Despite its size and rapid growth, the Gold Coast has not received as much attention from urban analysts as have other Australian cities. This situation is being rectified to a degree with growing interest in the area. One emerging question which interests researchers is whether the Gold Coast is different to other Australian cities. Given the association that the city has had with the property development industry, it is pertinent to ask a question that is relevant to urban governance, managing urban growth and urban morphology: "Is the Gold Coast development industry different?" This paper begins to answer this question setting out the broad dimensions of the issue in an investigative framework, and offering a preliminary response using secondary sources.