Editing Canberra (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Canberra SPOT 1088.jpg|thumb|The Canberra region seen from space]]

Canberra covers an area of {{cvt|814.2|km2|abbr=out}}<ref name=area>{{cite web |url=http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/tools_resources/planning_data |title=Planning Data Statistics |publisher=[[Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority|ACT Planning & Land Authority]] |date=21 July 2009 |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802163103/http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/tools_resources/planning_data |archive-date=2 August 2008}}</ref> and is located near the [[Brindabella Ranges]] (part of the [[Australian Alps]]), approximately {{cvt|150|km}} inland from [[East Coast of Australia|Australia's east coast]]. It has an elevation of approximately {{cvt|580|m|ft|-1}} [[Australian Height Datum|AHD]];<ref name=bom>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nsw/canberra/climate.shtml |title=Climate of Canberra Area |access-date=13 May 2010 |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090712100903/http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nsw/canberra/climate.shtml |archive-date=12 July 2009}}</ref> the highest point is [[Mount Majura]] at {{cvt|888|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.queanbeyanage.com.au/news/local/news/general/lady-luck-or-lucky-lady/250543.aspx?storypage=0 |title=Lady luck or lucky lady? |work=[[The Queanbeyan Age]] |date=19 July 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303151249/http://www.queanbeyanage.com.au/news/local/news/general/lady-luck-or-lucky-lady/250543.aspx?storypage=0 |archive-date=3 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/13686/cnpmapmajura.pdf |title=Canberra Nature Park: Mt Majura Nature Reserve |year=2004 |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326060951/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/13686/cnpmapmajura.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2012}}</ref> Other low mountains include [[Mount Taylor (Australian Capital Territory)|Mount Taylor]] {{cvt|855|m|ft}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/390593/cnpmapmttaylor.pdf |title=Canberra Nature Park: Mt Taylor Nature Reserve |year=2004 |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=24 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501123641/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/390593/cnpmapmttaylor.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref> [[Mount Ainslie]] {{cvt|843|m|ft}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/390597/cnpmapmtainslie.pdf |title=Canberra Nature Park: Mt Ainslie Nature Reserve |year=2004 |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=24 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501162251/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/390597/cnpmapmtainslie.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref> Mount Mugga Mugga {{cvt|812|m|ft}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/390591/cnpmapmugga.pdf |title=Canberra Nature Park: Mt Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve |year=2004 |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=24 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501132032/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/390591/cnpmapmugga.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref> and [[Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory)|Black Mountain]] {{cvt|812|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/390595/cnpmapblackmountain.pdf |title=Canberra Nature Park: Black Mountain Nature Reserve |year=2004 |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=24 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501120016/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/390595/cnpmapblackmountain.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Penguin Books Australia|2000|p=28}}

The native forest in the Canberra region was almost wholly [[eucalyptus|eucalypt]] species and provided a resource for fuel and domestic purposes. By the early 1960s, logging had depleted the eucalypt, and concern about water quality led to the forests being closed. Interest in forestry began in 1915 with trials of a number of species including ''[[Pinus radiata]]'' on the slopes of Mount Stromlo. Since then, plantations have been expanded, with the benefit of reducing erosion in the Cotter catchment, and the forests are also popular recreation areas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=Ron |year=2003 |title=Inquiry into the Operational Response to the January 2003 Bushfires in the ACT |url=http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/113939/McLeodInquiry.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514031921/http://www.cmd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/113939/McLeodInquiry.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 May 2013 |location=Canberra, ACT |isbn=0-642-60216-6 |publisher=Chief Minister's Department}}</ref>

