Yes Approval can be issue in game now. I have increased the base Morale (GoodsAndServices) for the Colony Capital building back to +3 from being lowered to +1 in Crusade. I suspect Morale buildings need to be either +2/+4/+6/+8 with its upgrades or +3/+6/+9/+12. Yes adjacency bonuses will help for Morale Buildings. Intimidation Center (Ideological Motivation Trait Choice 1 ) also gives a +2 Adjacency bonus and +20% (was previously 50% and should be changed back) Morale bonus to its planet.
Planetary special resource Harmony Crystals gives +2 Adjacency Morale bonus. Planetary special resources Artocarpus Viriles or Monsatium Deposit give +2 Adjacency PopulationCap bonus. All Farm Buildings give +1 Population neighboring bonuses. The population growth buildings (Colonial Hospital and its upgrades) give +2 Population bonus.
Yes Stalker0 is right with the switch to Global Food Pool (great idea Stardock) it helps now to have a few Farming planets in your Empire just as it helps to have a few specialized Research or Economic Planets.
Frank999's idea that there should be an upgrade path to Cities makes good sense too - one building per planet but not just +16 population Cap without means to easily keep morale "in check". I believe Gauntlet in his mod had upgrades to Colonial Capital buildings (using existing Government Techs)cthat increases its initiate bonuses and neighboring bonuses including Morale as well.