2024-Present – Urban Practitioner, Researcher & Development Professional, New Delhi & Research Scholar, PhD, Habitat School, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Leading independent consultancy assignments focused on developing interventions, research, and strategies on urban inclusion, informality, social protection, and climate justice, working with national and international civil society organizations.
July 2024 – Ongoing - Urban Transformation Platform (India) for Misereor (Germany): Facilitating the design and coordination of a collaborative platform bringing together urban practitioners, academics, and civil society to co-develop inclusive and climate-responsive approaches to urban planning and governance.
July 2024 – Ongoing - WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing): Supporting a research project and leading advocacy on informal workers and climate change, mapping lived experiences and adaptive practices, and shaping dialogues between worker organizations, government departments and urban climate policy frameworks.
September 2024 – March 2025 - Habitat International Coalition (HIC) – Asia: Supporting HIC's Asia regional agenda through conceptualizing and co-convening the Asia Habitat Dialogues series—focused on housing rights and building solidarities across grassroots movements and urban practitioners in the Asia Region.
Currently pursuing research and writing a dissertation on the Street Vendors Act 2014, its implementation and intersection with the Urban Planning discourse in India post-2014.
Actively involved with numerous social movements and campaigns at city, national and with networks at international level. Also contributing to policy–advisory support to several city, state and national government departments working on urban development issues.
2016-2024 – Urban Poverty Thematic Lead, Indo – Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), New Delhi & Research Scholar, PhD, Habitat School, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
Led and developed the Urban Poverty Reduction Thematic within IGSSS. IGSSS is a non-profit developmental organization and leading its Urban Poverty Reduction interventions in over 25 cities in India. Specializes in conceptualizing urban poverty reduction interventions within framework of sustainable urban development.
Conceived the informal workers collectives, sustainable city, and resilient city interventions for IGSSS. Developed the climate action agenda for the organization and including leading the discussions and collaborations for IPCC – COP 26 & 28 delegations.
Conceived and developed the research – -publication of urban poverty thematic for policy advocacy. Led the engagement and collaborations with city, state and national governments with regards to policy recommendations on urban, inclusion, climate change and urban planning.
Managing multiple – multicity urban actions for equitable city development. Leading and supporting many civil society campaigns on the inclusion of urban poor urban discourse and playing an increasing role in the grounding of urban climate action interventions for Indian cities with civil society networks. Also is coordinating and mentoring the research and capacity building aspects of the urban thematic. Is an active participant / contributor to various campaigns and social movements in the urban.
Initiating and leading collaborative actions with city government on themes like informal settlements, livelihoods, urban poverty, and climate action. With specific expertise on participatory policy development with multi-stakeholder engagements for urban local bodies and state governments.
2011–2016 - Lead Architect, Planner & Activist in YUVA (Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action), Mumbai, India on the Development Plan (Master Plan) Campaign in Mumbai.
Conceived and co-convened the rights based citywide advocacy drive for the needs of urban “marginalized” in Mumbai via the Hamara Shehar Mumbai (Our City Mumbai) Campaign for the Development Plan revision process. The campaign involves both academic, and research pursuits leading to advocacy with the state as well as organizing grass-root level mass awareness programs. YUVA is a UN recognized development organization established in 1984 with extensive contribution to Housing and Urban Policy debate in India and International Forums.
Led and actively planned several citywide campaigns, contributed to major dailies and media channels for raising awareness related to issues faced by the urban poor in the city; especially issues related to housing and livelihoods. Highlight: For the first time in India’s urban planning history, the campaign has brought about inclusion of marginalized sections in planning discourse and opened spaces for people’s participation in planning process.
2011-2012 – Research Fellow and Visiting Faculty – Kamla Raheja Vidhyanidhi College of Architecture (KRVIA), Mumbai, India
Researched on the topic of fundamentalization of politics in Mumbai and studied Ganeshsotsav (Ganesh Festival) and its transformation, by employing the research tool as a lens to analyze the changing relationships between the communities and its manifestations in the urban fabric.
2008-2009 - Ashok B Lall Architects, Delhi, India. Ashok B Lall Architects was founded in 1981 and is a proponent for low energy sustainable architecture in Indian context.
Conceptualized and participated in the designing a blue print for the largest historic town redevelopment in North India. The project aimed at restoring identifiable, distinct features, both of natural and historical significance as part of sustainable township regeneration.