[[File:Canberra Map-MJC.png|thumb|right|The location of Canberra within the [[Australian Capital Territory|ACT]]. Canberra's main districts are shown in yellow: [[Canberra Central]] (marked as North Canberra and South Canberra), [[Woden Valley]], [[Belconnen]], [[Weston Creek]], [[Tuggeranong]], and [[Gungahlin]].]]
The urban environs of the city of Canberra straddle the [[Ginninderra|Ginninderra plain]], [[Molonglo plain]], the Limestone plain, and the [[Tuggeranong|Tuggeranong plain]] (Isabella's Plain).{{sfn|Gibbney|1988|loc=inside cover}} The [[Molonglo River]] which flows across the Molonglo plain has been dammed to form the national capital's iconic feature [[Lake Burley Griffin]].{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=131-132}} The Molonglo then flows into the [[Murrumbidgee River|Murrumbidgee]] north-west of Canberra, which in turn flows north-west toward the New South Wales town of Yass. The [[Queanbeyan River]] joins the Molonglo River at Oaks Estate just within the ACT.{{sfn|Gibbney|1988|loc=inside cover}}

A number of creeks, including Jerrabomberra and Yarralumla Creeks, flow into the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee.{{sfn|Gibbney|1988|loc=inside cover}} Two of these creeks, the Ginninderra and Tuggeranong, have similarly been dammed to form Lakes [[Lake Ginninderra|Ginninderra]] and [[Lake Tuggeranong|Tuggeranong]].{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=181-182}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tams.act.gov.au/parks-recreation/water_catchments/urban_water_catchments/lakeginninderra |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628011309/http://www.tams.act.gov.au/parks-recreation/water_catchments/urban_water_catchments/lakeginninderra |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2013 |title=Lake Ginninderra |publisher=ACT Government Territory and Municipal Services |access-date=17 September 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Williams|2006|p=260}} Until recently the Molonglo River had a history of sometimes calamitous floods; the area was a flood plain prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin.{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=4-7, 13-14}}<ref name="NCA_ Scrivener">{{cite book |title=Scrivener Dam |publisher=[[National Capital Authority]] |pages=1–2 |url=http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/downloads/education_and_understanding/factsheets/20ScrivenerDam.pdf |access-date=2 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501233910/http://www.nationalcapital.gov.au/downloads/education_and_understanding/factsheets/20ScrivenerDam.pdf |archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Autumn in Canberra.jpg|thumb|left|270px|[[Autumn foliage]] in Canberra]]
Under the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger classification]], Canberra has an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate: Canberra – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/118/ |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=5 September 2013 |archive-date=16 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016084028/http://en.climate-data.org/location/118/ |url-status=live}}</ref> In January, the warmest month, the average high is approximately {{cvt|29|C|F}}; in July, the coldest month, the average high drops to approximately {{cvt|12|C|F}}.

Frost is common in the winter months. Snow is rare in the CBD (central business district) due to being on the [[leeward]] (eastern) side of the dividing range, but the surrounding areas get annual snowfall through winter and often the snow-capped [[Brindabella Range]] can be seen from the CBD. The last significant snowfall in the city centre was in 1968.<ref name=bom/> Canberra is often affected by [[foehn]] winds, [[Southeast Australian foehn|especially in winter and spring]], evident by its anomalously warm maxima relative to altitude.

The highest recorded maximum temperature was {{cvt|44.0|°C}} on 4 January 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/04/australian-weather-canberra-and-penrith-smash-temperature-records-that-stood-for-80-years |title=Australian heatwave: Canberra and Penrith smash temperature records that stood for 80 years |work=The Guardian |agency=Australian Associated Press |date=4 January 2020 |access-date=2 October 2021 |archive-date=17 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117155802/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/04/australian-weather-canberra-and-penrith-smash-temperature-records-that-stood-for-80-years |url-status=live}}</ref> Winter 2011 was Canberra's warmest winter on record, approximately {{cvt|2|C-change|0}} above the average temperature.<ref>{{cite news |title=Canberra's warmest winter |work=abc.net.au |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-31/warmest-canberra-winter/2864086 |date=31 August 2011 |access-date=28 August 2016 |archive-date=11 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911023205/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-31/warmest-canberra-winter/2864086 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[File:Canberra warming.jpg|thumb|Long-term temperature increase in Canberra]]

