Hopefully, some of you have been here for longer that I have. So I assume you probably know the area better as well.

I work in the Chenggong District and am looking for a modern or somewhat decent looking apartment. Any suggestions on where I can find what I'm looking for?

A good place to live is in the tower blocks that are opposite the main gate of Yunnan Normal Uni. It is the most convenient for everyday living, shops, restaurants, etc. The only downside is that it is not close to the metro (1km), but then most place aren't close to the metro.If you live further out you need to budget for transport costs.
There are also places to rent up near the Howard Johnson hotel. This is close the metro, but not much else. The places near there in the north of Chenggong are mostly low rise, and more for families, and so the decoration will probably be better, but you will still find bad at the low end.
Decent looking has a lot to do with the budget the owner spent on decoration. The cheapest places were decorated minimally and are usually rented to groups of students. The place I rented, the landlord would not rent to students.

The time to look is now. This month is when people start looking for student accommodation (high school and uni) for next year, and the good places go fast.

The area between Chunggrong Street and Tuofeng Street metro stations, particularly the QiCai YunNan complex, has lots of very modern and high standard Western style apartment buildings. There are lots of modern amenities there and is home to a fairly sizeable working age foreign population. Try there rather than University Town itself.

I noticed a new large shopping mall is up and running in Chenggong with a fairly nice selection of outdoor eateries. Most happening place in Chenggong. You could look around there if you need lots of nearby amenities.

Around that shopping mall is where it's at. Plenty of condos all around there as well.