ABB244 Landscape Design 6: Urban Ecologies

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

More people are living in cities now than ever before, intensifying our unsustainable use of resources, increasing carbon emissions, reducing biodiversity, and increasing social inequities and negative psychological effects. In this third-year design unit you will explore contemporary ecological perspectives on how we occupy and design our urban landscapes such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Ecological Urbanism, Landscape Urbanism, and Design for Social Justice. You will also learn about applications such as urban farming, constructed ecologies, green/blue infrastructure and disruptive urbanist interventions. You will apply this knowledge to research, develop and communicate a design proposition for positive urban eco-social change. The knowledge and skills you acquire will advance those from your previous design units, complement learning in your Environmental Planning and Landscape Ecologies units, and prepare you for complex, advanced-level design units. 

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Understand, research and apply contemporary ecological perspectives on the conditions of urbanisation, and responsive landscape architectural precedents.
2. Critically and creatively analyse the conditions of an urban ecosystem.
3. Plan, develop and complete a design proposition informed by applying theories, precedents and ecosystem analysis in an ecologically, socially and culturally responsive manner.
4. 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 contemporary ecological perspectives on the ways we occupy and design our urban landscapes; 
• Individual learning through the planning, development, completion and communication of research and a responsive design proposition.

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, academic staff and industry guests 
• Summative review of submitted 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 first undertake and apply research into some of the contemporary ecological perspectives and responsive design precedents learnt in class to analyse an urban ecosystem. You will then plan, develop and communicate in visual, written and verbal forms an ecological appraisal of this ecosystem as the basis for a radical design intervention you will propose to improve its ecological wellbeing. 

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Design Project 1

You will undertake and apply research into one or more of the contemporary ecological perspectives and responsive design precedents learnt in class to analyse an urban ecosystem. You will plan, develop and communicate in visual, written and verbal forms an ecological appraisal of this ecosystem as the basis for a concept for a radical design intervention improving its ecological wellbeing.

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

Assessment: Design Project 2

Building on your work in Design Project 1, you will apply your research to plan, develop and communicate in visual, written and verbal forms a radical design intervention improving the ecological wellbeing of the focal urban ecosystem.

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: Design Project 1, Design Project 2
2. Design and critically evaluate sustainable and creative solutions to social, economic, technological and environmental challenges.
   Relates to: Design Project 1, Design Project 2
3. Communicate knowledge, ideas and creative solutions in diverse modes, for a range of contexts and diverse audiences.
   Relates to: Design Project 1, Design Project 2
4. Plan, develop and complete research and other projects.
   Relates to: Design Project 1, Design Project 2
5. Reflect on feedback and experience, and display professional and ethical judgment and initiative.
   Relates to: Design Project 1, Design Project 2