Information Session of GSAPP's Urban Planning Program Successfully Held in Beijing

On June 26, Columbia Global Centers | Beijing invited Professor Weiping Wu, Professor and Director of Urban Planning Program, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Columbia University, to present an overview on Columbia's Urban Planning Program. She was joined by alumni Yifei Ma '16, Zhiyuan Han '16, and Peiqin Gu '14, in a broad discussion regarding China's urbanization and their experiences at Columbia.

Professor Wu presented three exclusive advantages of the Urban Planning Program at Columbia University. First, GSAPP offers a global vision for the students. According to Professor Wu, the school enables the students to conduct their projects in different countries. Second, the Program at GSAPP focuses on the reconstruction of the current space and condition, which, as Professor Wu believes, will be the trend of future urban planning. Lastly, Professor Wu highlights that Columbia University endeavors to produce more interdisciplinary talents for the field, which means the students can take a wide range of courses as long as they have finished all the required credits.

After the speech, three GSAPP alumni shared their experiences and gains with the audience. Yifei Ma said that the students at GSAPP are diverse in terms of academic background and cultural background. This largely contributed to an environment where different opinions come together and clash for a good reason. When recalling their time at GSAPP, all of the speakers agreed that GSAPP has largely benefited them in terms of professional skills and life attitudes.

After the information session, there was a reception for all the guests. Professor Wu engaged in hot discussion with the alumni and prospective students, answering their questions and providing her own views on the development of urban planning.