ABB242 Landscape Design 4: People and Place

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This second-year landscape architectural design unit introduces you to theories, principles and approaches to contemporary place-making through the critical examination of how people perceive, are impacted by, and interact with their environments, both individually and collectively. It builds your introductory-level design visualisation skills and knowledge of design principles, exploring theories and practices of environment and behaviour, place-making and environmental psychology. You will apply these to first analyse a project site and context, and then plan, develop and communicate a design proposition using the site planning conventions. This unit advances your knowledge and skills by guiding you to research and apply design theories and concepts in the creation of place- and people-responsive designs, which will inform your work in ongoing design units. This unit is complementary to ABB202 Design Psychology and students are encouraged to enrol in both. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Understand, research and apply theories of culture, environment and behaviour, place-making and environmental psychology to analyse and respond to environmental, social and cultural place conditions.
2. Plan, develop and complete a site planning proposition informed by relevant theories.
3. Effectively communicate your acquired knowledge and its critical and creative application in visual, written and verbal forms.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit engages you in your learning through: 

• Individual and group learning via in-class lectures and activities introducing and exploring theories and practices of culture, environment and behaviour, place-making and environmental psychology; 
• Individual and group learning via in-class lectures and activities introducing the specific skills and conventions of site planning; 
• Individual learning through the planning, development, completion and communication of a place- and people-responsive site plan. 

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback will be provided by: 

• Formative feedback on in-class activities and assessment work-in-progress in the form of verbal feedback from peers and academic staff 
• Summative review of submitted and presented assessments in the form of verbal or written feedback from academic staff, industry guests, and criteria-referenced assessment rubrics. 

Assessment

Overview

This unit includes two assessments. These have been designed to enable you to understand, research and apply theories of culture, environment and behaviour, place-making and environmental psychology to analyse and respond to the conditions of a specific place. In the first assessment you will collect data and analyse it to develop a thorough understanding of a place, how it is used, important contextual features, and its potential impact. You will use this analysis as the basis for the second assessment, which includes the development of a place- and people-responsive design concept and site plan, providing the best possible opportunities for positive, sustainable, and equitable people and place interactions. 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Site Assessment

You will undertake and apply research into one or more of the theories, principles and approaches learnt in class to analyse an existing place and the ways people use it. You will plan, develop and communicate in visual, written and verbal forms a complete site assessment of the chosen place, that demonstrates your understanding of the people-place interactions and relationships.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Design Proposition

Building on your work in assessment 1, you will plan, develop and communicate in visual, written and verbal forms a place- and people-responsive concept and site plan providing the best possible opportunities for positive, sustainable, and equitable people and place interactions.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

All commencing Faculty of Engineering students are required to complete the Mandatory Safety Induction

There are no extraordinary risks associated with the classroom/lecture activities in this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

AB01 Bachelor of Built Environment (Honours)

1. Apply theoretical, practical and cultural knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines and specialist knowledge and skills in one built environment area.
   Relates to: Site Assessment , Design Proposition
2. Design and critically evaluate sustainable and creative solutions to social, economic, technological and environmental challenges.
   Relates to: Site Assessment , Design Proposition
3. Communicate knowledge, ideas and creative solutions in diverse modes, for a range of contexts and diverse audiences.
   Relates to: Site Assessment , Design Proposition
4. Plan, develop and complete research and other projects.
   Relates to: Design Proposition