It's a thing, this going back and forth. Most of us do it regularly, and with ease. Crossing town doesn't involve nearly as many logistics as, say, traversing Sydney.

Here in the capital, it's 20 minutes here, 30 minutes max there, punctuated by two very distinct, predictable peak hours at the beginning and end of the average weekday.

And Canberra is as divided as any city when it comes to which parts they like the best. But if you're a southerner, you may be forgiven for feeling even a modicum of bitterness at last week's news Canberra's northside is set to nearly double in population size over the next 40 years.

That is, the ACT government is planning for the growth, and much sooner than expected. The northern suburbs will expand, both up and out, while the southern suburbs will shrink.

So much for the region we once fondly referred to as Canberra's own "Nappy Valley". Tuggeranong residents have all, apparently, grown up and headed north, like moths to the flame of better infrastructure and rapid growth. What's not to love?

Except Canberra's south is established, and people choose to live there. The projected imbalance beggars belief, and warning bells should be sounding for anyone who has settled in the south.

Death knells, even; the report projects Canberra's southern suburbs will actually shrink and, as the result of resources being diverted and concentrated in the north, stagnate. "The area will drop from housing 20 per cent of the capital's population to 11 per cent," the report says.

Meanwhile, it's feasible rates will rise in those areas with larger blocks - Tuggeranong particularly - even while resources are being poured in the opposite direction.

Tuggeranong may feel it is being left out of Canberra's future planning, but stagnation seems to be a choice, rather than inevitable.

The rationale seems to be people will be more willing to live in places that are easier to get to, skating over the fact Canberra's substandard public transport system has long ensured the far-flung suburbs remain exactly that - far flung and less desirable.

In reality, this region - which boasts some of Canberra's prettiest views - is not undesirable, just under-served. Why not change that, while also expanding to the north? Can't both projected developments coexist? Canberra residents, like those of any other cities, base their living preferences on all kinds of things.

Infrastructure, services and amenities should grow up and around existing communities, especially those once considered growth areas, even as new areas develop elsewhere.

By the same token, Canberrans in the north should also be worried. Many people are drawn to densely-populated areas, just as many cherish the relative open space of many of Canberra's suburbs.

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And while we all accept densification is inevitable and necessary, that the population in that northern region is set to almost double in a short space of time - to more than half-a-million people in four decades - is alarming. Just as the south should not be starved of services, the north also needs to maintain some of its original attractions and heritage values.

Canberra was never a city defined by the kind of organic growth of other cities with longer, less idiosyncratic histories.

But it's large enough that social imperatives and natural movement can intertwine without constant intervention.