Adding the equivalent of the NSW city of Orange to one of the smallest jurisdictions in the country in half a decade is no mean feat; especially when more than half, or about 24,000, take up residence in Gungahlin.

Gungahlin, ground zero for the bulk of the Land Development Agency's block releases since 2010, is now the second fastest growing area in the country.

While these figures, and the concentration of population growth to the north, seems to vindicate recent investments in roads and the controversial light rail link, there is more to managing this rate of increase than schools and transport infrastructure.

The belated decision to proceed with the development of an additional hospital, confirmed in the lead up to last year's election, can now be seen as even more timely than its advocates believed.

Our population spike also vindicates the 2014 decision to increase the size of the ACT Legislative Assembly from 17 members to 25 with the majority of the new MLA's taking seats in the north.

One issue the ACT Government is going to have to focus on is the composition of our new arrivals.

Canberra's rich multicultural tradition will continue to thrive given 25,973 - or more than half - of our latest residents were born overseas. This group now accounts for more than a quarter of Canberra's total population.

Some services such as transport, rubbish collection and the like don't need a great deal of finessing.

Others, such as education, health and access to social services, do need to be fine tuned to take ethnic and cultural diversity into account.

While Canberra's phenomenal growth, noteworthy for having occurred while a succession of Labor and Coalition Governments have been slashing public sector employment, can be seen as a success story we have also seen growing pains.

These included questions over recent planning decisions, a perception the Government is more interested in property development than the welfare of its citizens and fears the soaring demand for new homes has compromised quality and safety standards.

We have seen a succession of high profile building company failures which have left dozens of families at their wits' end as to how they can get their homes finished.

There is also the issue the ACT is running out of developable land. One consequence of this has been the establishment of multiple cross-border developments whose residents work here but do not pay ACT rates and charges.

None of these problems are insurmountable however. Our current rate of growth is still less than what Canberra has seen in the past. With planning and forethought the obstacles can be overcome. For the ACT to continue to flourish will be a neat trick that requires balancing increasing density, sprawl, planning for a bigger city than we currently have and finding ways to pay the bills through broadening the economic base.

As we continue to grow, thought must also be given to the character that makes our city one of the most livable in the world, and ensuring we don't lose that unique character in our rush to expand.