Today , we are going to talk about the idea of community and neighborhoods . Where we live can make a difference in our happiness . Some people love their neighborhoods just the way they are . They do not want them to change . For example , let's say a city council decides that they want to build a big waste treatment plant into a quiet , beautiful neighborhood . A waste treatment plant would be loud . It would bring lots of big trucks through the neighborhood streets . And it would probably smell bad . All these things could lower the quality of living and the property value of the neighborhood's houses . So , people in the neighborhood hold protests . They collect signatures to show the city council that the neighbors do not want the waste treatment plant in their neighborhood . They know the plant is necessary . But they want it built somewhere else – not near their homes . And that brings us to our word for today : NIMBY . NIMBY is an acronym . It stands for : Not In My Backyard . Usually the word “backyard ” means the area behind a house . But in this case , it means the whole neighborhood . If you look it up on the internet , NIMBY describes an opposition to putting something considered undesirable in one's own neighborhood . When describing a person , a NIMBY is someone who opposes some form of new development in their community or neighborhood . Their way of thinking is sometimes called NIMBYism . Now , our first example was a waste treatment plant . But many other facilities can bring out a person's inner NIMBY -- for example , prisons . They may be necessary , but they are not desirable to some people . Some may think that they could bring unwanted problems to their neighborhood , like crime . But a person may be a NIMBY to other kinds of development too – like big stores or sports stadiums . They may bring business to a city , but they also bring more traffic and noise to the neighborhood they're in . For example , let's say a brand-new food store is coming to your neighborhood . You are very happy . Finally , you won't have to go far to buy food ! But some of your neighbors do not share your happiness . They fear the new store will bring many more people , many more cars , and big trucks to their quiet streets . They may not be able to park their cars easily . So , they try to stop the development from happening . Maybe we all have a little NIMBY in us . Maybe we do not know it until our city wants to build a trash processor next to our home . Now let's hear NIMBY used at this neighborhood party . Hey did you hear ? They city council is voting on the new trash treatment facility tomorrow . And I will be there with about 50 neighbors to protest . Oh , are they thinking of building it in your neighborhood ? And it just doesn't make sense ! Are you sure this isn't just a NIMBY reaction ? Maybe a little . But it really WOULD be cheaper to build it in another part of town . And what part of town would that be ? Near the railroad tracks . Nobody lives around it . Plus , that location already has an old trash treatment plant . That will save a ton of money . Those are actually pretty good reasons . Yeah , I figured if we didn't bring some good reasons to the fight … we would just sound like big NIMBYs . Now you sound just like little NIMBYs . I can live with that .