Do Planners Become NIMBYs?

A story in the Tuscon Citizen begins:

My Tucson: I love infill - just not in my backyard

It's a dark day when an urban planner must admit to being a NIMBY.

Any Tucsonan recognizes the "Not in My Backyard" folks who object to development in proximity to them, or anywhere in town, for that matter.

During my years at the Pima County Planning Department, staff wagered on the winner of the "Newest NIMBY in Town" award.

At public meetings to garner local input on development, invariably someone would grab the microphone and accuse us of ruining this town.

The grand winner was a woman who had moved here from Michigan only seven days prior, outraged that we would plan additional residential development.

She made an impassioned plea for shutting the gates before her week-old small-town lifestyle was changed forever.

Should have done it.

The rest of the story can be found here.