpg
Tour group entering North Portal of Yucca...
File:We_want_white_tenants.jpg
We_want_white_tenants.jpg
File:Supply-demand-right-shift-demand.svg
Supply-demand-right-shift-demand.svg
File:Supply-demand-right-shift-supply.svg
Supply-demand-right-shift-supply.svg
File:Lighthouse DGJ 3876 - Pubnico Harbour Lighthouse (6085165371).jpg
Lighthouse DGJ 3876 - Pubnico Harbour...
File:No tav5.jpg
No tav5.jpg
File:Oxford Spanish War Memorial front.jpg
Oxford Spanish War Memorial front.jpg
File:Stop_Heathrow_Expansion_Placard_in_Harmondsworth.jpg
Stop_Heathrow_Expansion_Placard_in_Harmond...
File:Tenting_in_Los_Angeles_Skid_Row.jpg
Tenting_in_Los_Angeles_Skid_Row.jpg
File:"Developers Win! Neighborhoods Lose! Stop Mpls 2040" - Minneapolis for Everyone Lawn Signs (30194071478).jpg
"Developers Win! Neighborhoods Lose! Stop...
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