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Glossary

The purpose of this glossary is to define terms commonly used in our research as well as in housing, homelessness, urban and cities policy. It is a useful reference to help you familiarise you with housing-specific terms used across our publications and on our website.

This glossary is limited to terms and acronyms most used by Australian academics and governments.

If there is a term you would like to see included in the AHURI Glossary, please contact us at information@ahuri.edu.au.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Accessible housing

Housing that includes features such as wheelchair access ramp, grab rails and other adjustments that enable use by people either with a disability or to assist in transitioning through their life stages.

Active transport

This includes all forms of transport that require physical activity for movement, including cycling, walking and other non-motorised forms.

Affordable housing

Housing offered at a below market price, whether this be rent (e.g. public housing, community housing, private rental housing) or home ownership. Affordable housing is targeted at very low-to moderate-income households and is priced to be affordable to them. Usually this means that housing costs should not exceed 30 per cent of gross household income.

Age Pension

Agglomeration

The clustering of business activities, skilled labour and the resulting knowledge ‘spillovers’ which occur in cities and particular locations within them is referred to urban agglomeration.

Asset means test

Asset register

A compilation of all business assets including details on assets such as location, condition, and owner. The purpose of an asset register is to understand the status, procurement date, location, price, depreciation, and current value of each asset.

At risk of homelessness

A person experiencing housing instability or exposed to several individual or structural risk factors, including low-income, mental ill-health or housing unaffordability, that may cause homelessness.

See homelessness