Pavement Politics – Who moves?

When discussing the right to the city, the conversation often moves towards larger urban issues such as housing, displacement, privatisation and inequality. We are not going to solve all the world’s inequalities overnight, so let’s start with something smaller, much smaller, this brings me to the pavement. The residual pedestrian realm, does not escape the Read the full article…

Reflective Summary: Reflections on Growth, Challenges, and Urban Learning

My Challenge: Overcoming Environmental Vulnerability Would you live in a city designed without considering climate vulnerability? This became one of the biggest questions throughout my journey as an MA Urban Design student at Newcastle University. Through studio projects and research, I began to realise how environmental vulnerability is not only linked to flooding or climate Read the full article…

Reflective Summary: The Role of Freehand Sketching as a Tool for Spatial Thinking and Graphic Communication

A personal challenge of moving away from CAD and realistic renders Reflecting on my experience on the M-AUP Urban Design Masters this year, one of the biggest growths in my professional identity has been a newfound confidence in hand-drawing as a primary medium for design exploration. During my first three years of university, I often Read the full article…

From Case Studies to Design Decisions: A Semester 2 Reflection

My Personal Experience: This carousel reflects on my learning process from case studies to design judgment in the second semester. My biggest challenge is moving from describing precedents to really supporting my studio design with precedents. Through blog research, I began to raise broader issues about healthy streets, shared living, communities and daily life. Newburn Riverside’s Read the full article…

Reflective Summary – Semester 2

From Urban Resilience to Urban Well-Being During Semester 2, my understanding of urban design developed further from the ideas I explored in Semester 1. Previously, I focused mainly on sustainable mobility, climate resilience, and spatial justice through topics such as pedestrianisation on İstiklal Street in Istanbul and Blue–Green Infrastructure as a strategy for urban resilience. Read the full article…

Reflexive Summary

My studio journey this semester: From early ideas to a clearer project This carousel shows my studio turning point this semester. At the beginning, my studio project had ideas but the links were weak. The mid-review was the first time I presented the full proposal, and the feedback showed what I was missing: my routes were not Read the full article…

Reflexive Summary – Developing Diagrams, and The Importance of Alternatives

My Experience – Developing a Clearer Diagrammatic Language Over the course of our studio project this semester, one of my greatest challenges has been learning to develop a clear diagrammatic language, in order to develop strong, clear and legible diagrams to explain my design proposals.  Whilst initially text-heavy, I learned to focus on the narrative which I wanted to explain. This meant narrowing Read the full article…

Not just getting around: How design guidance shapes approaches to street design in Germany and the UK

On a recent trip to Germany, I noticed a subtle, yet impactful difference in the design of the residential and urban streets. Whilst still forming the core movement network of cities, for cars and pedestrians alike, the spaces felt notably more relaxing to walk through, with pedestrians appearing to lead the negotiation of user priority. This felt like a stark contrast to the UK, where pedestrians Read the full article…

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