What are NIMBY and YIMBY?

There are a couple of terms that are becoming more popular in the vernacular of people who interact with governments. These two terms are actually acronyms, rather than viable words themselves. “NIMBY” and “YIMBY” can both be problematic to the efforts of your community. But they can also be used as a tool to help the community if utilized correctly.

NIMBY

NIMBY is an acronym for Not In My Back Yard. As defined by Wikipedia:

NIMBY is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land-use regulations. It carries the connotation that such residents are only opposing the development because it is close to them and that they would tolerate or support it if it were built farther away. The residents are often called Nimbys, and their viewpoint is called Nimbyism.

Nimbyism has been around for quite a while. It just hasn’t been labeled in that manner until the past few decades as people want to give a name or acronym to seemingly about anything.

YIMBY

YIMBY is an acronym for Yes In My Back Yard. According to Wikipedia the origins of YIMBY are much more specific. Essentially it is a relatively clever twist off of NIMBY to categorize those in support of certain issues. It apparently came out of the pro-affordable housing movement. But it can, and has been utilized in relation to other issues.

Seattle City Council Meeting, Seattle City Council; Wikimedia

The Good and the Bad

Contrary to the connotation of each acronym, people who fall into either of these categories can be helpful or hurtful to the efforts of your community.

For instance, a developer applies to construct an affordable housing development. Future neighbors to the development may become NIMBYs. They’ll provide vocal opposition to the project. They don’t want “those people” nearby where they live. Depending on the need for affordable housing, you may be able to get a few YIMBYs at the hearing on the project as well. This can be useful if the City wants the project to move forward.

On the flip side, if a developer were to come into your community with a project you’re not in favor of, NIMBYs may be useful. Take for instance a project that could have a detrimental impact on traffic or air quality in the community. Outcries from NIMBYs can be utilized to help influence decision-makers to decide against approving the project. Yet YIMBYs, on the other hand, can hurt this effort. In a community struggling for jobs and economic growth, there may be some that support the development regardless of the negative impacts.

There are a number of ways to handle NIMBYs and YIMBYs. Most articles highlight how to deal with NIMBYs but, a number of these tactics can apply to YIMBYs as well.