A dramatic role-reversal has taken place in recent years. Real estate developers, once considered untouchable in local communities have become the fabled David, while community activists, armed with a not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) battle cry, are the new Goliath. Patrick Slevin, one of this countrys foremost experts on what has been termed, NIMBYism, warns developers to embrace public outreach practices to stem the tide of NIMBYism.
Tallahassee, FL (PRWEB) March 11, 2005 -- A dramatic role-reversal has taken place in recent years. Real estate developers, once considered untouchable in local communities have become the fabled David, while community activists, armed with a not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) battle cry, are the new Goliath. Patrick Slevin, one of this countrys foremost experts on what has been termed, NIMBYism, warns developers to embrace public outreach practices to stem the tide of NIMBYism.
NIMBY activists operate with no budget, no office space, no media training, and no experts, but they have single-handedly defeated land use applications of multi-billion dollar companies time and time again in communities across the United States," said Patrick Slevin, NIMBY expert and consultant for The Slevin Group in Tallahassee, Florida. Its not so much the sophistication of the NIMBY activist, but more the absence of public outreach on behalf of developers during early stages of planning."
In his essay, Riding the NIMBY Dragon, published in the January 2005 edition of Urban Land Magazine, Slevin attributes the development communitys over reliance on an antiquated notice & hearing" process and indifference to public input as factors empowering the NIMBY trend.
Developers of every stripe are reluctant to educate the public and build consensus. This attitude has become a costly posture that has unnecessarily pitted neighbor against neighbor, voters against elected officials, and progress against environmental harmony. Its the developers who have created this new NIMBY Goliath and its the developers who have the power to change it," said Slevin.
A lack of public outreach produces a constant barrage of assaults from the NIMBY activists resulting:
- Community Petitions
- Negative Publicity
- Theatrical and Hostile Public Meetings
- Misrepresentation of the Project
- Mobilization of an Angry Public
- Costly Concessions
- Lawsuits
Public outreach is the solution to countering a NIMBY phenomenon that produces ballot–box initiatives such as Florida Hometown Democracy. Securing human capital on the front end builds consensus, saves money, and increases political support, a business model that developers should adopt and embrace," said Slevin.
Patrick Slevin is a NIMBY public relations expert, consultant, author, and speaker. He is a former mayor of Safety Harbor, Florida and he completed The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School on How to Deal with an Angry Public. Slevin is principal of The Slevin Group, Inc., a public relations consulting firm in Tallahassee, FL. www.SlevinGroup.com.
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