Geography / Year 8 / Geographical Knowledge and Understanding / Unit 2: Changing nations

Curriculum content descriptions

Management and planning of Australia’s urban future (ACHGK059)

Elaborations
  • examining the forecasts for the size of Australia’s major cities and regional urban centres, and discussing the implications for their environmental sustainability and liveability
  • investigating ways of managing the projected growth of Australia’s cities and regional urban centres
  • exploring the arguments for and against a more balanced distribution of the urban population
  • generating ideas on how to decentralise Australias urban population using Canberra as an example
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Population dynamics,  Australia,  Urban planning

Video

ABC 7.30: Where do we build next?

Like many Australian cities, Melbourne has been growing rapidly. This clip from 2012 investigates debates about where Melbourne's urban growth should occur. While inner city areas are slowly being redeveloped, the outer suburbs continue to sprawl and their residents battle some serious issues.

Interactive

Laptop wrap – urban growth and decline

A page with a focus on urban growth and decline as an issue in Australian environments with supporting activities and links to resources. Central to the resource is a case study of urban change in Pyrmont in Sydney.

Video

ABC 7.30: If you build it, they will come

It's been 'all systems go' in the Northern Territory, with a range of new development projects springing up. In this clip from 2013, see Territorians coming up with novel solutions to the age-old problem of housing. Could a shortage of affordable housing derail the good economic times?

Video

ABC News: Planning for growth in Sydney

Sydney is already Australia's largest city but the outlook is for an increasing population and continuous growth. Looking toward the planning horizon of 2031, a recent government plan has pleased some sections of the community, but it is not without its critics. In this clip from March 2013, see how the state government ...

Video

ABC News: Population pressures in coastal towns

Stunning beaches and tourist-filled coastal towns are some of Australia's most important assets. But how do seasonal fluctuations in population affect these coastal communities? This clip focuses on a new push by the National Sea Change Taskforce to have visitor numbers properly counted in the next census, so that development ...

Video

ABC News: Light rail plan for western Sydney

Long lines of cars, frustrated drivers in peak traffic: familiar? As the population of Australia's major cities continues to rise and spread outwards, increased strain is placed on existing infrastructure such as roads. People often look to government to fix urban problems. Could a light rail system solve Sydney's western ...

Video

Catalyst: Planning future cities

Could your mobile phone help town planners design better cities? Data collected from our day-to-day interactions can now be collated and used to make our cities both more efficient and better places to live. See how it all works.

Text

Protocol framework for urban design

This is a rich resource about the Urban design protocol for Australian cities. The resource describes the protocol, including the aims, the five pillars on which it is founded, and how the protocol relates to the National urban policy goals and objectives of productivity, sustainability, liveability and governance. The ...

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Design principles about place: productivity and sustainability

This is a multilayered resource that presents the 12 design principles of the Urban design protocol for Australian cities. The principles are presented in three sections and link to important information about the attributes of each of the principles. The principles about place are enhancing, connected, diverse and enduring ...

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Case studies in urban design

This is a rich, multilayered resource that presents six case studies demonstrating the 12 principles of the Urban design protocol designed for Australian cities. The case studies include: a mixed use precinct in Darling Harbour; regeneration plans for Parramatta; reservoir gardens in Paddington; a youth activities area ...

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What is urban design?

This is a multilayered resource about urban design in Australia. The resource includes: an explanation of what urban design is; the elements of urban design; definitions of terms commonly used in urban design in the Australian context; links to information about the principles of the Urban design protocol for Australian ...

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Digital stories

The three short stories in this resource look at Australian bread-making in 3 different eras – pre-colonial, colonial and near-future. They explore how environmental world views and practices have differed across time.

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SDG Lesson Plans for New Zealand Teachers

This book aims to provide teachers with practical activities to fuel classroom engagement and discussion about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each lesson plan focusses on an important theme inherent in the SDGs (“Sustainable food”, “Cities”, “Women and equality” etc.) and provides multiple activities ...

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Sustainable Foundations: A guide to teaching the Sustainable Development Goals

This extensive guide drills down into each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and includes useful links and examples of action for each Goal.

Text

The World’s Largest Lesson!

This resource promotes use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in learning. Find lesson ideas, videos and posters that explore each of the SDGs in detail.

Interactive

Kitchen gardens – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on kitchen gardens using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate and ...

Interactive

Waste and materials – sustainability action process (Years 7–10)

This resource guides students through an extended school-based or local investigation focussed on waste and materials using the five-step sustainability action process. The resource supports the investigation of a real-world issue or problem. Students develop and implement a chosen sustainability action and then evaluate ...

Video

Farms and people’s connections to them: producer video

This is a video about the operation of the Outback Pride project and the value of the Australian native food produced in conjunction with Aboriginal peoples. To a visual background of the nursery at Reedy Creek in South Australia and some of 25 Aboriginal communities involved in the project in SA and Northern Territory, ...

Video

Food production in the Murray-Darling Basin

This thirteen and a half minute video highlights the importance of food and fibre production in the Murray Darling Basin. It explores the perspective of the farm families involved in both irrigated and dryland farming and explains how their products are distributed to local, national and global markets. This video also ...

Video

Reforestation as a climate change strategy

This is a video about an agroforestry project to restore the tree cover of microwatersheds in the High Andes of Peru in which the Chumbivilcas community worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund. Interviews with the local mayor and project officers emphasise ...