About the Programme
Urban design plays a key role in creating livable, sustainable and socially just cities. As one of the most dynamic and fascinating laboratories for contemporary urbanism, Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area offer a wide range of challenges and opportunities.
Launched in 2012, the M.Sc. in Urban Design programme of the School of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong aims to prepare committed designers to engage with these challenges. Through a multidisciplinary combination of design studios and focused modules, students develop design skills while integrating new knowledge about essential areas for urban design, such as community participation, ecosystems and transport networks. Courses in urban history and environmental economy provide a deeper understanding of the forces of urbanism and the impact of urban design on the environment and society. The programme is accredited by the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design in 2018 and its international and Asian networks and dedicated faculty offer students an intensive and high-impact addition to their professional education.
From 2021, the newly extended, 16-month programme will start with a design studio focusing on collaborative processes for the urban design of neighbourhood spaces. Through engagement with local stakeholders and communities, students will develop speculative proposals and small scale tactical interventions at real sites. The second studio will focus on larger scale urban challenges, developing comprehensive research and design projects around the notion of the "City within the City". The thesis projects in the final term will further expand on this theme, using data-driven research methods or history, theory and case study analyses to formulate individual dissertations. Several of the programme's teaching and learning activities will be organised in collaboration with international and local partners, including a new 2-month internship programme where students engage with Hong Kong's urban design industry to gain experience with projects at a range of scales.
