NIMBY/Land Use

Toolkits

• Toolkit: Getting Density Right
  Collaborative effort between NMHC and the Urban Land Insitute, this book describes tools communities can use to promote compact development. Includes case studies of eight successful communities. (May 2008)

• Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit
  The Toolkit is designed to help community leaders review and revise their land use policies, zoning and development codes and project design standards. It includes step-by-step “audits” of policies and codes, as well as a scorecard for evaluating proposed development projects. (January 2008)

Resources to Overcome NIMBYism

• Higher-Density Development: Myth and Fact
  New publication by ULI, NMHC and the Sierra Club that debunks eight widespread misconceptions about higher-density development. Perfect for combating opposition to new apartment development.

• Free PowerPoint: Re-Thinking Density
  Visually compelling PowerPoint presentation that makes the case for higher-density development and rebuts common myths and fears associated with density. Collaborative effort by NMHC, the Sierra Club and the Urban Land Institute. (May 2005)

• White Paper: Overcoming Opposition to Multifamily Rental Housing
  White paper that examines the nature of local resistance to apartments, the reasons behind it and how it can be overcome. (January 2007)

• White Paper: From NIMBY to Good Neighbor Updated May 2006
  Details tools that firms can employ in their NIMBY struggles and summarizes unbiased third-party research reports that refute many of the common myths associated with rental housing, focusing primarily on the notion that apartments cause nearby property values to decline. (May 2006)

• Ad Campaign: Because Not Every Home is a House (Updated in 2008!)
  Six ads showcasing the different faces of apartment dwellers and questioning whether we are putting people at risk by encouraging homeownership at any cost. Available for local use. (March 2008)

• Presentation: Apartments - The New American Dream?
  Article and PowerPoint presentation explaining why apartment living is becoming more popular among households who can afford to buy. Provides statistical evidence and reasons why the trend is likely to continue in the future. (Updated April 2004)

Research Reports

• Toward a New Metropolis: The Opportunity To Rebuild America
  Brookings Institution report that examines projected trends at the national, state and metropolitan level to determine the estimated demand for new housing, commercial, and industrial space over the next quarter century. Finds that in 2030, about half of the buildings in which Americans live, work, and shop will have been built after 2000. (12/2004)

• Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change
  ULI book that advocates for compact development and documents how key changes in land development patterns could help reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions. (April 2008)