Resident action groups in Sydney: people power or rat‐bags?

This paper presents an analysis of a neglected area of study by geographers; that of resident action groups. During the 1980s there has been a significant increase in the number of resident action groups throughout Sydney. Resident activism has influenced local planning processes, the location of noxious facilities and subsequent urban form. This has initiated important reactions by government at both the local and State levels. Urban collective activisms have been hypothesised as single‐issue, self‐serving nimby groups. However, RAGs are also empowering forces, in which women and men are introduced to the political structures and become engaged in protest and resistance that can challenge the social and spatial order. RAGs can, either singularly or cumulatively, force a re‐aligning of existing power relations, and they can necessitate changed modes of governance (or govern‐mentality).