Personal Statement

Program: Urban Designing and Planning

It is only natural that I have grown up with an intense interest in architecture and urban planning; after all, China has a five thousand year old history of architectural achievements such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Therefore, when I ranked second in the county on the university entrance exam, I chose to pursue architecture as my undergraduate specialty at Southeast University. As an undergraduate, I developed a solid foundation of knowledge in the field. My favorite course was architectural designing, where I was able to express myself and my originality through my drafts and models. More importantly, the designing process helped me to understand all aspects of architecture, from the inside to the outside of individual buildings and how those buildings interact with the external environment. I graduated with honors and worked in the Nan Ning designing institute under the government’s Ministry of Light Industry.

During my three years there, I developed an even deeper understanding of architecture and its relationship with the environment while I was engaged in a series of designing plans for bids and practical engineering designing. I also participated in a designing contest in Guangxi province, working around the clock, where I was honored to be awarded the second prize for my nearly perfect design at the Design Competition for Residential Areas of Nan Ning City.

My work experience taught me that in today’s world, a new perspective is necessary in architecture that stresses totality and an overall systematic outlook in the building of cities. I studied very hard and was accepted into the postgraduate program in urban planning and design in Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China. There I realized that I was more interested in general urban space rather than the individual buildings themselves, which has led me to conduct research on my dissertation with the working title of “Research on the Open Space Along Streets”. Professional designing of urban living space must be able to meet the demands of city life while simultaneously harmonizing itself with the surrounding architecture and environment. Particularly in China, we must strive to combine the elements of nature, society and the economy to create living space that maintains an ecological perspective while allowing for sustainable development. I am currently researching the effect of the widening of space between buildings and streets in Beijing as result of the growing transportation needs of the city and road construction. Useable land in cities is shrinking and we must consider how to systematically create proper green and open space along streets, which is the thesis that I intend to verify in my dissertation.

This leads to the main motivation for pursuing my Ph.D. to learn more systematic and advanced theoretical theories as well as more practical means of implementation from the more developed countries of the west, which have already undergone tremendous development and redevelopment of cities. In China in the past two decades, with the increasing encroachment of commercialization, the cities have been poorly planned with serious damage to historical areas with few proper public spaces. China’s process of urbanization is increasing at an astronomic rate, now at 40% compared with 80% for most developed Western countries. I plan to earn my Ph.D. and return to China to do everything that I can to ensure that I can serve society by creating beautiful and harmonious working and living environments for people in our cities.

Three faculty members that I would like to work with at the University of Washington include Dr. Marina Alberti, Dr. Kristina Hill and Dr. Robert Mugerauer. Dr. Alberti can help me further my research into urban ecology and impact assessment, while Dr. Hill could also help me with urban ecology as well as GIS mapping and spatial patterns of land use. Dr. Mugerauer would be extremely helpful in guiding me further into the study of sustainability and the impact of technology in built and natural environments, values, social and cultural factors in design and planning, and theory and current research methods, all of which are areas that will help to develop my utmost potential as an urban planner and designer in China.

My intended course of study at the University of Washington will follow the path that will best prepare me for my career as an urban planner in China. For the first year, I will probably take Urban Form, Urban Ecology, American Urban History, Urban Spatial Analysis, Land Use and Transportation Models, Land Use Planning, Transportation Planning and Environmental Planning, which I believe will fulfill my core curriculum requirements. My primary research interests while at your university will lie in finding the ways and means of current domestic city planning and designing to integrate social and economic conditions with ecological thinking according to the natural local conditions. I would like to find more ways to make the plans and designs more practical while simultaneously making the residences more environmentally friendly. In this way, I can help to make urban areas in China more sustainable, with more greenery, more fresh air, and more closely related with nature.

In the future, I plan to seek a senior teaching position to help develop future urban planners in China. In addition, I would like to join an institute of urban planning in Beijing for at least two reasons. First, China’s rapid economic growth will continue to promote the rate of urbanization. Good urban planners will be a necessity to ensure that urban growth is well planned and controlled. Secondly, Beijing will be the host city of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Massive construction projects for the necessary sports facilities will provide great opportunities for urban designing and planning.

In summary, I have a dream to become one of the top urban planners and designers in all of China to promote healthy and ecologically friendly urban growth. With a Ph.D. from the University of Washington, I will have the solid educational foundation that I need to fulfill that dream.