Affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing that is appropriate for the needs of a range of very low to moderate income households, and priced (whether mortgage repayments or rent) so these households are able to meet their other essential basic living costs. It differs to social housing which is provided and/or managed by the government (public housing) or by a not-for-profit organisation (community housing).
Active travel
Active travel includes physical activity undertaken as a means of transport and not purely as a form of recreation. Active travel can include walking, cycling, skating, scootering, skateboarding and the use of mobility aids. Active travel also includes using any of these forms as incidental activity associated with the use of public transport.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity describes the variety of life in all its forms and at all levels of organisation, as well as the ecological and evolutionary processes through which genes, species and ecosystems interact with one another and with their environment.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Any of the gases whose absorption of solar radiation is responsible for the greenhouse effect including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and the fluorocarbons.
Carbon neutral city
A carbon neutral city or activity emits no net greenhouse gases. This can be achieved by reducing carbon emissions from city-related activities and/or by offsetting emissions with changes in activities unrelated to the city.
Climate change adaptation
Actions taken to help communities and ecosystems adjust to changing climate conditions and their effects.
Climate change mitigation
The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and subsequently a cessation of further warming.
Ecosystem
A dynamic combination of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment (e.g. soil, water and the climatic regime) interacting as a functional unit.
Ecosystem services
The benefits people obtain from functioning ecosystems. These include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as urban cooling and flood control; cultural services such as recreational and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling.
Employment land
Employment Land is land that is zoned in the Territory Plan 2008 for the use of commercial and industrial purposes.
Future-proof
Future-proofing is the process of anticipating the future and developing methods of minimising the effects of shocks and stresses of future events.
Greenfield
Greenfield areas are made up of undeveloped land outside of the existing urban footprint. Often located on the edge of existing urban areas. Greenfield development requires full assessment of environmental, infrastructure and planning issues, to determine future use and suitability for expansion of the city.
Group centre
Centres that service several nearby suburbs and provide easy access to major services, retailing and other commercial and community uses that meet the weekly needs of its catchment population.
Knowledge industries
Are based on knowledge-intensive activities that contribute to an accelerated pace of technical and scientific advancement. They have a greater reliance on intellectual capabilities than on physical inputs or natural resources.
Infill
Development of unused or underutilised land in existing urban areas. It involves increasing the capacity of our existing urban area to support growth.
Local centre
Smaller shopping centres that provide convenience retailing, and community and business services that meet the daily needs of the local population.
Living infrastructure
Living infrastructure refers to all of the interconnected ecosystems within an urban catchment, including the ‘green infrastructure’ of trees, gardens, green walls and roofs, parks, reserves and open spaces, and the ‘blue infrastructure’ of our waterbodies including lakes, wetlands and waterways.
Liveability
This is a measure of city resident’s quality of life and is used to benchmark cities around the world. It includes socio-economic, environmental, transport and recreational measures.
Natural resources
These resources include soil, water and marine resources; geological features and landscapes; native vegetation; native animals and other native organisms; and ecosystems.
Place-making
A multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Place making encourages broad community and business involvement in the design, experience, place management and progressive enhancement of the public realm through engagement and participation.
Resilience
The capacity of individuals, communities, businesses and systems in a region to survive, adapt and thrive, no matter what chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience.
Social infrastructure
Encompasses all the facilities, services and networks that help families, groups and communities to meet their social, health, education, cultural and community needs.
Sustainable development
Forms of development that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Town centre
A town centre offers a wide range of facilities and services to serve the community and visitors from the surrounding district. Typically a town centre offers employment opportunities and provides higher order retail facilities, offices and consulting rooms; cultural, community and public administration; entertainment, educational, religious and residential facilities. Generally most urban districts in the ACT has a town centre providing access to goods and services bought less frequently.
Urban design
Urban design is the collaborative and multi-disciplinary process of shaping the physical setting for life in cities and towns. It involves the design of buildings, groups of buildings, spaces and landscapes, and the establishment of frameworks and processes that facilitate successful development.
Urban footprint
Is the geographic extent of the existing urban area.
Urban Intensification Areas
Areas where further development and redevelopment is directed and is aligned with supporting infrastructure and provides the opportunity for renewal and investment in targeted locations.
Urban renewal
This is the process of improving the economic, social and environmental sustainability of a particular urban area through redevelopment of underutilised urban areas. It typically involves urban redesign, infrastructure renewal and investment, and identifying precincts and land for mixed use.
Water sensitive urban design (WSUD)
Is the planning, design or construction of the built environment to minimise water runoff and ensure any runoff causes the least amount of damage. It is also about wise use of that water to improve our urban environment.