Global Sustainability & Rural and Urban Places

Benefit Sharing

Formal and mutually agreed terms for the ongoing, equitable distribution of benefits, arising from the application or commercial utilisation of knowledge, practices and/or resources. Benefit sharing agreements with Indigenous Peoples may relate to Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP), such as knowledges and practices associated with sustainable management of land and resources.

biodiversity

The variety of living organisms within a particular habitat, ecosystem, biome, or globally

climate change

A long-term change in regional or global climate patterns, e.g. annual precipitation, frequency of weather events.

diversity

In a geographic context, diversity refers to variations within and between places, environments, natural or human phenomena, for example in relation to biophysical characteristics, culture, religion, settlement, economic activity.

demographic transition

A model consisting of various stages used to show population change over time, including the influence of birth rates and death rates.

ecological integrity

The ability of an ecosystem to support and naturally maintain ecological processes, species, a diverse community of organisms, and other important characteristics, with minimal or no intervention through human management.

economic integration

The process by which places become increasingly linked and interdependent economically. This involves the reduction or elimination of the barriers to the flow of goods, services and factors of production between places and nations.

ethical practices

The application of fundamental ethical principles when undertaking research and collecting information, eg confidentiality, informed consent, citation and integrity of data.

feedback loops

Feedback loops are reactions in response to environmental change. Positive feedback loops cause one or more components to increase overall, creating a negative impact on the ecosystem. A negative feedback loop has a positive impact on the ecosystem because it decreases the impact of change, bringing it closer to dynamic equilibrium.

geographic region

A region exhibits shared natural or human characteristics, eg political, economic, social, cultural, climate, land/water cover, vegetation, that distinguishes the region from neighbouring regions. Regions can be divisions of a nation, or larger than a nation.

geographical processes

The physical and human processes that form and transform the world, eg the water cycle, erosion, migration and urbanisation. Geographical processes can work in combination and operate within and between places.

geomorphic processes

Natural processes that transform the lithosphere to create distinctive landscapes and landforms eg tectonic activity, weathering, erosion and deposition.

human diversity

Variations in how people use the places and spaces they occupy, including the nature of their settlements, economies, cultures and societies.

geopolitical

Politics and international relations as influenced by geographical factors, eg related to space, place and environment.

human wellbeing

The quality of life of a population, e.g. access to opportunities, healthcare, education, infrastructure, a clean environment.

informal settlements

Areas where housing or shelter is constructed on land where the occupants either have no legal claim, occupy illegally and/or are not in compliance with planning and building regulations. These settlements typically lack provision of amenities and services.

land cover

The natural and artificial features and structures that cover the land’s surface, eg trees, grass, crops, wetlands, water, ice, buildings and pavement.

liveability

An assessment of the quality of a place. The concept of liveability has been linked to a range of factors, e.g. health, sense of safety, access to services, cost of living, comfortable living standards, mobility and transport, air quality and social participation.

mega-region

An expanding urban cluster, formed as a result of the convergence of more than one metropolitan/urban area.

megacity

A metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million.

natural hazard

Atmospheric, hydrological and geomorphic processes and events in the environment that have the potential to damage the environment and endanger communities, eg bushfires, tropical cyclones, floods, earthquakes.

regional centre

Places that have an economic and social role, servicing the area around them. They are often characterised by factors such as population growth, increasing population density and growth in employment.

remote settlement

A place that has less access to various goods and services because of its location and distance from larger urban settlements.

resilience

The ability of an ecosystem to tolerate and recover from natural and/or human-induced disturbance.

risk management

preparedness, mitigation and/or prevention of a natural or ecological hazard. Preparedness involves planning the interventions needed to prevent or mitigate the effects of a hazard. Mitigation involves the implementation of strategies to eliminate or minimise the effects of these hazards. Adaptation involves adjusting to the changed environmental circumstances.

rural place/rural settlements

A reference to a settlement in the countryside typically serving a farming or agricultural area.

settlement pattern

The spatial distribution of different types of human settlement, eg dwellings, towns, cities. Settlements may take a range of forms, including linear, scattered, clustered, nucleated, dispersed, planned, radial.

sociocultural

Related to social and cultural factors that influence people and communities.

spatial change

Change in the location and arrangement of particular features, phenomena or activities across the surface of the Earth.

spatial distribution

The location and arrangement of particular features, phenomena or activities across the surface of the Earth.

spheres of influence

The geographical area over which the services and functions of an urban settlement extend. Larger settlements typically have a greater sphere of influence than smaller settlements and attract people from a wider geographical area.

tipping points

A critical point (often called a threshold) where a series of smaller changes become significant enough, collectively, to trigger a larger-scale change. The change is often abrupt and irreversible, permanently altering the state of the original system, leading to flow-on effects that have more widespread consequences for other natural systems, and for people.

urban corridor

A part of an urban area defined by a particular geographical feature such as a transportation route.

urban hierarchy

The ranking of urban places in descending order, eg cities, determined by population size.

urban place

A reference to a permanent settlement or built-up area with a relatively dense population.

urbanisation

n increasing proportion of the population of a country or region live in urban areas. The size and rate of urbanisation is influenced by push-pull factors.

