MsDeena Ridenour

Deena Ridenour is Senior Lecturer and Sydney Horizon Educator at Sydney University School of Architecture, Design and Planning, where she teaches urban design, theory and practice in the Master of Urban Design, Masters of Urbanism and Bachelor of Architecture and Environment programs. Deena is also undertaking doctoral research addressing "Urban Design Methods for Creating Better Urban Neighbourhoods: A Case Study of Design Participation with Young Adolescents".

Deena's teaching and emerging research interrogates the nexus between city making processes and design theory, informed by practice experience in both government and industry. With a focus on urban design methodologies and collaborative design processes, Deena investigates how urban structures, urban projects and design policy meaningfully shape the evolving city. Through urban design studios and lecture courses Deena utilises Sydney as a laboratory of learning and teaches students to interrogate the existing city through experience, drawing and design. She aims to empower students to be forward thinking and develop urban propositions that are grounded in the real city, yet question its making processes to foster creative solutions for critical urban challenges.

As a practitioner with over 20 years of professional practice and leadership in Australia and the United States, Deena has considerable experience delivering urban design excellence on both private and public projects across a wide range of project types. Her passion for the design of urban spaces and forms, combined with an ability to think across scales from the strategic to the human, underpin her creative practice and deliverable outcomes. She promotes collaboration and engagement as fundamental to the urban design process and to realising opportunities grounded in an understanding of place. Her significant projects include Parramatta Civic Link and Metro Coordination, Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 Reference Design, NSW Apartment Design Guide (previously Residential Flat Design Code), and Victoria Park Master Plan Zetland. She continues her practice through ongoing roles on design review panels and design excellence juries.

Deena's rich practice expertise, established connections with industry, proven teaching ability and emerging research portfolio support her ongoing academic career.