Redesigning the Unremarkable

Redesigning the Unremarkable is a timely and necessary reminder that the often neglected elements and spaces of our built environment - from trash bins, seats, stairways, and fences to streets, bikeways, underpasses, parking lots, and shopping centres - must be thoughtfully redesigned to enhance human and planetary health. Using the lens of sustainable, salutogenic, and playable design, in this inspiring book, Miller and Cushing explore the challenges, opportunities, and importance of redesigning the unremarkable. Drawing on global research, theory, practical case studies, photographs, and personal experiences, Redesigning the Unremarkable is a vital text - a doer’s guide - for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners wanting to transform and positively reimagine our urban environment.

Evonne Miller is Professor of Design Psychology and Director of the QUT Design Lab, at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. With research expertise in participatory co-design and design for health, her previous books include Creating Great Places: Evidence-based urban design for health and wellbeing (2020, with Cushing) and Creative Arts-Based Research in Aged Care: Photovoice, Photography and Poetry in Action (2021), both published by Routledge.

Debra Flanders Cushing is Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture in the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Queensland University of Technology. Her research combines her interest in healthy and supportive environments for young people and intergenerational populations, with her understanding of using design theory and research evidence to create sustainable and vibrant landscapes. She uses environmental psychology theory and placemaking principles to evaluate and understand the design of cities and outdoor spaces and is the author of Creating Great Places: Evidence-based urban design for health and wellbeing (2020, with Miller).