NIMBYism and the Importance of Community Engagement

Our guest today is a city planner by trade and has valuable
insights into NIMBYism (Not In My
Backyard) and what is and isn’t working in terms of community
engagement in the
real estate development world. Karin Brandt is the CEO and
Founder of coUrbanize and, in this
episode, she schools us on the importance of community engagement
and how technology has
evolved the way developers are engaging with communities. We
discover why the younger
“asset-less class” is less inclined to get involved in local
politics and how coUrbanize aims to
change that, by getting more diverse community-representative
voices on approvals boards
throughout the US. Karin breaks down how increased community
engagement benefits not only
the community but real estate owners too and explains how best to
address NMBYism
fundamentally. Tune in to find out where developers and
policy-makers are going wrong in their
attempts to engage with communities and what needs to change as
well as what can be learned
from the homeless crisis in San Francisco.

Key Points From This Episode:


The mission behind coUrbanize and what inspired Karin to
start the company. 

Why community engagement is so essential in real estate
development today. 

Challenges faced by developers when trying to engage with
communities.

Why the younger “asset-less class” is less inclined to get
involved in local politics.

How coUrbanize lowers the bar to participation and builds
relationships within communities. 

Strategies developers should consider when engaging with
communities. 

How technology has evolved the way developers are engaging
with communities.

What NIMBYism is and how it relates to real estate
development. 

Common reasons for NIMBYism and community opposition to
development projects.

Examples of notable NIMBYism cases and their outcomes. 

The importance of data in getting board approvals for
developments. 

Regulatory changes that could alleviate NIMBYism and
streamline the development process.

The risk in development and the cost of delays from community
opposition. 

How community engagement benefits real estate owners. 

What we can learn from the homeless crisis in San
Francisco. 

How COVID brought into question the traditional way of
carrying out community engagement.

The findings of Boston University’s study on neighborhood
defenders. 

What Karin considers to be the best way to fundamentally
address NIMBYism.

Examples of interesting community engagement approaches,
globally. 

Karin predicts the evolution of community engagement. 

What should be included in the curricula for future city
planners.



 


Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: 


Karin Brandt on LinkedIn

coUrbanize

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