The lowest recorded minimum temperature was {{cvt|−10.0|°C}} on the morning of 11 July 1971.<ref name=bom/> Light snow falls only once in every few years, and is usually not widespread and quickly dissipates.<ref name=bom/>

Canberra is protected from the west by the [[Brindabellas]] which create a strong rain shadow in Canberra's valleys.<ref name=bom/> Canberra gets 100.4 clear days annually.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_070014_All.shtml |title=Climate statistics for Australian locations: Canberra Airport Comparison |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=3 September 2011 |archive-date=9 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709190756/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_070014_All.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> Annual rainfall is the third lowest of the capital cities (after [[Adelaide]] and [[Hobart]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.htm#two |title=Australia – Climate of Our Continent |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/zones.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic }}</ref> and is spread fairly evenly over the seasons, with late spring bringing the highest rainfall.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/cgi_bin_scripts/map_script_new.cgi?70014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604193432/http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/cgi_bin_scripts/map_script_new.cgi?70014 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 June 2012 |title=Climate information for Canberra Aero |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=13 May 2010}}</ref> [[Thunderstorm]]s occur mostly between October and April,<ref name=bom/> owing to the effect of summer and the mountains. The area is generally sheltered from a westerly wind, though strong northwesterlies can develop. A cool, vigorous afternoon easterly change, colloquially referred to as a 'sea-breeze' or the 'Braidwood Butcher',<ref>{{cite web |last1=The Yowie Man |first1=Tim |title=Summer saviour |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6036171/tim-the-yowie-man-summer-saviour/ |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=Canberra Times |date=23 February 2017 |archive-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111091802/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6036171/tim-the-yowie-man-summer-saviour/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bureau of Meteorology Australian Capital Territory |url=https://twitter.com/BOM_ACT/status/1342318440921620480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1342318440921620480%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FBOM_ACT2Fstatus2F1342318440921620480widget%3DTweet |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=Twitter |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |archive-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111005447/https://twitter.com/BOM_ACT/status/1342318440921620480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1342318440921620480%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FBOM_ACT2Fstatus2F1342318440921620480widget%3DTweet |url-status=live}}</ref> is common during the summer months<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Taylor |first1=John R. |last2=Kossmann |first2=Meinolf |last3=Low |first3=David J. |last4=Zawar-Reza |first4=Peyman |date=September 2005 |title=Summertime easterly surges in southeastern Australia: a case study of thermally forced flow |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/2005/taylor_hres.pdf |journal=Australian Meteorological Magazine |issue=54 |pages=213–223 |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-date=21 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121103705/http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/2005/taylor_hres.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and often exceeds 40&nbsp;km/h in the city. Canberra is also less humid than the nearby coastal areas.<ref name=bom/>

