My Journey of Urban Design
The Beginning…
Over the last 2 months, I have been adapting to the change from my previous structure of the Higher Apprenticeship I completed in the summer of 2024. Joining the MAUD course in September 2024, I started my focused further educational journey at Newcastle University, with this being my first experience of the campus, I have enjoyed walking through the campus and adoring the heritage the site has to offer.
Graduation
Studying part-time has enabled me to keep working locally at Ryder Architecture. Here I work closely with the ‘Placemaking Crew’ where I assist with housing / town centre regeneration projects, masterplanning, report writing, historical analysis, character assessments, community engagement events and more!
What Urban Design means to me…
For me, Urban Design encompasses all of what it means to be a part of a community, and its principles strive to improve the quality of human life through designing a place with people at the heart of it. Design can, at times, unintentionally silo individuals, creating places that do not allow people to thrive. By applying Urban Design methodology such as site analysis, community data mapping, setting goals, stakeholder and user involvement, developments can be assumed to ‘fit in’. The importance of fostering an inclusive design process means that people can take pride in their area, assuring that places can be managed well for the long term.
Something that I really enjoy is the data collection process and seeing how that information flourishes into informed design is a very rewarding process. I am passionate about findings solutions particularly addressing issues such as deprivation levels, women and girls safety, and poor quality / designed housing that has led to an anti-social community. As time moves on the conversation around girls and women safety is getting seriously integrated into design, and it feels crazy to be excited about such a topic as it should have always been a consideration in design. The historic women did not have as much freedom as we do now so design should evolve into something that benefits all walks of life.
The Future…
I am wanting to include my future plans to hold my self somewhat accountable. After completing my studies in 2026 I want to develop my career and then seek opportunities to work in another country for some time. I want to develop a meaningful piece of research that incorporates my interests and psychological elements of the built environment, and I want to experience different urban environments all over the world. I feel, by doing this I will be able to connect and inform my design choices well which will hopefully lead to harmony amongst communities.
