For those interested in Neighborhood Councils
This is a bit non-Pedro, but it definitely relates to the current state of our Neighborhood Councils. Both Mayor Sam's and Martini Republic have good posts right now, spawned by an article written by Greg Nelson in the new edition of Citywatch.
I'm going to take the liberty of highlighting most of the post from Martini Republic -
To some critics, the Neighborhood Councils are suckers bets, glorified homeowner orgs that are now doing some of the more tedious work that the City itself once did: design review, conducting meaningless hearings, scrubbing stairways. But in Congress the NCs find backroom success at exchanging the kind of information so helpful in controlling growth, opposing big boxes, and generally practicing the homeowner’s dream: NIMBY-styled urbanism. City Councilpeople, who must deal with both residential and commercial issues, are now shocked to find that by empowering Neighborhood Councils they have empowered and emboldened an additional hurdle to clear in commerical development projects.
There's also the Congress of Neighborhood Councils taking place tomorrow, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Check out the link for details.
I'm going to take the liberty of highlighting most of the post from Martini Republic -
To some critics, the Neighborhood Councils are suckers bets, glorified homeowner orgs that are now doing some of the more tedious work that the City itself once did: design review, conducting meaningless hearings, scrubbing stairways. But in Congress the NCs find backroom success at exchanging the kind of information so helpful in controlling growth, opposing big boxes, and generally practicing the homeowner’s dream: NIMBY-styled urbanism. City Councilpeople, who must deal with both residential and commercial issues, are now shocked to find that by empowering Neighborhood Councils they have empowered and emboldened an additional hurdle to clear in commerical development projects.
There's also the Congress of Neighborhood Councils taking place tomorrow, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Check out the link for details.
4 Comments:
NIMBY-styled urbanism. Sounds about right.
It's the unmentioned pinnacle of the American Dream, isn't it? making sure you close the door after you get into your own home. Better that no one else has the chance to come up behind you.
NIMBYism means I got mine, so f you and yours.
That NIMBYs are running roughshod over our town's dream for renewed (yes, you shortimers, REnewed) relevancy) should make us all so proud.
Interesting how "NIMBY" has come to mean "against anything I'm in favor of" to some people, including journalists and column-writers who should know better.
(For those of you who are short-timers to consensus reality, NIMBYism originally referred to organized opposition by affluent neighborhoods to the placement of necessary but industrial/noxious/noisy public works projects in those neighborhoods. The gist of it was, "sure, the incinerator needs to be built, but go build it where the poor people live and leave us alone.")
how, exactly, does your definition differ from the one used by others these days? NIMBY stands for Not In My Backyard. Many today in Pedro - at least some loud people - are probably for economic revitalization, jobs creation, and the beautification of LA - just so long as it isn't in our backyard - backyard being Harbor Blvd, etc.
The new NIMBY has elevated backyard isolationism to an art form. EVERYTHING to be built should be put in someone else's backyard. hell, for some of them, even things that are already built - like, say, the port - should just be moved elsewhere.
My definition, exactly, differs from the one used by "others" (i.e., you and others who think like you) in that it describes an entirely different phenomenon. I have described that phenomenon above. Megamalls, sprawl development and hotels are not public works projects, nor are they necessary in any public sense. They are optional projects, designed to make money for private parties, and opposition to them does not necessarily entail advocating that they be built somewhere else instead. If that was not clear from what I wrote above, I suggest you read more carefully or slowly next time.
Also, I now have the tiresome task of explaining for the eleventy billionth time that "beautification" is very much in the eye of the beholder; that "jobs creation" is not in itself an unalloyed good, especially when those jobs are low-paying service sector jobs; and that reasonable people can and do disagree on just what sort of activity spurs economic revitalization.
Post a Comment
<< Home