State and trends of the built environment

Built environment (2016, 2011)

State and trends of the built environment

Very poor,Poor,Good,Very good

Urban centres with population greater than 1,000,000

Livability in terms of urban amenity and housing is generally considered good for most people. Traffic congestion and commute times are a significant problem for many people living in major cities, and the natural environment is suffering from continued development at the urban fringe. Use of resources is high, but aspects of water and energy efficiency is improving, and waste recovery is increasing

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Somewhat comparable

Urban centres with population greater than 1,000,000

20162011

Built environment

State and trends

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment was based on expert opinion, informed by peer-reviewed literature and publicly available reports.

The 2016 assessments were made from the same components as in 2011. Expert workshop participants assessed each component of livability (urban amenity, housing, transport, air quality, water quality, natural environment), as well as each component of urban environmental efficiency (land use; energy efficiency; water efficiency; waste generation and recovery), from which an aggregated assessment was made and further reviewed based on data, content, expert peer review, and experts via online survey.

Data/Information sources

All sources are referenced in the 'State and trends' section

Comments

This assessment reflects the aggregation of the variable ratings for urban livability and urban environmental efficiency. Energy, water and waste efficiencies have improved, although, along with land use efficiency, all have a poor grade due to ongoing areas of concern. While urban livability is good for housing, air and water quality, some of those factors were assessed as declining. Transport and the natural environment are significant areas for concern and were rated as poor.

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Traffic congestion creates significant problems, and there are concerns about the level of pollution and maintenance of major cities There are good ranges of recreational activities. The use of natural resources such as land, water and energy is high

Year(s):

2011

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Year(s):

2011

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Urban centres with population between 100,000 and 1,000,000

Generally have lower traffic densities and good urban amenities. Includes a broad range of cities, including the smaller capital cities. As for the larger cities, the use of natural resources such as water and energy is high, and there are increasing land-use pressures, especially along the coast, for some high-growth areas

Year(s):

2016

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Somewhat comparable

Urban centres with population between 100,000 and 1,000,000

2016

Built environment

State and trends

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment was based on expert opinion, informed by peer-reviewed literature and publicly available reports.

Data/Information sources

All sources are referenced in the 'State and trends section' and the introduction.

Comments

This assessment includes the smaller capital cities (Canberra, Hobart and Darwin), as well as high-growth areas, including the Hunter, Illawarra, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Geelong regions.

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

These cities have lower traffic densities and are generally considered to be less polluted and better maintained. There are good ranges of recreational activities. The use of natural resources such as water and energy is high

Year(s):

2011

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Urban centres with population between 10,000 and 99,999

Includes centres with a diversity of issues; however, on balance, overall liveability is considered good, but efficiency of resource use generally poor. Generally assessed to have a lower impact on the natural environment

Year(s):

2016

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Very limited

Confidence (in trend):

Very limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Somewhat comparable

Urban centres with population between 10,000 and 99,999

20162011

Built environment

State and trends

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment was based on expert opinion, informed by peer-reviewed literature and publicly available reports.

Data/Information sources

All sources are referenced in the 'State and trends' section, although there are generally less data to assess these centres across the range of components.

Comments

The majority of data provided in this report focus on larger centres, so there is less confidence in this assessment.

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Because a larger number of centres fall within this category, there is a diversity of issues and less rigorous evidence about these issues; however, there is a consensus that, on balance, the state of the built environment in these urban centres is good

Year(s):

2011

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Smaller places

Continues to be good; they generally place less pressure on the natural environment. However, some centres in this category can have poor access to transport, and water quality issues have been experienced

Year(s):

2016

Deteriorating

Confidence (in grade):

Very limited

Confidence (in trend):

Very limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Somewhat comparable

Smaller places

20162011

Built environment

State and trends

Approach/Process

Qualitative assessment was based on expert opinion, informed by peer-reviewed literature and publicly available reports.

Data/Information sources

All sources are referenced in the 'State and trends section', although there are generally less data to assess these centres across the range of components.

Comments

The majority of data provided in this report focus on larger centres, so there is less confidence in this assessment.

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

In spite of a lack of evidence and a diversity of issues, the consensus is that the state of the built environment in these places is good. Because of their small size, these places put less pressure on the natural environment; however, they lack scale in the use of water and energy, and waste management can be of concern

Year(s):

2011

Stable

Confidence (in grade):

Limited

Confidence (in trend):

Limited

Comparability (to previous reports):

Not assessed

Topics

Livability: Urban amenity

Assessment Summary Key

Grades

Very good

Almost all dimensions contribute positively to the livability and environmental efficiency of the built environment, with no significant areas of concern

Good

Many dimensions contribute positively to the livability and environmental efficiency of the built environment, with only limited significant areas of concern

Poor

Limited dimensions contribute positively to the livability and environmental efficiency of the built environment, and there are significant areas of concern

Very poor

Few dimensions contribute positively to the livability and environmental efficiency of the built environment, and there are many significant areas of concern

Recent Trends

Improving
Stable
Deteriorating
Unclear

Confidence

Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment

Comparability

Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
Not previously assessed

Coleman S (2016). Built environment: State and trends of the built environment. In: Australia state of the environment 2016, Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra, https://soe.environment.gov.au/assessment-summary-101-state-and-trends-built-environment, DOI 10.4226/94/58b65a5037ed8

The assessment summaries in State of the Environment reporting provide snapshots of key information, and focus on identifying areas for continued or more concentrated attention on strengthening environmental systems to cope with pressures in the future. Assessment summaries are provided for state and trend, pressures and management responses in each of the themes. The summary text in the assessment tables should be read in conjunction with the explanatory text in each section of the theme chapters.

The authors have indicated the strength of the evidence for assessments with a ‘level of confidence’. If adequate high-quality data were available or consensus was high, confidence is indicated as high. If there were only limited data or consensus to determine grades, confidence is indicated as low. Where data are insufficient to attempt scores, this is also indicated, and the component remains on the list to remind readers that it is still an important aspect of the Australian environment, and that more information is needed to improve our understanding and capacity to respond to environmental challenges.

Ms Sarah Coleman

State and trends of the built environment