GREAT PROJECT, BUT NOT IN MY BACK YARD! BY GLENN O CONNOR AND ERIC O ROURKE Two entertainment design pros turn NO into GO in four steps.
Here s a scenario you may be familiar with: you ve got a fantastic idea for an entertainment destination. Just when you want to go full speed ahead with it, the brick wall known as NIMBY brings it all to a screeching halt. An acronym for Not In My Back Yard, NIMBY is a term popular in North America that describes more than just a less than positive public reaction; it can prevent your idea from ever gaining traction. But all is not lost. There are four steps that can help you turn NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) into YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard).
WANDA NANCHANG THEME PARK, CHINA 1. CREATE A BUZZ Nothing wins hearts and minds faster than an idea that people can get excited about. If you re experiencing resistance, consider that you may not have spent the time you need to really articulate and demonstrate what the project brings to the neighbourhood. Do the public meetings, with your partner and with evocative, clear presentation materials, to highlight the best features. Get some positive press, if you can: address issues up front, but always emphasize the WOW factor so the perceived negatives don t outweigh the positives. Most communities have a sense of pride about who they are: if you can tap into that with a strong narrative, create a buzz, and convince the community that there are bragging rights that go with your project, the road can be a lot smoother.
2. GET THE COMMUNITY ONSIDE Most people are uncomfortable with change, which can cause a knee-jerk reaction to reject any proposal whatever it is. They worry that any change of the status quo will have a negative impact on the area and on them personally. This is the time to emphasize the project s role in creating hundreds of construction jobs, or hundreds of full-time jobs when complete. Show how the resulting new world-class facility would attract year-round guests, expand the local tax base and give the community something to be proud of.
3. DON T FORGET THE DETAILS Traffic, parking, circulation and back-of-house management are We look at how local roads and surrounding housing will be impacted. critically important to neighbourhoods and often the biggest bones of What transit options are in place, or need to be put in place, to access contention. FORREC s international experience in designing large-scale the development? Can existing infrastructure support the project? projects has taught us to carefully consider the context of the project Working with and coordinating with other specialists, as well as liaising within the area and how these aspects will impact the site. More with all levels of government helps bring the pieces together and works importantly, we spend just as much time determining how to integrate to address the concerns of the local population. these features in a way that has the least impact on the neighbourhood.
4. MASTER THE PLAN So how do you get from the vision of a water park and resort to the real thing? A well thought out master plan helps diminish the NIMBY factor. When you can bring the idea to life and demonstrate how seamlessly it fits into the community and culture, objections and concerns can be addressed and excitement at the prospect of it all can begin. The growing trend to cross-pollinate traditional entertainment environments is something that FORREC is experiencing worldwide. The specialized design expertise of our five design sectors theme parks, water parks, resorts, visitor attractions and mixed use + entertainment is being combined to create hybrid entertainment destinations unlike any other. Anticipating what questions will come up and knowing the answers in advance helps to open the gate to almost any back yard. LONGLEAT RESORT AND WATER PARK, UK
ERIC J. O ROURKE Eric J. O Rourke is director of resorts at FORREC Ltd. He travels the world keeping a close eye on what s trending in the resort industry and has led the planning and design of some of the world s most successful GLENN O CONNOR Glenn O Connor is senior director of water parks at FORREC Ltd. A landscape architect with more than 1,000 built projects and 21+ awards over his 30+ year career, Glenn creates water parks where fun happens, and people want to FORREC.COM 219 DUFFERIN ST, SUITE 100C, SOUTH BUILDING TORONTO, ON, M6K 3J1 CANADA resort destinations. stay longer and come back often. You can reach him at eorourke@forrec.com You can reach him at goconnor@forrec.com