Brisbane planning laws keeping poor out of city’s most desirable suburbs, research suggests

City's character-zoning laws preserve prewar homes but prevent higher-density housing being built in areas with established infrastructure

Planning laws which preserve most prewar Brisbane homes are tantamount to exclusionary zoning", keeping poor people out of rich suburbs without substantially preserving the city's built heritage, according to new research.

The lead author, Rachel Gallagher, said the city's character-zoning laws were justified as a means to preserve heritage - but in reality prevent higher-density housing being built in some of the city's most desirable suburbs such as Chelmer, Morningside, Ashgrove, Paddington, Bulimba and Bardon.

Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads