The Changchun university district comprises seven tertiary education institutes that have until now been underserved by supporting facilities, and the 48 hectare site for this new University Town lies at the heart of this district.

The new educational core provides the eastern anchor of a regional strategy that connects it and the core of the expanding High-Tech district further west to Changchun’s New City Center. The program for the University Town reflects the mission to establish a ‘town-and-gown’ center that will serve both academia and the surrounding residential communities, and it also takes into account lessons learned from UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UCLA in California, as well as the new regional mall that will be built just a few kilometers to the west. Of the approximately 1 million square meters of development (average FAR 2.1) on five separate parcels, 730,000 sq.m. are allocated to residential uses, including student housing, and 280,000 sq.m. to commercial uses. The Power Center includes department stores, specialty big-box retail in the electronics & appliances, home furnishings, and clothing and apparel sectors, and a grocery market. The University Village includes a major amphitheatre to anchor the arts and entertainment, including cinemas, book stores and a saloon; a range of restaurants, coffee shops, guest houses, and a hotel; fitness and sports centers and a youth club; a business center, small offices, banks, and a meeting center; convenience retail, specialty grocers and a post office; and a medical center.