You paint with very broad strokes. Urbanizing the sunshine coast vs intensification of already-urban areas are very different. Only one of them is good for the environment.
I'm very alarmed about the city's shrinking tree canopy and believe that ALL mature trees in ALL development must be retained. But those rotting west-side bungalows you want to preserve so badly (as if you can afford them if only those pesky immigrants stop replacing them with limestone mansions lmao
) aren't worth the land they're sitting on. I rather see Evelyn Drive type development up to 6 stories in as much of the city as possible, rather than towers on fat podiums.
And there's no reason why smaller towns can't take on a similar urban form to minimize their footprint on nature.