depleting resources
The contemporary urban landscape is increasingly defined by an urgent paradox: while cities continue to grow as centers of economic and cultural activity, they simultaneously accelerate the depletion of natural resources. As we enter the Anthropocene—an epoch marked by human-induced geological and ecological change—architectural and urban design practices are confronted with the need to reassess their roles in environmental degradation. My undergraduate thesis marked a turning point in how I approached this crisis. Influenced by speculative works such as those of Liam Young and critical readings on the Anthropocene, I shifted focus from the scale of individual buildings to the broader systems of extraction, production, and consumption that underpin urban environments.
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Rather than treating the city as a static collection of objects, I began to see it as a living system shaped by material and social flows. My investigations led me into the informal economies that quietly sustain our urban ecosystems—particularly the networks of kabadiwalas (scrap dealers) and ragpickers. Through direct engagement with these informal agents, I discovered how deeply intertwined waste and value are in the urban metabolic cycle. This research culminated in a proposal for a decentralized repurposing network at the city scale—a participatory and productive urban landscape in which communities actively engage with and repurpose their own consumption. Such a model not only reduces resource depletion but also challenges conventional top-down approaches to urban planning by empowering localized, community-led interventions.
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This systems-based perspective continued to evolve through my professional experience at Sameep Padora and Associates in Mumbai. The studio’s multidisciplinary and context-sensitive design approach expanded my understanding of architecture beyond form-making. In the industrial town of Nandyal in rural Andhra Pradesh, our practice moved beyond the design of isolated buildings to the creation of comprehensive infrastructure systems that were environmentally and socially sustainable. We incorporated industrial byproducts into construction materials, developed circular systems for water, food, and energy, and most importantly, engaged deeply with the local community. By understanding existing livelihood patterns, we were able to design infrastructure that supported—not displaced—traditional knowledge systems, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem responsive to both ecological limits and social needs.
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vulnerable communities
My understanding of vulnerable communities in the urban context deepened through two academic studios that immersed me in complex social and spatial environments. One of the most formative experiences took place in Worli Koliwada, a historic fishing village nestled within the rapidly transforming landscape of Mumbai. This indigenous settlement, rich in cultural heritage and community ties, is increasingly under pressure from real estate speculation, coastal development, and environmental change. First-hand interactions with local residents revealed the fragility of their social fabric in the face of top-down urbanization. Conversations with fishermen, women, and youth helped me recognize that their vulnerabilities were not only economic or environmental, but also cultural and spatial.
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In response, I developed a proposal focused on strengthening social infrastructure within the community. The intervention was not simply about constructing physical space, but about designing a participatory program that could enable intergenerational learning, collective memory, and cultural continuity. The idea of learning was reframed—not limited to formal education for children, but expanded to include informal knowledge-sharing among all actors in the neighborhood. Architecture in this context became a tool for empowerment—a medium through which the community could reclaim agency and resist erasure.
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This studio experience taught me that working with vulnerable communities requires more than empathy—it demands long-term engagement, cultural sensitivity, and co-creation. It underscored the importance of designing not just for communities, but with them, recognizing their existing resilience and enabling them to shape their own futures amidst systemic urban pressures.
rapid urbanization
Rapid urbanization is not just a matter of physical expansion—it is a complex, often disruptive force that reshapes landscapes, displaces communities, and challenges the continuity of cultural and social systems. My engagement with this phenomenon began in a design studio situated at Saat Rasta, a dynamic yet fragmented node in Mumbai where seven major roads converge. The site, emblematic of the city's infrastructural intensity and layered informality, became a testing ground for rethinking conventional redevelopment models. Typically, these models produce gated enclaves that sever social ties, promote exclusivity, and erase the pluralism of public life. In contrast, my project sought to challenge these paradigms by designing inclusive public spaces that could become catalysts for social cohesion and everyday interaction.
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Through this process, I began to see myself not merely as a designer of space, but as a mediator of urban relationships—negotiating between policy, place, and people. My role in the urban realm became increasingly adaptive and responsive, particularly to the inequities that rapid urban development tends to exacerbate. Whether it’s the marginalization of informal settlements or the privatization of public land, I came to understand that architecture and planning must be critically engaged with the social dynamics that shape cities.
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This body of work sharpened my ability to read the city through multiple lenses—spatial, historical, and socio-political. It also pushed me to think critically about how development can be made more accountable to context. The question that drives me now is not simply how to preserve heritage in the face of urbanization, but how to integrate it meaningfully into the future of the city. I am keen to further investigate strategies that reconcile growth with preservation, that resist erasure while embracing evolution. In doing so, I believe architecture can serve as a bridge between continuity and change—grounding urban futures in a deeper understanding of place.