

Pressures affecting the built environment
Pressures affecting the built environment
Land continues to be developed on the fringe, placing significant pressure on land for agriculture and environmental significance
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Increasing population is placing significant pressures on the land required for Australian cities, including agricultural land and other land of significant environmental value.
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Per-person car use continues to decrease, and public transport use has increased, but traffic congestion continues to increase in growing cities because of population growth
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Traffic congestion will continue to increase in major cities as a result of population and economic growth, unless recent trends of reduced car use continue
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Air and water quality is generally good and meet relevant guidelines. However, where they fail, they have a high impact on populations and communities
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Although pollution levels in Australia's cities are generally satisfactory, measures may not be in place to mitigate increased emissions resulting from population and economic growth.
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Australian consumption rates are high, and continue to place pressure on water and energy resources. However, elements of energy and water consumption within the built environment have slowed in recent years, and amount of waste to landfill has decreased
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Increasing consumption continues to place pressure on environmental resources, although there is some evidence that increases in the use of water and energy may be slowing. Waste generation, however, is continuing to grow faster than population
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In recent years, heatwaves, floods, fires and storms have occurred more frequently in many cities, and the frequency of these events is expected to increase
Climate change is likely to lead to an increasing frequency of extreme weather events that affect the built environment
Sea levels are expected to continue to rise, and these changes place pressure on coastal locations and infrastructure. When the sea encroaches further onto the land, space for development is reduced
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Climate change is likely to lead to higher sea levels, leading to increased inundation of coastal areas in the built environment
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Assessment Summary Key
Grades
Very low impact
The pressure has a negligible impact on the livability and efficiency of the built environment
Low impact
The pressure has a limited impact on some dimensions of the livability and efficiency of the
built environment
High impact
The pressure has a significant impact on some dimensions of the livability and efficiency of the
built environment
Very high impact
The pressure has a significant impact on many dimensions of the livability and efficiency of the
built environment
Recent Trends
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Improving
-
Stable
-
Deteriorating
-
Unclear
Confidence
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Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
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Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
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Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
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Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
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Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment
Comparability
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Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
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Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
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Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
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Not previously assessed
Comments
Component pressures varied depending on population centre size (e.g. from very high for major cities to low for smaller centres), but the aggregated assessment was weighted towards places where most people lived.