Abstract：Cities, akin to living entities, are characterized by fundamental attributes and diachronic properties that necessitate
continual evolution and development. The discipline of urban design, at its core, aims to portray this incessant
evolution, illuminate the underlying laws that govern it, and elucidate the trajectory of this transformative process.
This ties urban design intrinsically to the preservation of historical cities, establishing a concept of “one entity,
two facets,” an idea that is harmonious with the theoretical foundations of urban renewal. Urban renewal is an
inherent law and an inescapable trajectory in the life of cities. In the context of China, this principle is embodied in
the unending pursuit of modernization and the reflection of urban modernity. Concurrently, this transition retains
historical memories and facilitates the protection and perpetuation of historical culture. Building on an extensive and
profound comprehension of the evolution of urban design disciplines, in conjunction with the accumulated insights
from urban design pedagogy since 1999, the instructional team of Tsinghua University has upheld and advanced the
institution’s scholarly ideas and academic traditions. The team embodies a significant degree of synergy between
urban design and the preservation of historical cities, which in turn, caters to the national strategic necessities related
to safeguarding eminent cities and the capital’s development. Addressing this task from the perspective of organizing
the morphological order and spatial integration of the pre-existing built space, the pedagogical approach employs
urban morphology’s theory and methods. It fosters a systematic pedagogy for students to conceptualize, comprehend,
and depict complex urban spaces, while developing their constructive abilities. This method establishes a cross-scale,
integrative thinking process spanning from individual edifices to the entire cityscape. The curriculum promotes
a continuous design thinking model amongst students, facilitating their concentration on essential issues through
dialectical reasoning.
