The perception and experience of place is an important dimension of urban design. People perceive their environment through sight, sound, smell, and touch (Bell et al 1990: 27). Perception involves gathering, organizing, and making sense of information about the environment. Very different from the bustle of London or Shenzhen, Newcastle combines the richness of the Read the full article…

Rewilding. Photograph by Luke Leung Greening urban design As cities around the world grow, it is curial to consider the impact these spaces have on nature and ecosystem. Furthermore, how greenery affect our health and wellbeing. Building greenery can be more inclusive, including among streetscape and urban neighbourhoods. People of all ages and the spaces Read the full article…

I have delved more deeply into urban design and architecture during this year of study. My previous study in Birmingham was landscape design. I have a strong interest in ecological design, but I have developed a strong interest in housing and climate in urban design during this study. Last year our work and tasks were Read the full article…

    In the last post, we looked at the urban regeneration project in New Islington, Manchester. To brief recap, a marina, school, medical centre, and numerous homes were designed and commercial units on the ground floor and the communal gardens in the latest row of the townhouse were also created in order to create Read the full article…

Time flies and I have already spent two academic years in Newcastle A. I am very grateful to the teachers and classmates I have been surrounded by during my time in the UK. I have gained a lot and my teachers and classmates have helped me a lot and I am very grateful to them. Read the full article…

Here I am again writing a reflective summary for this semester. Time really flew fast that I didn’t even realise that it’s been nearly 9 months since I left everything back at home. As strange as it sounds, I really wished that time would fly by fast so that I could be done with this Read the full article…

Photograph by Luke Leung In the recent decade, community planning has been rising in popularity as planners and local authorities, architects and other practitioners can all benefit from social discussion into shaping their local environment. Wates (2014) suggested, growing numbers of residents and communities are getting involved with professionals in shaping their environment. These involvements Read the full article…

During my time in the UK, my understanding of urban design has deepened again. Previously, my understanding of urban design was often only at the design level. I thought that once the design was done, it was over. I didn’t need to think about what comes after. But after studying for a long time, I Read the full article…

Over the last 9 months, I feel I have learned so much not just in lectures and seminars but also from my peers. Blogging has been fundamental for this. It has encouraged me to explore a variety of urban design topics and facilitated a lot of interesting research. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to Read the full article…

For the blog   Blogging for me, I treat it as a record of learning. The content of the blog is the result of reflection, and therefore provides me with more opportunities to think more thoroughly. Blogging is a process of accumulation. Blogging is not just about writing, I think about finding concepts, design ideas Read the full article…

This semester, blogging provided a form of escape from all the coursework we needed to produce for other modules. As I mentioned in my previous reflective blog Looking Back, I saw this opportunity as a way to broaden my reading on a variety of subjects in which I had long been interested but had never Read the full article…

Passive design is about reducing the energy used for lighting, heating, and air conditioning in buildings by creating the building itself, rather than through the use of mechanical equipment, for example. （Gonzalo, Roberto & Rainer V，2014） The design approach includes building orientation, building insulation, building form, building shading, optimal window to wall ratios, natural ventilation, Read the full article…