NIMBY / YIMBY

About

NIMBY / YIMBY are slang acronyms that stand for the catchphrases Not In My Back Yard or Yes In My Back Yard. The colloquialism NIMBY is typically used to describe local residents' opposition to new or proposed developments in their area on the grounds that such developments would affect their quality of life or property value. The origins of the term NIMBY can be traced back to environmental concerns raised by Michigan and New Hampshire residents in response to proposed nuclear generation plants in their locality. However, the term NIMBY has increasingly become associated with worsening racial and economic segregation over the years, with NIMBY supporters being accused of limiting the overall supply of affordable housing under the guise of opposing gentrification. NIMBY beliefs are also often referred to by derivative terms like NIMBYism, NIMBYists or NIMBYs.

History

The Encyclopedia Brittanica describes NIMBY as "one’s opposition to the locating of something considered undesirable in one’s neighborhood,"^[1] while the Oxford Dictionary describes NIMBY as "a person who objects to the siting of something perceived as unpleasant or hazardous in their own neighborhood, especially while raising no such objections to similar developments elsewhere."^[2]

An early example of the use of the term "NIMBY" can be traced back to a Virginia local newspaper article from June 29th, 1980 (seen below).^[3]

The NIMBY acronym has been frequently used by social scientists since the 1980s to describe local communities resisting the construction of controversial facilities like nuclear waste disposal sites or prisons. However, since the 2010s, the term NIMBY has increasingly come to be associated with racial segregation and economic inequality on account of NIMBY organizations opposing the building of new housing infrastructure on the grounds of opposing gentrification.^[4] The use of the word NIMBY in the 21st century is often pejorative.

Comedian Geroge Carlin^[5] notably used the phrase "NIMBY" in a comedy set that took place on April 24th, 1992, as part of his Jammin' In New York special (seen below).

Online Presence

On August 7th, 2018, the Facebook^[6] page Urban Memes Crushing NIMBY Dreams posted a meme about NIMBYs being afraid of homeless shelters, gathering over 400 likes in five years (seen below, left). On April 4th, 2019, Twitter^[7] user @kathdovi posted a parody of "In This House We Believe" signs, gathering over 3,000 likes in four years (seen below, right).

On July 12th, 2019, the Instagram^[8] page realbayarea memes posted a NIMBY meme that gathered over 500 likes in four years (seen below, left). On September 9th, 2020, a tweet by Twitter user @amore_orless^[9] that read, "NIMBYs spent $3500 on ugly boulders to prevent unhoused people from existing in their neighborhood… 😤 /…so we moved them 🥰" gathered over 117,000 likes in three years (seen below, right).

On April 22nd, 2022, Redditor^[10] /u/CeeWitz posted a meme to /r/starpacks captioned, "NIMBY In A Liberal City Starter Pack," gathering over 1,000 upvotes in a year (seen below).

YIMBY

The YIMBY movement, which stands for Yes In My Back Yard, supports the construction of affordable housing and denser housing layouts. YIMBYs also often support rezoning in states like California that would allow for the construction of high-rise buildings and the repurposing of obsolete buildings in housing in order to create denser, less sprawling cities and suburbs.

On August 6th, 2018, Twitter^[11] user @mnolangray posted a comic with the caption, "Wholesome YIMBY content," gathering over 1,900 likes in five years (seen below, left).

On July 11th, 2023, Twitter^[12] user @yhdistyminen posted a tweet that read, "YIMBY developer shills may tell you that $720/month for a one-bedroom in a new build, right next to transit, in a neighborhood where the median unit is much pricier, is "affordable", but have you considered that I personally do not deem it "affordable"?" The tweet gathered over 1,000 likes in a day (seen below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

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External References