When one wants proceed in the face of permitting and development rules one disparages them as rules to enforce NIMBY. But let me suggest another perspective, one that offers me the opportunity to bang on again about growing population.
The population in America has more than doubled, approaching triple the number of Americans, that were here when I was born. To those who say we have an infinite capacity in America and around the world to host unlimited numbers of people, consider why we need all of these "permitting and development rules"?
We need them because we live cheek by jowl with someone who has competing claims for water, air, view, parking space, garbage, exhausts, noise, who might be degrading our property values.
That is why we have zoning laws, that is why we live in gated communities, that is why we have willingly accept intrusive Property Owner Association rules etc.
It is also why it takes about 30 years to build a new runway at the Atlanta airport and why it may never be possible (not that it is desirable) to build a high-speed train in California.
We are at a level of population density where we nead (gasp!) need government to protect us from our neighbors and from the press of population density.
Slogans like NIMBY don't tell us much about the real problem, rather they slide past it.
