Habitat World Online


Habitat houses often lead to neighborhood renewal.

Facing F.E.A.R.
Affordable housing and Habitat for Humanity building programs often suffer from "False Expectations Appearing Real."

by Shawn Reeves

One Affiliate's Struggle With NIMBY

'Bumpy Road' Leads to Wisdom

Myths and Truths: What You Should Know About NIMBY

Arsonists struck in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 27, 1983, torching two partially constructed affordable housing units in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Less than two months later, they struck again, burning three more units across the street.

What sparked the fires? Fierce opposition from a few local residents who feared the housing would, among other things, negatively impact their property values.

Despite the cruel reception two decades ago, affordable housing stands today in West Town--literally as part of an overall 140-unit effort to provide low-cost housing and figuratively as a triumph over strong opposition. In fact, many of the development's original residents still make their homes there.

While acts like arson are extreme, neighborhood opposition to affordable housing projects is not uncommon and has come to be known as "NIMBY," referring to a "Not-In-My-Back-Yard" reaction. NIMBY occurs in response to other land uses as well, including toxic waste dumps, halfway houses, landfills, schools or churches. The acronym has become an accepted expression in the arena of land-use debates.

'In our experience, lack of information and misinformation are the biggest causes of NIMBY.'

'The more you can do to blend into the existing neighborhood, the better off you'll be and the less likely you are to encounter NIMBY.'

NIMBY arises, according to Elise Bright, author and professor in the School of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Arlington, when residents perceive the proposed project to have "negative externalities" and believe they will bear the cost of an undesirable outcome, whether it's a threatening environment, traffic, crime or anything else.

The causes of NIMBY vary. In some cases, opposition may emerge from environmental concerns or worries that certain types of housing will increase crime and traffic or, as is most commonly feared, will negatively impact property values. While Bright concedes that NIMBY concerns are legitimate in some cases--environmental threats, for instance--a number of studies suggest that some NIMBY fears are unfounded, refuting the "property-values" argument in particular.


Habitat homeowner children are pictured in Easton Meadow, a Habitat neighborhood in Knoxville, Tenn.

In the "Low Income Housing Tax Credit Housing Developments and Property Values" report, the University of Wisconsin authors write, "A review of eight past studies on ... the effect of low-income housing on property values generally does not support the proposition that such housing diminished property values. Often it is the case that low-income housing developments cause surrounding property values to increase."

To counter the property-values fears in Charlotte County, Fla., Habitat for Humanity affiliate director Ron Thomas researched the home values for a neighborhood in which his affiliate was building. He found that the value of the prospective Habitat house was higher than that of the lowest-valued house in the neighborhood. While Habitat houses are built for less because of donated labor and materials, they often appraise for more.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., neighborhood property values increased following the construction of Habitat houses. As reported by the Ann Arbor News, county records showed that sales prices for homes on two streets where Habitat planned to build ranged from $130,000 to $172,990 in 1999. After the Habitat houses were completed in 2000, home sales prices on the same streets ranged from $183,000 to $255,000.

Thomas says NIMBY opposition to Habitat often can be overcome simply by educating opponents about what Habitat is and does. "In our experience, lack of information and misinformation are the biggest causes of NIMBY," he says.

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