NIMBY

NIMBY, an acronym for “not in my backyard,” is used to describe the collective or individual opposition to the siting of locally undesirable land uses (LULUs), such as incinerators, landfills, nuclear power plants, lead and zinc smelter plants, and other hazardous waste facilities. Because LULUs potentially expose local residents to some external cost, NIMBYists challenge the siting of such facilities in communities on the grounds that the facilities may present unusually high risks to public health, personal property, and the natural environment. NIMBY represents the democratization of land use planning decisions, as individuals mobilize in response to public and private decision making surrounding land use. However, NIMBY is also criticized as an irrational, emotional, self-interested, or unethical response from those who are unwilling to share ...