The city that people once moved to for "a house with a garden" could be forced to rethink its identity to house the hundreds of thousands moving to the capital over the next decades.
Canberra's planners have long been unrestrained in developing a city surrounded by ample green space and empty paddocks, but as the suburbs approach the borders of the ACT, government and communities will have to make hard decisions about where the next generation of Canberrans will live.
Originally planned for 25,000 people, Canberra's population has grown to roughly 460,000 and is expected to reach 780,000 by 2060, according to a 2025 RSM report.
