There Goes the Neighborhood, Protecting Your Home and Community From Poor Development Choices

There Goes The Neighborhood is written to help citizens, businesses, neighborhood associations, and community groups, develop strategic approaches for land use challenges. It shares many of the thoughts and motivations of proponents of development choices and provides practical insights into public decision making processes. It examines the art of public presentation and asks the reader to view public participation strategically. It helps the reader develop confidence to participate in processes for which citizens often have no formal guidance. The book demonstrates to the reader that the choices faced by its community are similar to those confronted by citizens in communities throughout America by drawing upon examples of land use conflicts in all parts of the country. It posits that there is an inherent commonality in non-contextual land use proposals and the decision making processes which govern them. There Goes the Neighborhood is a long overdue road map for the hundreds of thousands of average American citizens engaged in the explosive arena of land use challenge. The book enjoys a vast audience of community and citizen groups as well as individual Americans committed to opposition of poor development choices. It is highly recommended by municipal officials and planning professionals, and it will enjoy an expanded market as a supplemental text within college curriculums. Most importantly common citizens, business people, and the reading public who are confronted with land use proposals but who are not necessarily members of organized citizens groups will also seek this important reference resource. This market is currently without the most basic direction on how to exercise rights of opposition when poor land use proposals surface. The timing is right for this book. Land use conflicts have become focal points within virtually all communities throughout the country. They involve the management of growth, the use of scarce public resources, or often, simple zoning issues. They may also involve the construction of public works projects that have significant land use impacts Few citizens understand how to analyze land development proposals and to effectively organize opposition in a way which will maximize possible success. At the same time there is a rising public awareness that not all development is good development and that land use choices must be sensitive to the context of their surroundings. The subject is topical for any citizen or group confronted by a development proposal which threatens their quality of life or the fabric of their neighborhood or community.