The political battle over smarter land use development boils down to two sides: those like me in favor of development in existing neighborhoods to boost housing supply and limit sprawl and air pollution vs. those who protect the ‘character of their neighborhoods’ from any change. The latter are called NIMBYs — Not In My Backyard; the former are YIMBYs — Yes In My Backyard.

So what do I do when a song I like takes the NIMBY viewpoint? Death Cab For Cutie’s “Gold Rush” is explicitly about the sadness brought out by neighborhood change, with the title alluding to the profits made from redevelopment. Here’s the official “lyrics” video, complete with an infill construction site in the background:

Of course, there’s a strong metaphorical component to the song, about the ultimate disillusionment we’ll feel if we become too strongly attached to the present and to physical buildings to hold onto our memories and sense of identity.

But as much as I bash on NIMBYs as being selfish and sometimes racist, you’d have to be heartless not to respect the sadness that a resident can feel seeing the change in his or her neighborhood with redevelopment. It doesn’t mean that policy makers should always defer to those feelings, but more YIMBYs could also acknowledge the legitimate fear of (and sadness about) change in one’s hometown.

And perhaps while we’re at it, those on the NIMBY side who like to cite greed (“gold rush”) as the motivator for the YIMBY position could likewise acknowledge the legitimate concerns about poverty and the environment that underlie pro-redevelopment arguments.

A good song, after all, should help bring people of all persuasions together.