Associate Professor
Debra Cushing

Biography

Dr. Cushing’s research and teaching combines her interest in health-promoting environments, with her understanding of using design theory and research evidence to create sustainable and vibrant landscapes and urban spaces that enable all ages to thrive. She uses environmental psychology theory and placemaking principles to inform the design of places of different scales, including parks, trails, and urban plazas. Her current research areas include:

• Intergenerational park design;
• Environments for children and youth;
• Green infrastructure for human health and ecosystem services;
• Bus stops as small-scale infrastructure for climate, context, and community;
• Design nudges to encourage physical activity and social engagement within public spaces; and
• Wayfinding in the public realm

Deb is an Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture in the School of Architecture and Built Environment. She has had various leadership roles, including Discipline Leader and the Research Training Coordinator. She is currently a researcher with the Human Building Interaction (HBI) Research Group.

She was the lead investigator on an ARC Linkage Project titled "Intergenerational Park Design for Active and Engaged Communities", which involved numerous industry partners with the aim to develop a better understanding of how parks and open space impact physical activity levels for intergenerational populations. The project led to the creation of the "Intergenerational Parks: Design Guide for Physical Activity and Social Engagement Across Generations" to provide evidence-based recommendations to create better parks for all ages.

Deb's first book, "Creating Great Places: Evidence-based Urban Design for Health and Wellbeing", co-authored with Professor Evonne Miller, draws on international research, illustrated case studies, personal experiences, and pop culture to introduce the theory-storming approach for creating inclusive, sustainable and salutogenic (health promoting) urban places. Her second book, titled, "Redesigning the Unremarkable," again co-authored with Miller, presents a timely reminder that the often neglected elements and spaces of our built environment must be thoughtfully redesigned to enhance human and planetary health through a sustainable, salutogenic, and playable lens.

Deb also worked for several years as a landscape architect practitioner for engineering and planning firms in Colorado, USA. During her time in practice, she served on interdisciplinary teams with planners, engineers, and community administrators to find sustainable solutions to community issues. Her projects included neighbourhood and community parks, interconnected regional trail systems, outdoor classrooms, gravel mining reclamation sites, and subdivision master plans. Deb facilitated participatory methods during public workshops and community meetings to gain input and understand the community needs and considerations.  She received a PhD in Design and Planning from the University of Colorado Denver, where she researched youth master plans in the United States. She also served as one of the founding coordinators for Growing Up Boulder, an ongoing child- and youth-friendly city initiative created to facilitate youth participation in community decision-making.