NIMBY Wars. The Politics of Land Use - Hardcover

Saint, P. Michael; Flavell, Robert J.; Fox, Patrick F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0615306527 ISBN 13: 9780615306520

Publisher: Saint University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Not long ago, few places ever said no to new real estate development. Growth meant jobs, tax revenue and progress. Smoke a cigar with the building inspector, pick up your permit, and invite the mayor to the groundbreaking photo. Then came smart growth, anti sprawl, environmental movements, historic preservationists and NIMBYs (those who said "not in my backyard"). At the same time, savvy business operators realized that using land use regulations to keep competitors out could protect profits far better than cutting prices after a rival's new store opened. NIMBY Wars shows how the arena of local land use regulation has been politicized and describes in explicit detail what developers - and their opponents - must do to win. Land use politics is a completely new and different discipline from the old-fashioned 'local fixer' method or the press release approach to project approval. Its practioners make no effort to peddle influence, or to waste time trying to "educate" people who resolutely oppose a project. They do not treat the public as a "market" to whom they "sell" the project, and they do not harp on the developer's vision of the benefits that the project will bring the community. Instead, practitioners of land use politics practice politics - the process by which citizens decide who gets what. Land use politics is based on citizen advocacy, not professional lobbying or presentation. The difference is considerable, and the benefits of this approach are many. NIMBY Wars distills more than 25 years of experience in the trenches of land use battles, both for and against projects as varied as a hospital and an oil refinery. Readers will learn exactly what works and what doesn't work when it comes to influencing local decision-makers faced with a controversial development proposal. Even veterans of real estate development permitting will be surprised by the sophistication, cutting-edge tactics and effectiveness of the strategies described in NIMBY Wars.

About this title

About the Author

The Saint Consulting Group specializes in winning zoning and land use battles. Since 1983, as the climate for development has become increasingly fraught with opposition, the firm has worked successfully on more than 1,400 controversial real estate development projects in 48 U.S. states, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Saint Consulting pioneered the management consulting discipline of land use politics.

From the Inside Flap

Not long ago, few places ever said no to new real estate development. Growth meant jobs, tax revenue, and progress. Smoke a cigar with the building inspector, pick up your permit, and invite the mayor to the groundbreaking photo. Then came smart growth, the anti-sprawl and anti-environmental movements, historic preservationists, and NIMBYs (those who said "not in my backyard"). At the same time, savvy business operators realized that using land use regulations to keep competitors out could protect profits far better than cutting prices after a rival's new store opened.

NIMBY Wars shows how the arena of local land use regulation has been politicized and describes in explicit detail what developers -- and their opponents -- must do to win.

Land use politics is a completely new and different discipline from the old-fashioned "local fixer" method or the press release approach to project approval. Its practitioners make no effort to peddle influence or to waste time trying to "educate" people who resolutely oppose a project. They do not treat the public as a "market" to whom they "sell" the project, and they do not harp on the developer's vision of the benefits that the project will bring the community. Instead, practitioners of land use politics practice politics -- the process by which citizens decide who gets what. Land use politics is based on citizen advocacy, not professional lobbying or presentation. The difference is considerable, and the benefits of this approach are many.

NIMBY Wars distills more than 25 years of experience in the trenches of land use battles, both for and against projects as varied as a hospital and an oil refinery. Readers will learn exactly what works and what doesn't work when it comes to influencing local decision makers faced with a controversial development proposal. Even veterans of real estate development permitting will be surprised by the sophistication, cutting-edge tactics, and effectiveness of the strategies described in NIMBY Wars.

Edition details

• Publisher: Saint University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0615306527
• ISBN 13: 9780615306520
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 226