NIMBY‪!‬

Times have changed in regional economic development. Back in the not-too-far-off good old days, announcements of a new factory setting up in town or the approval granted for a new large apartment block would have been widely accepted and even applauded by communities.

Now mostly they are not. NIMBY has become the standard cry. Not in my backyard now extends to so many areas beyond nuclear power plants, mines and waste dumps, including to some that at first site seem just plain puzzling.

But this is the 21st Century reality and regional economic development policy and practice must respond with more sophisticated analysis and tools. Setting up a rival camp to outwit the NIMBYs and waging war to win the media battle is a short-sighted, unsustainable approach.

This book analyses what makes NIMBY tick, surveys current best practice regional economic development and posits a coherent, sustainable approach to the creation of wealth and well-being in communities.