Canberra was severely affected by smoke haze during the [[2019–20 Australian bushfire season|2019/2020 bushfires]]. On 1 January 2020, Canberra had the worst air quality of any major city in the world, with an AQI of 7700 (USAQI 949).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/03/canberra-chokes-on-worlds-worst-air-quality-as-city-all-but-shut-down |title=Canberra chokes on world's worst air quality as city all but shut down |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=3 January 2020 |access-date=5 January 2020 |archive-date=4 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104201651/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/03/canberra-chokes-on-worlds-worst-air-quality-as-city-all-but-shut-down |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{Weather box|location = Canberra Airport Comparison (1991–2010 averages, extremes 1939–2023); 578 m AMSL; 35.30° S, 149.20° E
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C=44.0
|Feb record high C=42.7
|Mar record high C=37.5
|Apr record high C=32.6
|May record high C=24.5
|Jun record high C=20.1
|Jul record high C=19.7
|Aug record high C=24.0
|Sep record high C=30.2
|Oct record high C=32.7
|Nov record high C=39.9
|Dec record high C=41.6
|year record high C=44.0
|Jan high C = 28.8
|Feb high C = 27.8
|Mar high C = 24.9
|Apr high C = 20.7
|May high C = 16.6
|Jun high C = 12.9
|Jul high C = 12.1
|Aug high C = 13.8
|Sep high C = 16.8
|Oct high C = 20.1
|Nov high C = 23.4
|Dec high C = 26.5
|year high C = 20.4
|Jan mean C = 21.4
|Feb mean C = 20.8 
|Mar mean C = 17.9
|Apr mean C = 13.7
|May mean C = 10.0
|Jun mean C = 7.3
|Jul mean C = 6.2
|Aug mean C = 7.5
|Sep mean C = 10.4
|Oct mean C = 13.4
|Nov mean C = 16.5
|Dec mean C = 19.3
|year mean C = 13.7
|Jan low C = 14.0
|Feb low C = 13.8
|Mar low C = 10.9
|Apr low C = 6.6
|May low C = 3.4
|Jun low C = 1.6
|Jul low C = 0.3
|Aug low C = 1.2
|Sep low C = 4.0
|Oct low C = 6.7
|Nov low C = 9.6
|Dec low C = 12.1
|year low C = 7.0
|Jan record low C = 1.6
|Feb record low C = 2.8
|Mar record low C = -1.1
|Apr record low C = -3.7
|May record low C = -7.5
|Jun record low C = -8.5
|Jul record low C = -10.0
|Aug record low C = -8.5
|Sep record low C = -6.9
|Oct record low C = -3.4
|Nov record low C = -1.8
|Dec record low C = 0.3
|year record low C = -10.0
|precipitation colour = green
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation mm = 61.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 55.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 37.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 27.3
|May precipitation mm = 31.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 50.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 44.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 43.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 55.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 50.9
|Nov precipitation mm = 68.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 54.1
|year precipitation mm = 579.5
|Jan precipitation days = 6.8
|Feb precipitation days = 6.7
|Mar precipitation days = 5.7
|Apr precipitation days = 5.4
|May precipitation days = 6.3
|Jun precipitation days = 9.7
|Jul precipitation days = 10.0
|Aug precipitation days = 8.5
|Sep precipitation days = 9.8
|Oct precipitation days = 9.1
|Nov precipitation days = 10.2
|Dec precipitation days = 7.2
|year precipitation days = 95.4
|Jan sun = 294.5
|Feb sun = 254.3
|Mar sun = 251.1
|Apr sun = 219.0
|May sun = 186.0
|Jun sun = 156.0
|Jul sun = 179.8
|Aug sun = 217.0
|Sep sun = 231.0
|Oct sun = 266.6
|Nov sun = 267.0
|Dec sun = 291.4
|year sun = 2813.7
|humidity colour= green
|Jan afthumidity = 37
|Feb afthumidity = 40
|Mar afthumidity = 42
|Apr afthumidity = 46
|May afthumidity = 54
|Jun afthumidity = 60
|Jul afthumidity = 58
|Aug afthumidity = 52
|Sep afthumidity = 49
|Oct afthumidity = 47
|Nov afthumidity = 41
|Dec afthumidity = 37
|year afthumidity = 47
|Jan dew point C = 8.6
|Feb dew point C = 9.8
|Mar dew point C = 8.5
|Apr dew point C = 6.4
|May dew point C = 5.0
|Jun dew point C = 3.5
|Jul dew point C = 2.3
|Aug dew point C = 2.1
|Sep dew point C = 3.7
|Oct dew point C = 5.4
|Nov dew point C = 6.3
|Dec dew point C = 6.9
|source 1 =Climate averages for Canberra Airport Comparison (1939–2010); averages given are for 1991–2010<ref name="autogenerated1"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/cvg/av?p_stn_num=070014&p_prim_element_index=0&p_comp_element_index=0&redraw=null&p_display_type=full_statistics_table&normals_years=1991-2020&tablesizebutt=normal |title=Climate statistics for Australian locations: Canberra Airport Comparison (1991–2020) |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref>
|date=September 2011
|source 2=Records from Canberra Airport for more recent extremes<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_070351_All.shtml |title=Climate statistics for Australian locations: Canberra Airport |publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]] |access-date=17 April 2020 |archive-date=26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726112931/http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_070351_All.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

