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Rather than plunder resources, however, the Romans set about using them wisely. One such resource was the hot springs to feed public baths and underfloor heating.  Back then, the result was a beautiful form of bathing on a chilly winter's day. Nowadays, the result is tourist drawcard in the English county of Somerset known all over the world as a place called Bath. Sitting in a lovely warm bath on a cold winter's day back then, few Roman citizens would have contemplated the idea that the same concept used to heat their baths - a concept now called geothermal energy - would be widely used around the world and would be considered a serious part of a solution to stop the whole world from getting too hot. Today, however, such is the reality. In 2005, according to a GeoHeat Quarterly Bulletin published by Origin Institute of Technology, a total of 73 countries around the world produced a total of 273 petajoules (PJ) of energy using geothermal techniques. With the renewed push to achieve carbon emissions reduction in Australia, some engineers believe geothermal technology should be used more widely here.

It's easy to forget that urban design is not a new concept. Ancient examples of carefully-planned and designed cities exist in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, and are particularly well-known within classical Chinese, Roman and Greek cultures. The pioneer of urban planning, Hippodamus of Miletus, planned ancient cities of Rhodes, Miletus and the harbour-town Piraeus at Athens as early as the fifth century BC.  In England, many ninth century towns were designed on a grid plan, and by the twelfth century, urbanisation was seen as a means of stimulating economic growth and generating revenue throughout Western Europe. One of the earliest international contributions made by Australia to urban planning theory and practice sprang from the international competition held between 1911 and 1912 to design Australia's new federal capital, Canberra.