NIMBYism as democratic practice

Local opposition to large projects — here, a Microsoft data‑center in Dorr, Michigan — can be understood not merely as obstructionism but as a form of democratic claim‑making where residents defend place, social relations, and procedural voice. Framing NIMBY as civic practice highlights procedural justice, consent, and institutional design questions about how infrastructure is sited and who counts in those decisions. — This reframing shifts debate from technocratic inevitability to questions of local consent and institutional legitimacy, affecting permitting, corporate behavior, and national infrastructure strategy.