Suppose an out-of-town developer and a local enviro group clash over some local land use issue. The not in my backyard (NIMBY) problem arises. It is intractable. The business firms lose lots of money due to the delays and additional costs of satisfying the concerns of the locals.
But wait, maybe a market will form to address the problem (Industry grows ...):
"There's increasing awareness of the stupendous costs and risks associated with political delay related to NIMBYism," said Debra Stein, president of GCA Strategies, a San Francisco firm that specializes in land-use issues. "More real estate professionals are recognizing this is a serious problem, but a solvable problem."
...
So consultants help developers monitor public opinion and sell the benefits of projects using traffic, demographic and economic impact studies.
Ahhhh, the smell of an economic impact study! We love those things around here (sarc level three).