===Urban structure===
{{Main|Suburbs of Canberra}}
[[File:Inner-canberra 01MJC.png|right|thumb|Inner Canberra demonstrates some aspects of the Griffin plan, in particular the [[Parliamentary Triangle, Canberra|Parliamentary Triangle]].]]
[[File:Canberra Civic Centre-1.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of the [[Civic, Australian Capital Territory|Civic Centre]] from [[Mount Ainslie]]]]
Canberra is a [[New town|planned city]] and the inner-city area was originally designed by [[Walter Burley Griffin]], a major 20th-century American architect.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|pp=60-63}} Within the central area of the city near Lake Burley Griffin, major roads follow a wheel-and-spoke pattern rather than a grid.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=67}} Griffin's proposal had an abundance of geometric patterns, including concentric hexagonal and octagonal streets emanating from several radii.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=67}} However, the outer areas of the city, built later, are not laid out geometrically.{{sfn|Universal Publishers|2007|pp=10-120}}

Lake Burley Griffin was deliberately designed so that the orientation of the components was related to various topographical landmarks in Canberra.{{sfn|National Capital Development Commission|1988|p=3}}{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=64}} The lakes stretch from east to west and divided the city in two; a land axis perpendicular to the central basin stretches from [[Capital Hill, Australian Capital Territory|Capital Hill]]—the eventual location of the new [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] on a mound on the southern side—north northeast across the central basin to the northern banks along [[Anzac Parade, Canberra|Anzac Parade]] to the [[Australian War Memorial]].{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=1-3}} This was designed so that looking from Capital Hill, the War Memorial stood directly at the foot of [[Mount Ainslie]]. At the southwestern end of the land axis was [[Bimberi Peak]],{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=64}} the highest mountain in the ACT, approximately {{cvt|52|km|0}} south west of Canberra.{{sfn|Penguin Books Australia|2000|p=28}}

The straight edge of the circular segment that formed the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin was perpendicular to the land axis and designated the water axis, and it extended northwest towards [[Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory)|Black Mountain]].{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=64}} A line parallel to the water axis, on the northern side of the city, was designated the municipal axis.{{sfn|National Capital Development Commission|1988|p=17}} The municipal axis became the location of [[Constitution Avenue, Canberra|Constitution Avenue]], which links [[City Hill, Canberra|City Hill]] in [[City, Australian Capital Territory|Civic Centre]] and both Market Centre and the Defence precinct on Russell Hill. [[Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra|Commonwealth Avenue]] and [[Kings Avenue, Canberra|Kings Avenue]] were to run from the southern side from Capital Hill to City Hill and Market Centre on the north respectively, and they formed the western and eastern edges of the central basin. The area enclosed by the three avenues was known as the [[Parliamentary Triangle]], and formed the centrepiece of Griffin's work.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=64}}{{sfn|National Capital Development Commission|1988|p=17}}
[[File:Canberra National Arboretum with Telstra Tower, Canberra ACT.JPG|thumb|[[Black Mountain (Australian Capital Territory)|Black Mountain]] with the landmark [[Telstra Tower]] on the right and the [[National Arboretum Canberra|National Arboretum]] in the foreground]]

