Impressions of Nantong and Newcastle

It has been more than a month since I came to Newcastle to study, and I have gradually become familiar with urban design from the beginning, and I am slowly getting used to the pace of postgraduate studies. This is why I would like to use my first blog post to talk about my impressions and feelings of my hometown Nantong compared to Newcastle from the perspective of an urban design major.

• My hometown: Nantong

Nantong, is located in central Jiangsu province, in southeastern China, at the mouth of the Yangtze River and close to Shanghai. Its flat topography and numerous rivers have given it rich natural resources and a beautiful environment, and it is known as the land of fish and rice. The southern water town has a pleasant landscape and a humid climate. I grew up in Nantong and have lived there for 15 years, witnessing its transformation from a small, flat, poor county into a large, modern city by making the most of its location through urban design. I feel deeply the important role that urban design plays in urban development.

               Nantong Park                                                                                               Nantong TV Tower

• Feelings about Newcastle

We started the semester with a field trip to Newcastle ccz and a reflection on the transformation of part of Clayton st. The group format allowed me to learn about the different perspectives and thinking on urban street design from other disciplines in landscape and architecture. The function of the street is mainly mixed commercial and residential four-storey buildings and some research about the users of the buildings. I learnt a lot of professional knowledge and practical investigation skills. I also made friends from different countries with different cultural backgrounds. I think it was very interesting and rewarding. I learned more and more about Newcastle as I worked on different projects and made them.

Clayton ST Hand Drawing

The first thing that struck me about Newcastle was the naturalness and human history of the city, which is very different from most, if not all, of the cities I think of in China. The city has very few of the high rise residential buildings that you see everywhere in China, which gives you a great vertical view and allows you to see further without being blocked by a block of high rise buildings. In addition, the topography of Newcastle is inherently undulating, so when you look at the city from afar, the trees, the mountains and the churches create a natural skyline that gives you a sense of peace and tranquillity.

Secondly, the city has numerous squares, churches and art exhibition spaces, where the old historical exterior and the modern architecture of the interior can be harmoniously blended together, giving me a strong sense of historical atmosphere and humanistic art. I was impressed by the laid-back and free feel of the whole city.

The Urban Design program is a new beginning and experiment for me, with larger scale and more complex drafting. I hope to read and practice more about how to design cities through my studies this year. Also, blogging is a great way to reflect on my learning over time. Even better, it is a great way to meet people from different cultures to discuss issues that interest you and to present your ideas.