State of the Environment Report on Human Settlements: Stocks and Flows Indicators

Summary Inferences The inferences below have been drawn by the authors from the analysis of this study only, and are conveniently grouped into views on two aspects, namely: • spatial and temporal scales of studying settlements; and • sustainability issues of Australian settlements. Appropriate scales of study A significant inference we draw from this study is that settlements should be considered in a national or at least regional context, and not in isolation or individually. The primary basis for this view is the high degree to which mass flows come into and leave the settlement and surrounding hinterland. That is, these flows come from or go to other settlements or regions. Across the three case study settlements, 50% or more of aggregate mass flows are to and from other places. If settlements are highly dependent on other settlements or regions, it makes sense to view settlements in a collective manner, and to include the impact of particular settlements on the wider system when analysing settlement sustainability. Also, the three case study settlements show remarkable similarity in the breakdown of aggregate mass flows, despite wide differences in their characteristics. This is supported by the ensemble analysis which shows that settlement factors other than size (e.g., affluence or growth, location or climate) have a second order effect on aggregate mass flows. Nevertheless, there are some particular differences that may be attributed to individual characteristics. This observation about similarity is in keeping with the suggestion (above) that settlements be considered as a collective, since individual characteristics can be approximately ignored when reporting aggregate mass flows and subsequent impacts. The apparent irrelevance of individual characteristics is strengthened by the fact that settlements draw heavily on other settlements or beyond the hinterland. Despite this finding of settlement similarity, we do not advise discarding individual studies. Individual studies may provide appropriate level of detail and choice of

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