Country

Country is used to describe a specific area of a nation or clan including physical, linguistic and spiritual features. Aboriginal communities’ cultural associations with their Country may include or relate to languages, cultural practices, knowledge, songs, stories, art, paths, landforms, flora, fauna and minerals. These cultural associations may include custodial relationships with particular landscapes such as land, sea, sky, rivers as well as the intangible places associated with the Dreaming(s). Custodial relationships are extremely important in determining who may have the capacity to authentically speak for their Country. 

Place

Place is a space mapped out by physical or intangible boundaries that individuals or groups of Torres Strait Islander Peoples occupy and regard as their own. It is a space with varying degrees of spirituality.

culture

The customs, habits, beliefs/spirituality, social organisation and ways of life that characterise different groups and communities. Cultural characteristics give a group or individual a sense of who they are and help them make sense of the world in which they live. Culture is a shared system but inherently diverse – there can be individual and group differences within cultures. Everyone has culture – it is a lens through which we see the world.

custodians

Maintaining and passing on particular elements of cultural significance, eg language, stories, songs, rituals and imagery.

diversity

Differences that exist within a group, for example, age, sex, gender, gender expression, sexuality, ethnicity, ability/disability, body shape and composition, culture, religion/spirituality, learning differences, socioeconomic background, values and experiences.

kinship

Being related to and belonging to the land.

triple bottom line business strategy

1. Economic: the financial return to the business and/or shareholders

2. Social/cultural: the positive impact for individuals and their communities

3. Environmental: the effect on the environment.

impacts of the organisation

cultural advocates

advocate for specific communities and their distinct identity, language, history and context

cultural anthropologists

study people’s beliefs and practices

economists

study the production, consumption and distribution of goods and services

environmentalists

advocate for the protection of the natural environment and its resources

ecologists

study the relationships between living organisms and the environment

precautionary principle

taking preventative action in uncertainty and exploring a wide range of alternatives to possible harmful actions

intergenerational equity

the current generation should responsibly use and conserve natural resources for the benefit of future generations

conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity

maintaining diversity and quality of ecosystems and enhancing the ability to adapt to future needs

principle of integration / multi-objective planning

decision-making processes should effectively integrate both long-term and short-term economic, environmental, social and equitable considerations

incentive mechanisms

To involve large, wealthy corporations and individuals to take their own initiative in solving geographic problems e.g carbon credit system

Multi-disciplinary planning

consulting multiple groups of people and levels of socio-political spectrum in the consideration and planning of either physical or human projects

Intra-generational equity

access to resources withi the the current generation

spatial autonomy

Sense of belonging and relationship to the place

sustainability

the capacity of the environment to continue to support our lives and the lives of other living things into the future

sustainable development

a process of economic and social change designed to produce an environmentally sustainable economy and a just society

stewardship

responsible use and protection of the natural environment through sustainable practices

NGO

non-government organisation

affordable housing

housing appropriate to the range of low-medium income households

brownfield

sites that have previously been developed

conurbation

a large urban agglomeration formed by the gradual growth and merging of formerly separate towns

greenfield

areas available for development on the edges of urban areas or in suburban locations

hinterland

a settlement’s sphere of economic influence

informal housing/squatter settlements

housing that does not comply with local authority requirements for conventional (formal) townships

site

characteristics of the place where a settlement is located

situation

place’s location inrelation to other lpaces of prominent f=physical features such as rivers

urban growth

rate at which an urban population increases

peri-urban

area just beyonf the metropolitan fringe; the interface between city and country

urban agglomeration

cities whose contiguous territory has surpassed the ‘city proper’ or local administrative boundaries and includes the adjacent suvurvan and peri-urban areas

urban consolidation

policies directed at increasing the density of housing in established residential areas

urban decay

the physical deterioration of the urban environment

world city

a centre of global, economic and cultural authority

urban renewal

the redevelopment of blighted urban areas, so that they better meet the needs of people

urban sprawl

the spread of urban land uses into undeveloped land on the outskirts of a city

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)