Town planning experts say the recent flood events in Queensland and New South Wales highlight how vulnerable coastal communities, including the Gold Coast, are to major weather events.
A slow-moving weather system recently dumped hundreds of millimetres of rain on the Gold Coast with floodwaters inundating homes and businesses in low-lying areas.
The weather event also impacted more than 15,000 homes in Brisbane.
Director of the Cities Research Institute at Griffith University, Professor Paul Burton, said the "horse has bolted" with development in these areas, leaving communities at risk during extreme weather.
"But what we can't do is just pick up cities and move them to less risky areas.
"That's practically impossible."
More than 630,000 people live on the Gold Coast and Professor Burton said authorities have very few options when trying to prevent future flood events.
"One is to invest heavily in concrete infrastructure, build big sea walls, keep the houses away," he said.
"Those are really expensive and really difficult and probably impractical.
"What we have to do is learn to live and build and to develop sensibly in these areas that are at risk."
Strategies 'absolutely not' perfect
Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, said the recent weather event proved the city's planning scheme was working.
"Not all of these had water into the living areas but [some] had water substantially across the land.
"While one home is one too many, it has to be remembered that we have more than 250,000 homes in the city."
Professor Burton said local governments approve development applications, including those in flood prone areas, and those powers are given to them by state governments.
"For a number of years now the Queensland Government has been requiring and helping local governments, including coastal councils like the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, to develop a Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy," he said.
"They assess some of those risks and come up with plans to reduce some of those risks and ensure we don't experience disasters in the future.
"Are they perfect? Absolutely not. Could they be better? Yes."
More intense weather expected
A United Nations report on climate last week warned more intense and frequent weather events would occur as a result of climate change.
Griffith University professor and coordinating author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Brendan Mackey, said local government planners need to play their part in avoiding widespread devastation.
"We have to be giving a lot more thought to the fact we are going to see an increase in the intensity and frequency and duration of these extreme fire and weather events."
Mayor Tom Tate said council had spent $250 million on new stormwater systems and invested in rebuilding the city's A -line seawall along the coast.
"Climate change commentators should applaud how well our planning scheme is working to ensure properties are approved for construction in suitable areas," he said.
