Studio
Urban Design Teaching: Rethinking Education through International Collaboration and Regional Practice
Urban design education today is increasingly seen as an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented endeavor, moving beyond conventional discipline-based curriculums. In the context of Pearl River Delta and the Greater Bay Area (GBA)—a rapidly transforming urban region that bridges cities in southern China with the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao—this approach follows integration of insights from urban studies, geography, landscape architecture, sociology, and history . The complexity of contemporary urban challenges demands a reconfiguration of educational models, where design becomes a tool not just for creation, but for inquiry and adaptation.
A key feature of this pedagogical shift is the implementation of international collaborative learning (Salama, 2015). Students participate in cross-border design projects that engage with global academic networks and think tanks, allowing them to explore spatial responses to real-world issues facing the GBA. These projects promote a hybrid mode of learning— combining theory with application—where design methodology becomes a core instructional strategy. This model encourages not only innovation in studio practice but also a long-term engagement with critical urban issues.
The curriculum is structured around a progression of lectures, studio experimentation, and hands-on workshops. Internationally recognized scholars introduce innovative design methods through lectures, which are then deepened in thematic workshops and applied in studio projects centered on PRD and GBA-specific urban questions. Student presentations in reviews, exhibitions, and public seminars further cultivate their ability to communicate complex ideas and engage with a broader public.
An essential component of this educational approach is the incorporation of historical mapping and spatial analysis following the mapping approach of James Corner (Corner, 1999). Students investigate the evolution of urban systems from buildings, transport and networks of port infrastructure. Using diverse sources including historical maps, satellite imagery, aerial photography, and planning documents, they reconstruct the development of urban subsystems across various scales. This temporal and spatial lens fosters a nuanced understanding of regional dynamics and informs the creation of context-sensitive design strategies.
The mapping-based research also contributes to a growing, open-access urban design knowledge library . Students take an active role in building this digital resource, which supports self-directed, long-term learning while encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across borders and disciplines.
This evolving model of urban design teaching offers a compelling framework for the internationalization of practice-based education. By connecting global perspectives with regional specificity, fostering interdisciplinary inquiry, and embedding design as a methodological tool, it equips students to become thoughtful, adaptive, and engaged designers in an increasingly complex urban world.
A map/diagram of the areas we have conducted mapping research on.
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Urban Design Teaching: Rethinking Education through International Collaboration and Regional Practice
Urban design education today is increasingly seen as an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented endeavor, moving beyond conventional discipline-based curriculums. In the context of Pearl River Delta and the Greater Bay Area (GBA)—a rapidly transforming urban region that bridges cities in southern China with the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao—this approach follows integration of insights from urban studies, geography, landscape architecture, sociology, and history . The complexity of contemporary urban challenges demands a reconfiguration of educational models, where design becomes a tool not just for creation, but for inquiry and adaptation.
A key feature of this pedagogical shift is the implementation of international collaborative learning (Salama, 2015). Students participate in cross-border design projects that engage with global academic networks and think tanks, allowing them to explore spatial responses to real-world issues facing the GBA. These projects promote a hybrid mode of learning— combining theory with application—where design methodology becomes a core instructional strategy. This model encourages not only innovation in studio practice but also a long-term engagement with critical urban issues.
The curriculum is structured around a progression of lectures, studio experimentation, and hands-on workshops. Internationally recognized scholars introduce innovative design methods through lectures, which are then deepened in thematic workshops and applied in studio projects centered on PRD and GBA-specific urban questions. Student presentations in reviews, exhibitions, and public seminars further cultivate their ability to communicate complex ideas and engage with a broader public.
An essential component of this educational approach is the incorporation of historical mapping and spatial analysis following the mapping approach of James Corner (Corner, 1999). Students investigate the evolution of urban systems from buildings, transport and networks of port infrastructure. Using diverse sources including historical maps, satellite imagery, aerial photography, and planning documents, they reconstruct the development of urban subsystems across various scales. This temporal and spatial lens fosters a nuanced understanding of regional dynamics and informs the creation of context-sensitive design strategies.
The mapping-based research also contributes to a growing, open-access urban design knowledge library . Students take an active role in building this digital resource, which supports self-directed, long-term learning while encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across borders and disciplines.
This evolving model of urban design teaching offers a compelling framework for the internationalization of practice-based education. By connecting global perspectives with regional specificity, fostering interdisciplinary inquiry, and embedding design as a methodological tool, it equips students to become thoughtful, adaptive, and engaged designers in an increasingly complex urban world.
A map/diagram of the areas we have conducted mapping research on.
aA
Below is a navigation of work in both research and teaching that showcase relevant work done in specific areas. They are great references for you to explore reseraching and designing the environment. Click to navigate.