NIMBYism as Place-Protective Action: The Politics of Housebuilding
Using British data, I argue that opposition to housebuilding primarily arises from a desire to preserve the character of one’s area and existing ways of life, and to protect communities against rapid changes that could result from new housing developments. A wide range of characteristics that lead to these ‘place-protective’ motives, including conservatism and long-term residence in an area, strongly predict opposition to housebuilding. This contrasts with theories emphasising homeowners’ price anxiety as the main driver. A conjoint experiment demonstrates that opposition to housebuilding can be reduced by designing new developments that preserve and protect existing communities, such as providing new public services alongside them. Doing so increases the coalition for housebuilding by raising the support of groups most opposed to housebuilding, without lowering the support of others. This paper also adds a comparative focus to the politics of housebuilding, discussing institutional features that increase the prominence of place-protective motives.