Glossary

Terms for Architecture, Green Building & Energy

This glossary includes more than 300 solar terms, as well as hundreds of additional sustainable design and construction terms.

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Carrying Capacity

Definition: The uppermost limit on the number of species and ecosystems or habitats possible given the supply and availability of nutrients in a given area. In human settlements, this term also refers to the upper limits beyond which the quality of life, community character, or human health, welfare, and safety will be impaired, such as the estimated maximum number of people that can be served by existing and planned infrastructure systems, or the maximum number of vehicles that can be accommodated on a roadway.