Abstract
Local governments are recognising the responsibilities that they have to better respond to the social, environmental and economic aspects of their activities. A new approach called the triple bottom line (TBL) is being used by some local governments for guidance in how social and environmental aspects can be better accounted for, as well as better presented and communicated. TBL is mostly qualitative and subjective but is a useful tool for local councils trying to understand a vast amount of project impacts in a relatively simple and transparent manner. (a).