Negroni Talks #50 - IMBYISM: Objection! Overruled?

Around the world tensions often surround the arrival of a new building development, which challenges the status quo and has implications for local people, buildings and the natural environment alike.

The omnipresent NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard") and a counterpoint that has more recently emerged, the YIMBY ("Yes In My Backyard"), seem to be opposite sides of the same coin in having a great deal to say about proposed changes within our built environment. Both appear to be angered by what they feel as the necessity for change, so what does this tell us about the times we live in and how reasonable are their respective positions of Objection or Support?

Do they highlight a lack of confidence, a fear and distrust in our democratic systems? Are they expressive of a genuine concern for the common good? Or are they equally illustrative of a self-interest that has hounded human civilisation throughout history?

If everyone can be deemed to be a nimby at some level, then the reasoning and motivation behind ‘objecting’ comes into focus. Questions can also be raised about who objects and whether class/ethnicity/social standing play a part in whose voices get heard and whether broader society is being served? If some people tend to object to change irrespective of the proposals being made, then how much consideration should these objections get? Or….should the case for change simply be made in a better, more sympathetic and more convincing way?

In turn, whilst the NIMBY may well stifle progress in pursuit of Preservation, is the YIMBY not in danger of enthusiastically endorsing Progress whilst overlooking the actual consequences and impact of change?

Britain is a conservative country with a conflict between the country and the city, so how progressive can a vision of a future Britain really be? With its mythologies of a picturesque past blighted by decades of failure in experimenting with our built environment, would more purposefully addressing people’s concerns / needs lead to better development that is more readily accepted?

We'll explore the social, cultural, economic, and political implications of this stand-off, and what it means for the future of our cities, towns and villages.

Speakers:

fourth_space (chair) Daisy Froud, Community Engagement Strategist
Patricia Brown, Central
Leo Hammond, Haringey Council
Hazel Joseph, AHMM Phineas Harper, Design Council Homes Taskforce and all others who want to contribute….