America’s NIMBYs may be losing enthusiasm for fighting their most-hated retail enemy.
Of 1,000 adults interviewed nationwide, 56 percent said they oppose a Wal-Mart development in their hometown — the lowest level of opposition in four years of Saint Index© surveys. Two years ago, 68 percent of Americans said they’d oppose a local Wal-Mart project.
The new Saint Index© survey on U.S. attitudes toward real estate development finds the world’s largest retailer no longer alone as the retail project Americans most oppose for their community.
Wal-Mart fell into a tie with a mall or large shopping center as the most opposed retail development project. (Opposition to a local mall or large shopping center project fell slightly from 58 percent a year earlier.)
Landfills (78%) are the most-opposed type of local development project, followed by a casino (77%) and an aggregate quarry (62%).
Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they are more likely to support new commercial projects in their hometown given the current economic situation.
Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) attitudes remain strong, however, with 74 percent of adults opposed to new development in their community.
"Twenty years of media reports chronicling community opposition to real estate projects such as big box stores have changed attitudes, and residents today believe you can fight development and win," said P. Michael Saint, CEO of The Saint Consulting Group, the international political land use consultancy that conducts the Saint Index© to track attitudes about development and spotlight who actively opposes and supports real-estate related projects and why.
One in five American families have actively opposed a development project, the fourth annual Saint Index© found.
Asked what type of development project they’d most like to see in their community, one in three Americans (31%) said, “none” — by far the most common response.
“The influence of the recession on people’s willingness to support local development shows NIMBYism isn’t a totally knee-jerk response. It is possible to overcome,” Saint Consulting President Patrick Fox said. “The problem for developers is that even good projects draw fierce opposition if neighbors are convinced their own property values will be hurt — and the politicians who decide what gets built listen to voters who elect them.”
About the Saint Index©
The Saint Index© tracks attitudes toward real estate development projects in the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom, spotlighting who actively opposes and supports real-estate related projects and why. It was launched in 2005 by The Saint Consulting Group, the global leader in land use political consultancy.
Saint Consulting experts on development issues are available to discuss the Saint Index results and the politics of land use with journalists.
Charts and More Findings
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Graphics illustrating the Saint Index results: http://www.tscg.biz/survey/graphics.html
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Contacts:
For The Saint Index
Stephen Shepherd, 781-749-7290 ext 7121
shepherd@tscg.biz