Human Settlements
Page 14
Human Settlements
Population and Land Use
Introduction
The impacts of human settlements on the environment, including consumption
of natural resources and the amount of waste produced, are directly affected by
a range of factors including population size, growth rate, land use planning,
mobility, consumption patterns, and density.
‘Ecologically Sustainable Development’ was defined by the Commonwealth
Government in 1990 as:
'using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that
ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the
total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased'.
To do this, we need to develop ways to ensure the sustainable use of
resources, improve management of existing developed and natural areas, build
more sustainable homes and commercial buildings, and plan for a more space-
intensive (higher density) approach to accommodate the predicted population
increase of 10,000 people in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield by 2021 (ABS,
June 2006).
The State Government’s
30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide
was released in
2010, and poses both significant challenges and also opportunities within the
Council area to ensure that environmental sustainability is built into land use
and related infrastructure and open space planning in the next decades.
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is a large and diverse metropolitan Council that
accommodates over 102,929 people (ABS, June 2006) and occupies
approximately 91.7 km
2
of the north-western region of Adelaide. The population
growth predicted will be supported by housing development projects in the
central Port Adelaide area and Northgate, and several Housing SA
redevelopment projects including Westwood, Blair Athol and Kilburn South.
There are significant areas of residential, commercial and industrial
development throughout the Council area. In addition, there are significant
areas of developable vacant land particularly in areas of Gillman, Wingfield,
Northfield, Oakden and Outer Harbour.
The Council area has historically strong industrial and manufacturing sectors,
and is a major State transport hub. There are also a large number of significant
natural and cultural heritage places. The highly developed and industrialised
areas of the Council gives rise to a range of significant environmental health
issues that must be managed to protect the health of the environment and the
people it supports.
