“Architecture introduces us to a new spatial language. It also confronts us with unpredictability, subjectivity and life-long accountability. ”

Neha used these three aspects to step up beyond the architectural domain as her building blocks. From facilitating various government projects and devising DCRs for different cities as an urban designer to working on water issues as a social scientist, Neha now works on enabling change or transition in the water sector. In the discussion, Neha will discuss her journey from how she transitioned from a profession that focused on an (architectural) output to being someone who designs a mechanism that enables a collectively desired outcome.

Come attend the event and learn about :

• Newer avenues for architects and urban designers. 
• How do you engage with people (as an urban designer)?
• What additional capacities are required for an urban designer to work on facilitation/knowledge brokering?
• How can you practice and conduct academic research at the same time?
• How do researchers work on the ground?
• Do you think the governance system works?

About the Speaker – Neha is an action researcher and works as a transition scholar for the Water4Change project in India. Her work lies at the intersection of urban water governance and transition studies. Her interests revolve around understanding power dynamics around the distribution and allocation of water resources. 

She hails from Mumbai, India. After completing her Bachelors’ and Masters’ training in Architecture and Urban Design, she worked at the World Resources Institute (WRI) India for six years. As an urbanist, she was primarily involved in spatial planning, consensus building, devising innovative participatory strategies for projects in various parts of India. Later, she shifted to the Netherlands to complete her second master’s degree in Water Management and Governance from IHE-Delft. 

Neha has been part of the teaching faculty in design, management and planning schools of India, Germany and the Netherlands. She is also a published photojournalist and an avid traveler and writes under N-Route’s.