The Griffins assigned spiritual values to Mount Ainslie, Black Mountain, and [[Red Hill, Australian Capital Territory|Red Hill]] and originally planned to cover each of these in flowers. That way each hill would be covered with a single, primary colour which represented its spiritual value.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|pp=64-67}} This part of their plan never came to fruition, as World War I slowed construction and planning disputes led to Griffin's dismissal by Prime Minister [[Billy Hughes]] after the war ended.{{sfn|National Capital Development Commission|1988|p=4}}{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|pp=69-79}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx?type=pm&pm=William%20Morris%20Hughes |title=Timeline Entries for William Morris Hughes |publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]] |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-date=15 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115023419/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx?type=pm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The urban areas of Canberra are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs as well as other industrial areas and villages. There are seven residential districts, each of which is divided into smaller suburbs, and most of which have a town centre which is the focus of commercial and social activities.{{sfn|Universal Publishers|2007|pp=10-60}} The districts were settled in the following chronological order:
*[[Canberra Central]], mostly settled in the 1920s and 1930s, with expansion up to the 1960s,{{sfn|Gibbney|1988|pp=110-200}} 25 suburbs
*[[Woden Valley]], first settled in 1964,{{sfn|Sparke|1988|p=180}} 12 suburbs
*[[Belconnen]], first settled in 1966,{{sfn|Sparke|1988|p=180}} 27 suburbs (2 not yet developed)
*[[Weston Creek]], settled in 1969, 8 suburbs<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wccc.com.au/Pages/aboutweston.php |title=About Weston Creek, Canberra |publisher=Weston Creek Community Council |access-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408010446/http://www.wccc.com.au/Pages/aboutweston.php |archive-date=8 April 2010}}</ref>
*[[Tuggeranong]], settled in 1974,{{sfn|Fitzgerald|1987|p=167}} 18 suburbs
*[[Gungahlin]], settled in the early 1990s, 18 suburbs (3 not yet developed)
*[[Molonglo Valley]], development began in 2010, 13 suburbs planned.

The Canberra Central district is substantially based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs.{{sfn|Wigmore|1971|p=64}}{{sfn|National Capital Development Commission|1988|p=17}}<ref name=map/> In 1967 the then [[National Capital Development Commission]] adopted the "Y Plan" which laid out future urban development in Canberra around a series of central shopping and commercial area known as the 'town centres' linked by freeways, the layout of which roughly resembled the shape of the letter Y,{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=154-155}} with Tuggeranong at the base of the Y and Belconnen and Gungahlin located at the ends of the arms of the Y.{{sfn|Sparke|1988|pp=154-155}}

Development in Canberra has been closely regulated by government,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/opinion/how-to-cut-through-the-acts-planning-thicket/717006.aspx?storypage=0 |title=How to cut through the ACT's planning thicket |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=2 March 2005 |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-date=13 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113073334/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/opinion/how-to-cut-through-the-acts-planning-thicket/717006.aspx?storypage=0}}</ref><ref name=rest>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/04/09/2868553.htm |title=It's time to review the grand plan for Canberra, says the NCA |last=Trail |first=Jim |date=9 April 2010 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=13 May 2010 |archive-date=21 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121145343/http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/04/09/2868553.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> both through planning processes and the use of crown lease terms that have tightly limited the use of parcels of land. Land in the ACT is held on 99-year crown leases from the national government, although most leases are now administered by the Territory government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/property_purchases/leases_licenses/grants_of_leases |title=Grants of leases |publisher=[[Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority|ACT Planning & Land Authority]] |access-date=13 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929065643/http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/property_purchases/leases_licenses/grants_of_leases |archive-date=29 September 2009}}</ref> There have been persistent calls for constraints on development to be liberalised,<ref name=rest/> but also voices in support of planning consistent with the original 'bush capital' and 'urban forest' ideals that underpin Canberra's design.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Alexandra |first1=Jason |last2=Norman |first2=Barbara |date=23 July 2020 |title=The city as forest - integrating living infrastructure, climate conditioning and urban forestry in Canberra, Australia |journal=Sustainable Earth |volume=3 |issue=1 |page=10 |doi=10.1186/s42055-020-00032-3 |issn=2520-8748 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020SuERv...3...10A}}</ref>

