NIMBY

What Is NIMBY?

NIMBY is an acronym for “Not In My Back Yard.” It describes opposition by residents to new development near where they live. The targets are most often apartments, affordable housing, homeless shelters, group homes and infrastructure. The term implies that opponents may agree such projects are needed but want them built elsewhere. NIMBYism names the attitude.

The term was already in wide use by 1991. That year, HUD’s Advisory Commission on Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, convened by Secretary Jack Kemp at the request of President George H.W. Bush, titled its report “Not In My Back Yard”: Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing. The commission noted that almost every witness who testified before it used the acronym.

How NIMBY Opposition Works

Opposition usually shows up in the public parts of the approval process:

• Speaking at planning commission and city council hearings
• Petitions, appeals and lawsuits
• Pressing for fewer units, more parking or redesigns
• Supporting candidates who favor slower growth

The 1991 commission concluded that this opposition does more than stop individual projects. It said the “NIMBY syndrome” had become “institutionalized” in local rules, through growth controls, exclusionary zoning, drawn-out permit processes and restrictions on particular housing types. It also pointed to local boards that limit density by imposing minimum lot sizes. The commission described a related “NIMTOO” effect, short for “Not In My Term Of Office,” among elected officials responding to that pressure. A 2005 HUD update said that NIMBYism continued to prompt regulatory barriers to rental housing, high-density development and other affordable housing.

Why It Matters for Workforce Housing

Where most new housing needs a discretionary hearing, a small group of nearby opponents can delay, shrink or stop a project. That raises costs and risk for the apartments, townhouses and small-lot homes that moderate-income workers rely on. One policy response is by-right development, which approves code-compliant projects without a hearing. Another is the organized pro-housing movement known as YIMBY.

Criticisms and Limitations

“NIMBY” is often used as an insult, and critics of the label say it can dismiss real concerns. The 1991 commission itself said NIMBY sentiment can reflect legitimate worries about property values, public services, the environment, or health and safety. It added that it can also hide racial or ethnic prejudice. When opposition targets housing because of who would live there, it may raise issues under the Fair Housing Act.