Key terms & definitions

An area of overcrowded, poor-quality housing with inadequate facilities and sanitation.

A densely populated area of poor-quality housing with inadequate basic services, such as clean water and sanitation.

The demolition of poor-quality informal housing to make way for redevelopment, sometimes including replacement homes for residents.

A landlord who profits from letting poor-quality accommodation, often while neglecting repairs and exploiting tenants.

The downhill movement of a mass of rock or soil along a curved slip surface, with rotation of the moving material.

A weak alcoholic drink brewed from grain such as barley. Heating water during brewing could make the drink safer than polluted water.

A small island country whose development is affected by shared challenges such as remoteness, a small economy and exposure to environmental hazards. Often abbreviated to SIDS.

A discrete group of a relatively small number of atoms held together by covalent bonds.

A contagious disease that caused fever and pus-filled skin sores, often leaving survivors scarred or blind and killing many of those infected.

A building that uses connected sensing and control systems to manage functions such as lighting, heating, ventilation and security.

A material with one or more properties that can change significantly in a controlled way in response to an external stimulus.

An energy meter that records consumption and, when operating in smart mode, sends readings automatically to the supplier. An in-home display helps households monitor their energy use and costs.

A target that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

A sporting goal that is specific, measurable, accepted, realistic and time-bound, giving a clear focus for improvement.

A fibre or fabric that responds to a stimulus, such as temperature, UV radiation or rubbing.

A workshop where metal is heated and shaped into items such as anchors and other ship fittings.

Polluted fog containing smoke and other harmful substances, which can cause serious breathing problems.

A harmful mixture of gases and particles that accumulates in the air, often including pollutants formed through reactions involving nitrogen oxides.

An area where smoke emissions are restricted, requiring households and businesses to use permitted fuels or heating methods.

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol: a protocol used to send email from a client to a mail server and transfer email between mail servers.

Moving or trading goods illegally to evade restrictions or avoid paying duties.

A solid rivet with a rounded head; its projecting shank is hammered and finished with a rivet snap to form a second rounded head.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee: a civil rights organisation involved in direct action and voter registration which moved towards Black Power under Stokely Carmichael.

An attitude that judges people’s worth by their social position, wealth or manners and looks down on those considered inferior.

A process in which a minority viewpoint gains more supporters, making it increasingly influential and potentially turning it into the majority view.

A sample developed by asking existing participants to recommend other potential participants.

Recruiting participants through existing participants who refer the researcher to other suitable people.

Practical activity intended to address a social need and benefit others.

The expectations and roles society attaches to people of different ages, rather than simply how many years they have lived.

Exclusion or separation from society, including the feeling that someone does not belong or is not valued.