Reflection Summary by Jason He——Semester 1

About our semester’s blog life

Yihan He (Jason)

Chapter 1: Know about the blog

I remember when I first touched this lesson, I thought it was a We Media. However, when I gradually know about the details in this lesson, it was a chance that we can express our own ideas with our major: Urban Design. I believe it can help us exercise our writing skills. Not like the dissertation or essay, it’s more like a thinking in our social platform. Even more, we can increase our courage that talking to classmates and other friends gradually. In order to accumulate our repository, there are many interesting and unknown lectures which can bring us surprising and the desire for our field.

Chapter 2: Take part in writing blogs

I remembered our first lecturer was Professor Tim Townshend. He talked about why we need a healthy environment. From ancient Rome to our modern society, he made a wonderful speech eloquently combined with his own experience, including his cute dog. With the development of technology, we might have different convenient tools to use it which can affect our daily life deeply. It seems like we can’t live without them. However, we ignore the most important factor: Health. There are so many pollutions existing in our surroundings. Thus, we can’t expand the degree of pollution although we can’t avoid polluting environment. No matter what method we use, we need to take it seriously in case of losing our common homeland in the future. That is also our urban designer’s duty.

The second lecture was related to urban renewal. Coincidentally I had a work engaged in urban renovation before I went abroad. Therefore, making use of some disused factory and old buildings to become a new public space could be a nice idea, even it can create new events. Every project needs a long-time preparation which can be divided into 3 or 4 stages. As a result, we might need to consider many complicated factors, one closely linked to one. This lecture let me reacquaint urban renovation. If I have a chance to engage in urban renewal in Newcastle or other England cities, I want to try and learn from it with a couple of excellent colleagues.

What I surprised is Professor Ali Madanipour’s lecture which was neighborhood. We all know when we live in a flat or a house, we must have a neighbour which we need to talk to him/her/them. This period of communication is called neighbourhood. So, there is the same relationship in our lived city. In Ali’s lecture, he introduced many cities’ cases, including different appearances in different cities. For example,15-minute city mode is an interesting idea because it’s so suitable for us to walk within 15 minutes. I could only say it was a comfortable situation and pace. However, not every city and every person has so cozy life way. For example, my lived apartment, Opto student, has a 25-minute’s walking distance to Newcastle University. I admit that it can make me see more interesting views which is different from City Center’s landscape except a little tired. Actually when I came to school, I felt a little tiredness, especially round trip, but I think it’s worthy because of Newcastle’s terrain, enriched weather and colorful scenery. Anyway,15-minute walk is a great choice. Without this mode, maybe we can use other designing modes, like open space, network streets and so on. What’s more, Ali talked about cites’ issues, like urban villages. There are so many knowledge points we need to digest gradually. So, I think it’s really helpful for us to attend in different lectures to experience different academic opinions and statements.

Chapter 3: My thought and feedback

Due to a fact that it is a first time that we have a lecture course. For me, I cherish this precious chance although the time is so short which are only 11 weeks with 11 lecturers in semester 1. It is not enough for us to own this course. If we have a chance in the next semester, I suggest that we can choose some other majors’ lectures to enrich our knowledge, not only our own major, such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban planning and so on. Because Urban Design will involve related profession technologies and theories which are also important. It might be our selected course, but we need more time to digest and learn it. I know Architecture major has a RIBA qualification, even it has the 2-year learning chance in postgraduate lesson. I believe our major, Urban Design has the same qualification in the future and meanwhile I will try to fight for long-time studying chance for deeply knowing about Design world. What I do is just for creating more beautiful city and environment. Because I am so fond of design although it is really hardworking and tired (industry pressure and currency).

Reference

Daily recording and social platform（pictures）: “Blog Summary in Semester 1 Plog 2 #newcastle #urbandesigner #newcastleuniversity #uk #dailylife #study”