It's well and truly time to change the tone, direction and narrative when it comes to discussing Canberra's future housing laws.
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The population is growing, house prices are rising, and the city can sprawl outwards only so far.
And the city will need to densify; there's no getting around it.
And it's time, most of all, to focus on good planning, rather than the pros and cons of fitting more people into the suburbs.
As was reported last week, the ACT is gearing up for more changes in planning laws, to allow for more housing on suburban blocks, as part of a steer towards more affordable homes.
Key among these plans is the concept of the "missing middle", and how to cater for those whose needs aren't necessarily represented in the bulk of Canberra's housing stock.
For those living on 800-square-metre blocks in large leafy suburbs, it can be challenging, or even impossible, to fathom an entire generation no longer considers this as aspirational, or even desirable.
So many parts of the world are founded on apartment living, on density and mixed precincts knitted into the fabric of societies, and entirely representative of how people want to live and work together.
Not everyone dreams of having a large garden to tend to, or a separate dining room, or space for several cars. The idea of apartment living, with all its easygoing, low-maintenance implications, appeals to just as many people as those who instinctively recoil.
It has felt like a long time coming, but accepting that this may well be a large part of what Canberra will one day offer in terms of housing options is a sign of maturity, not of defeat.
![Canberra's future housing strategy needs a rethink. File picture Canberra's future housing strategy needs a rethink. File picture](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc77839oqlwggp1nypjhn.jpg/r0_625_3851_2790_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"This is about building more homes where people want to live," ACT Planning Minister Chris Steel said last week.
"More missing middle housing provides opportunities for older Canberrans to age in place, and more families to find a home with a garden near established services."
Of course, as with all Canberra planning projections, the question is always whether the aspirations will eventually be realised.
There are many reasons for people, especially those who love their suburbs and care about how they develop in the future, to be apprehensive about what change will mean for them.
Canberra may be a young city in relative terms, but a century is well old enough to have developed a sense of character. In building up our suburbs to accommodate a growing population, we must always be wary of maintaining what's special about our city.
To this end, our system of heritage protection needs as much attention as our planning policies. Long-term residents are now familiar with the discombobulation of turning a corner and seeing a gap where once there stood a building, or a block of scaffolding on what used to be green space.
In such situations, one can't help wondering what might have been lost in the rush to move on, to develop, improve or regenerate.
Proper consideration will need to be given to all neighbourhoods to ensure character is maintained, and not overlaid with time-stamped architecture that risks changing the atmosphere, skyline and streetscape forever.
Mr Steel maintains good planning is key; this will only be one part of a successful transition for Canberra.
Many of us will remember the open spaces of our childhoods, but these can be overlaid with new and different memories, of community and proximity and convenience, for future generations.
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