Newcastle upon Tyne,The city that aspires to be iconic
Why Newcastle? I come across this question from my peers asking me why I chose to study at Newcastle university. It takes me back to when I started considering applying for my master’s program. The United Kingdom was a natural choice because of its one-year master’s program. After thorough research, Russel’s group of universities caught my attention. The modules and the positive reviews about Newcastle university made me certain about selecting this university. The modules of the program corresponded with my aspirations and my career goals. Consequently, going through the process of admissions, and finally entering the country gave me the jitters and suddenly everything was overwhelming. The initial days of arrival were quite nerve-wracking as everything was nascent. Gallivanting through the streets of Newcastle and trying to understand the city dynamics was quite challenging. Formerly although I had visited the United States during my Under Grad, we were accompanied by our professor who knew the complete ware bouts of the place and helped us navigate through each and everything.
Newcastle is a student-friendly city with everything in close proximity to one another. The people here are very warm and helpful, they are trying to be as inclusive to diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. It is small and humble yet has all the facilities that a student aspires to live in. It is well connected with the airport and train station to different parts of the country. Diverse and beautiful city with a breath-taking view of the River Tyne. The Gateshead millennium bridge, the bustling Grey’s Monument, The King Edwards Bay Beach, Northumberland Street, Leazes park, and Angel of the North are a few of my favorite places to visit during the weekend. The experiences are quite different from my home country and the cuisine here is something I am still getting accustomed to. Each street has something new to offer in terms of its spatial and cultural experience. It’s trying to retain a fine balance between heritage and Modern advancements. The spirit of the city is intact despite the harsh weather conditions and the people here are putting in efforts to make it more sustainable, friendly, and accommodating.
Exploring the city and living its culture has brought me to terms with its essence as a city. Even though it has its own issues it’s mesmerizing in its own way. As part of our design project, we have been given a site area where we are redefining the spaces to accommodate the culture and creative initiative by the governing authorities. The site area is 45.5ha with Clayton Street acting as the spine of the project area. We are working with various stakeholders and creative practitioners for the project to understand their needs and ideas. We as urban designers are trying to resolve these issues by having certain urban interventions and creating better communal spaces as part of our project. Being an urban designer will enhance my capabilities as a designer and instill urban sensitivity toward the neighborhood.
