Common property, collective interests, and community opposition to locally unwanted land uses

Abstract

Investigations of “not in my backyard”; or NIMBY behavior often focus on the importance of the facility and the role that individual interests, such as property and health concerns, play in fostering opposition from local residents. These studies have not considered the role that common property resources and collective interests play when resistance to unwanted land uses arises. This investigation analyzes events surrounding the siting of a limestone mine on Laurel Mountain, West Virginia. After examining the emergence of a common property resource regime, the types of concerns that local residents expressed are examined. These comments suggest that when a common property resource is present, collective interests and community concerns may provide a stronger rationale for sustained action than individual interests.