Many of Canberra's [[List of Canberra suburbs|suburbs]] are named after former Prime Ministers, famous Australians, early settlers, or use Aboriginal words for their title.<ref name=name/> [[Street name]]s typically follow a particular theme; for example, the streets of [[Duffy, Australian Capital Territory|Duffy]] are named after Australian dams and reservoirs, the streets of [[Dunlop, Australian Capital Territory|Dunlop]] are named after Australian inventions, inventors and artists and the streets of [[Page, Australian Capital Territory|Page]] are named after biologists and naturalists.<ref name=name>{{cite web |url=http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/tools_resources/maps_land_survey/place_names/place_name_processes |title=Place name processes |publisher=[[Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority|ACT Planning & Land Authority]] |date=11 May 2009 |access-date=10 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419123735/http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/tools_resources/maps_land_survey/place_names/place_name_processes |archive-date=19 April 2013}}</ref> Most [[diplomatic mission]]s are located in the suburbs of [[Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory|Yarralumla]], [[Deakin, Australian Capital Territory|Deakin]], and [[O'Malley, Australian Capital Territory|O'Malley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://protocol.dfat.gov.au/Mission/list.rails |title=Foreign Embassies in Australia |publisher=[[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)|Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] |access-date=23 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321131224/http://protocol.dfat.gov.au/Mission/list.rails |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are three light industrial areas: the suburbs of [[Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory|Fyshwick]], [[Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory|Mitchell]], and [[Hume, Australian Capital Territory|Hume]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-September-2000/johnston.html |last=Johnston |first=Dorothy |title=Cyberspace and Canberra Crime Fiction |date=September 2000 |work=Australian Humanities Review |access-date=13 May 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107064831/http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-September-2000/johnston.html |archive-date=7 January 2011}}</ref>
{{wide image|Canberra From Black Mountain Tower.jpg|800px|Panorama of Canberra and Lake Burley Griffin set against the backdrop of distant New South Wales, taken from the [[Telstra Tower]]}}
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===Sustainability and the environment===
[[File:Floriade Canberra 2010.jpg|thumb|[[Floriade (Canberra)|Floriade]] is held in [[Commonwealth Park]] every spring. It is the largest flower festival in the Southern Hemisphere, employing and encouraging environmental practises, including the use of [[green energy]].<ref name="floriadeaustralia">{{cite web |url=http://www.floriadeaustralia.com/about-floriade/environmental-care/ |title=Environmental care |work=www.floriadeaustralia.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226235141/http://www.floriadeaustralia.com/about-floriade/environmental-care/ |archive-date=26 February 2015 |url-status=dead |access-date=9 March 2015}}</ref>]]
The average Canberran was responsible for 13.7 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 June 2012 |title=Sustainability issues in Canberra – background |url=http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/significant_projects/planning_studies/sustainable_future/sustainability_issues_in_canberra__background |publisher=ACT Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426120230/http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/significant_projects/planning_studies/sustainable_future/sustainability_issues_in_canberra__background |archive-date=26 April 2013}}</ref> In 2012, the ACT Government legislated [[greenhouse gas]] targets to reduce its emissions by 40&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent from 1990 levels by 2020, 80&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent by 2050, with no net emissions by&nbsp;2060.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.actconference.com.au/?q=News&id=4567f709-a37e-c5be-fec6-521e9b7ab45a |title=Minister showcases Canberra's sustainability success |date=28 August 2013 |first=Simon |last=Corbell |author-link=Simon Corbell |access-date=14 October 2013 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022224248/http://www.actconference.com.au/?q=News&id=4567f709-a37e-c5be-fec6-521e9b7ab45a |url-status=live}}</ref> The government announced in 2013 a target for 90% of electricity consumed in the ACT to be supplied from renewable sources by 2020,<ref name="renewable" /> and in 2016 set an ambitious target of 100% by 2020.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-commits-to-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-target-by-2020-simon-corbell-20160428-goh1l9.html |title=ACT commits to 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2020: Simon Corbell |last=Lawson |first=Kirsten |date=29 April 2016 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528225654/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-commits-to-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-target-by-2020-simon-corbell-20160428-goh1l9.html |archive-date=28 May 2016 |publisher=Fairfax Media}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-29/act-to-be-powered-by-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-by-2020/7369004 |title=ACT to be powered by 100pc renewable energy by 2020 |date=29 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609180143/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-29/act-to-be-powered-by-100-per-cent-renewable-energy-by-2020/7369004 |archive-date=9 June 2016 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref>

