Varun Vashisht was one of the first residents to move into the north Canberra suburb of Taylor in 2018.
In that time, he has seen the suburb's population boom around him.
"Definitely the houses have grown and the community has grown," Mr Vashisht said.
"But services have not caught up."
He said watching a community grow had been amazing, but the lack of equal growth for services in the area could make things feel cramped.
"There are so many people sharing the same space."
According to the latest population data, in 2020, Taylor's population was 936, but residents say there has been clear growth in the two years since.
Part of the reason for people moving to the area is due to housing being slightly more affordable in Gungahlin's north, compared with prices in other parts of the territory.
But Mr Vashisht said it felt as though people were being crammed into townhouses or in free-standing houses that had been built very close together.
Taylor has a median block size of 426m2 – significantly smaller than the ACT-wide average.
"I think the Suburban Land Agency has to look into this; how much space they are giving within a block? …How sustainable is it?"
The northern fringes – young and diverse
Residents in Gungahlin's northern suburbs, including Taylor, Casey and Moncrieff, tend to be younger than other Canberrans and are also more likely to be from south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
One young couple calling the area home is Kate and Kwabena Ansah.
The pair are currently renting while they build their first home in Taylor, but say the lack of services has them concerned.
For example, Ms Ansah said she would prefer to have a supermarket in the suburb she lived.
She said that was becoming an issue because the two centres were servicing a lot of people.
Ms Ansah questioned how sustainable the situation would be as more people moved into the area.
'It is getting busier really quickly," she said.
"They are building developments on both sides of Taylor, and we are running out of time."
A tale of two suburbs
Development in Casey — the oldest of the newer northern suburbs — began in 2008, with the first residents moving in in 2010.
According to the latest available data, the suburb is home to 6,819 people and more than 30 per cent of the population is aged under 15.
While, like Taylor, the suburb's median age is also younger than the ACT average, it has slightly larger block sizes than its neighbouring suburb and also has a relatively big shopping centre with plenty of services.
Katrina Burgers has young children and moved to Casey nearly a decade ago – when bigger houses on bigger blocks were still relatively affordable.
She said the area had everything she needed.
"With Casey, it is quiet, and it is nice to head down to the shops, which are really close," she said.
"There is a school bus, and the school is really close."
But Ms Burgers said there was not a lot of vacant land left in Casey, and, as the population grew, she also felt that people were being crammed in.
"Casey does not have a lot of land left," she said.
"But the apartments they have just put down as you come in – there is a lot in there."
Gungahlin's growing pains
Gungahlin is no longer the fastest-growing fringe of Canberra – the Molonglo Valley, in Canberra's south-west, is.
So the expansion of Canberra's northern-most town centre, which is currently home to more than 85,000 people, is almost over, with the population expecting to peak at about 90,000.
But the population boom over the past two decades has left growing pains in its wake, including that most of Gungahlin's residents have to commute out of the town centre for work.
Earlier this year, one potential remedy was delivered: a major federal department, Defence Housing Australia moved into their new offices in Gungahlin – something that was promised by ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja.
