Every month the ABS releases new data on residential building approvals for Level 2 Statistical Areas (SA2s), which broadly correspond to suburbs, at least in the major cities. I’ve mapped the number of approvals for suburbs in the Brisbane metropolitan area over the five months to November 2013 below (i.e. the financial year to date).

The highest numbers of approvals are in pockets of the inner city (e.g. Newstead and Milton) that, broadly speaking, were industrial/commercial areas unaffected by heritage protection, which is arguably limiting development in other inner city areas (see Old Queenslanders in a New City). Other than these small pockets in the inner city, where development typically comprises new apartment buildings, the other areas with high approvals are outer-lying suburbs, such as Springfield Lakes and Calamvale, where development typically comprises houses and townhouses.