American Dream

Residents of an unincorporated part of the Portland area successfully opposed annexation by a nearby city in order to prevent their low-density area from being converted to high-density developments. "We don't understand why every square inch of that mountain has to have houses crowded on it," says one of the residents.

This is a classic case of NIMBYism. While NIMBYism that stops any development and drives up housing costs can be bad, NIMBYism that stops social engineering in the form of smart-growth planning can be good.