The urban areas of Canberra are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs as well as other industrial areas and villages. There are seven districts, each of which is divided into smaller suburbs, and most of which have a town centre which is the focus of commercial and social activities.
The districts of Canberra:
North Canberra,15 suburbs
South Canberra, 12 suburbs
Woden Valley, 13 suburbs
Belconnen, 25 suburbs
Weston Creek, 8 suburbs
Tuggeranong, 19 suburbs
Gungahlin, (1990s) 7 suburbs
South Canberra, 12 suburbs
Woden Valley, 13 suburbs
Belconnen, 25 suburbs
Weston Creek, 8 suburbs
Tuggeranong, 19 suburbs
Gungahlin, (1990s) 7 suburbs
The North and South Canberra districts are substantially based on Walter Burley Griffin's designs. Development in Canberra has been closely regulated by government, both through the town planning process, but also through the use of crown lease terms that have tightly limited the use of parcels of land. All land in the ACT is held on 99 year leases from the national government, although most leases are now administered by the Territory government.
Most suburbs have their own local shops, and are located close to a larger shopping centre serving a group of suburbs. Community facilities and schools are often also located near local shops or group shopping centres. Many of Canberra's suburbs are named after former Prime Ministers, famous Australians, early settlers, or use Aboriginal words for their title. Street names typically follow a particular theme; for example, the streets of Duffy are named after Australian dams and weirs, and the streets of Page are named after biologists and naturalists. Most diplomatic missions are located in the suburbs of Yarralumla, Deakin and O'Malley. There are three light industrial areas: the suburbs of Fyshwick, Mitchell and Hume.