In 1996, Canberra became the first city in the world to set a vision of [[zero waste|no waste]], proposing an ambitious target of 2010 for completion.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 2001 |title=Zero waste |url=http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/ciencias/jaimefa/jaimecuevas/zerow.pdf |publisher=Residua |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118131737/http://www.uam.es/personal_pdi/ciencias/jaimefa/jaimecuevas/zerow.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2011}}</ref> The strategy aimed to achieve a waste-free society by 2010, through the combined efforts of industry, government and community.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lauer |first=Sandra |date=23 May 2007 |title=Reducing commercial waste going to landfill in Canberra by improving the waste management practices of micro businesses |url=http://fennerschool-people.anu.edu.au/richard_baker/SRES3028/example_work/Sandra%20Lauer/learningportfolio/pdfs/SRES6528_waste_policy_brief.pdf |publisher=ACT Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519094021/http://fennerschool-people.anu.edu.au/richard_baker/SRES3028/example_work/Sandra%20Lauer/learningportfolio/pdfs/SRES6528_waste_policy_brief.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2013}}</ref> By early 2010, it was apparent that though it had reduced waste going to landfill, the ACT initiative's original 2010 target for absolutely zero landfill waste would be delayed or revised to meet the reality.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2 March 2011 |title=Canberra's waste dilemma |url=http://citynews.com.au/2011/canberras-waste-dilemma/ |journal=CityNews |location=Canberra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505115656/http://citynews.com.au/2011/canberras-waste-dilemma/ |archive-date=5 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Allen |first=Craig |date=1 March 2010 |title=No waste |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-02-26/no-waste/345222 |work=ABC News |access-date=14 October 2013 |archive-date=27 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127161255/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-02-26/no-waste/345222 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Plastic bags]] made of [[polyethylene]] polymer with a thickness of less than 35&nbsp;[[μm]] were banned from retail distribution in the ACT from November 2011.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1 November 2011 |title=Plastic Bag Ban |journal=Canberra Connect |url=https://www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1316 |publisher=ACT Government |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131015080323/https://www.canberraconnect.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1316 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="PlasticBags">{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-01/act-bag-ban-begins/3611860 |title=ACT bag ban begins |last=Dyett |first=Kathleen |date=1 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112235537/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-01/act-bag-ban-begins/3611860 |archive-date=12 January 2012 |work=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-09/act-bin-bag-sales/3764100?section=act |title=Bin bag sales booming |date=9 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112175608/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-09/act-bin-bag-sales/3764100?section=act |archive-date=12 January 2012 |work=ABC News}}</ref> The ban was introduced by the ACT Government in an effort to make Canberra more sustainable.<ref name="PlasticBags" />

Of all waste produced in the ACT, 75&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent is [[recycled]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Nash |first=Lucy |date=18 January 2010 |title=No waste 2010=some waste 2010 |url=http://blogs.abc.net.au/canberra/2010/01/no-waste-2010-some-waste-2010.html |url-status=dead |work=666 ABC Canberra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111204345/http://blogs.abc.net.au/canberra/2010/01/no-waste-2010-some-waste-2010.html |archive-date=11 January 2015}}</ref> Average household [[food waste]] in the ACT remains above the Australian average, costing an average $641&nbsp;per&nbsp;household per&nbsp;annum.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/money/saving/saving-money-can-help-save-others-20111029-1mp5c.html |title=Saving money can help save others |last=Pryor |first=Penny |date=30 October 2011 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604215124/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/money/saving/saving-money-can-help-save-others-20111029-1mp5c.html |archive-date=4 June 2012 |publisher=Fairfax Media}}</ref>

Canberra's annual [[Floriade (Canberra)|Floriade]] festival features a large display of flowers every Spring in [[Commonwealth Park]]. The organisers of the event have a strong environmental standpoint, promoting and using [[green energy]], "green catering", [[sustainability|sustainable paper]], the conservation and saving of water.<ref name="floriadeaustralia" /> The event is also smoke-free.<ref name="floriadeaustralia" />