Researcher Finds That the NIMBY Mentality Crosses Many Boundaries

She started out studying homeless people, but Lois Takahashi now finds herself researching the mysteries of the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) syndrome.

Takahashi, an assistant professor at UC Irvine’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning, has devoted the last seven years probing a mentality manifested by decent people who become dead-set against having less fortunate people move nearby.

The residents agree that these people need help, as long as that aid is not provided in their neighborhood. The problem then arises: where should they go?

NIMBY pits advocates for needy groups, such as the homeless or people with AIDS, against residents who say they have to protect their safety and, among other things, their property values.

However, as Takahashi explained, the fears of those residents couldn’t be further from the truth.

After extensive research, she found that property values do not go down around facilities for the needy. “If it does, it’s because of the housing market prices,” Takahashi said. Besides, the homes for the people requiring assistance “look beautiful. [The people being helped] are aware they’re on trial, so they take extra care in appearance and supervision.”

The heart of the issue, however, has nothing to do with declining property values or appearance, but with public attitudes toward these so-called “intruders,” she said.

When Takahashi began studying NIMBY, many people she interviewed told her that the main reason residents were opposed was because they were selfish.

“I just don’t buy the thought that these people opposing the facilities are selfish,” said Takahashi. The reason, she said, is that the poor and needy carry a stigma. The homeless, for example, are wrongly associated with crime and deviant behavior, she said. “People are suffering from labels.”

Takahashi teaches three NIMBY-related classes at UC Irvine, including a graduate-level course on community attitudes and oppositions, for a department founded less than four years ago. Her other classes, both undergraduate level in urban geography and the sociological aspects of AIDS, each draw an estimated 300 students. She is on sabbatical from teaching to write a book about the syndrome and its many complications, due out in May 1998.

“When I first studied [NIMBY], I wanted to find an answer to the problem,” Takahashi said. “Now, I want to look more deeply and find out why these people think the way they do.”

Before she researched the subject, Takahashi was was at USC studying the homeless when she found that the two topics seemed to overlap. She then decided to change the focus of her study.

It was her drive and determination that piqued the interests of administrators at UC Irvine and eventually brought her there in 1992 after she received her Ph.D.

“We saw an overall potential in her, a star potential,” said Luis Suarez-Villa, acting chairman of the department. “Her interests and specialization were important to have in our program.”

Takahashi has tried to enlighten students and readers about not only about the history of the syndrome, but also about possible solutions as well.

Although traces of the NIMBY syndrome have been around since the turn of the century, researchers believe the phenomenon took off during the 1980s, at the height of the “me” decade.

The syndrome, once associated with white suburban homeowners, then began spreading across racial and class lines.

“NIMBY is affecting all different types of people. We saw mothers in East L.A. come out and protest against a proposed state prison in their area. It’s much more complicated now,” Takahashi said.

As the problem escalates, researchers stress that public education and awareness are still the best antidote for NIMBY.

“We need to deal with it in the future by understanding it now,” said Takahashi, who added that community meetings and other town hall gatherings to discuss this issue can help change people’s attitudes. “The things we don’t know are the things we fear the most.”