Associate Professor
Debra Cushing

Profile image of Associate Professor Debra Cushing

Faculty of Engineering,
School of Architecture & Built Environment


Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land

Personal details

Positions

Associate Professor
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Architecture & Built Environment

Keywords

Intergenerational Communities, Community Engagement, Landscape Architecture, Public Space, Urban Design, Salutogenic Environments, Resilient Communities, Parks, Human-Building Interactions, Green Infrastructure

Research field

Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning

Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Design and Planning (University of Colorado)
  • Master of Science (MS) in Landscape Architecture (University of Wisconsin, Madison)

Professional memberships and associations


  • Editorial Board Member of the Children, Youth and Environments Journal
  • Member of the Australian Research Alliance for Children & Youth www.aracy.org.au

Teaching

Dr. Cushing has taught numerous units at QUT, including both theory and studio units in Landscape Architecture:

  • People and Place Studio (unit coordinator)
  • Landscape Design studio units at multiple year levels (unit coordinator)
  • Plants for Urban and Natural Systems (unit coordinator)
  • NYC Creative Cities Study Tour and Sustainable Design in Bali (tour leader)

Dr. Cushing believes that students learn best when they are exposed to information through multiple modes and can actively engage in their learning experience. To enable active learning, Deb often incorporates discussion groups, hands-on practice, and opportunities for students to teach others what they are learning into her classes. When feasible, Deb includes real-world experiences, field trips, and service-learning opportunities into her teaching. Although these are often more complex, they can also result in a richer and more memorable learning experience for the students. When the service-learning project follows best practices to ensure the “service” is specifically requested by the partnering community organisation and it matches the learning objectives of the class, it can create a beneficial experience for everyone.

Experience

Publications

QUT ePrints

For more publications by Debra, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).

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Filter publications:

A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/debra.cushing

Selected research projects

Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.

Supervision

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