Delivering suburban densification: Diverse resident groups and strategies of support and resistance

Abstract

Suburbs are at the forefront of urban change, with urban policy looking to increase the density of suburban centres. Thus, the compact city has emerged as a dominant urban policy paradigm, where policy settings are configured to enable densification in designated centres. For some, this is a form of post-suburbanism, characterised by new drivers, experiences and outcomes of suburban redevelopment pressures. However, suburban densification can emerge as a site of contestation as diverse interests, such as residents, developers and governments, come together. We explore three suburban centres in Sydney, Australia, to identify the diverse array of resident positions, objectives and strategies that emerge in response to suburban densification. Drawing from literature on NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard), YIMBY (yes-in-my-backyard) and urban growth machines, we establish an analytical framework that disrupts simple pro- and anti-development positions, identifying five resident groups: supporters; resisters; opponents; expansionists; and beneficiaries.