Drawbridge Mentality

Drawbridge mentality, also called fortress mentality, is a conservative, anti-immigration attitude held by people who already live in an established community and resist further newcomers, businesses or development, particularly affordable housing, that would make it easier for others to move in. The attitude often surfaces in disputes between city councils seeking to expand a community and residents who fear the changes will lower property values or erode the economic and political advantages current residents hold; even when a restrictive policy has a separate economic justification, such as an impact fee meant to offset property taxes, its practical effect can still be to limit immigration into the area. Rather than engaging with the deeper drivers of migration, such as ecological collapse, climate-related disasters or economic pressure, drawbridge mentality focuses narrowly on immigration's perceived local consequences for urban density, property values, lifestyle and the community's existing cultural composition. The term overlaps heavily with NIMBY, not in my back yard, attitudes and is often used with a critical or insulting connotation, implying selfishness on the part of those who already secured their own place in a community.