Climate-Resilience in Mumbai: People Must Lead the Change

P.K. Das is popularly known as an Architect-Activist. His priority has been to establish a very close relation between architecture and people by involving them in a participatory planning process. His wide spectrum of work includes organizing slum dwellers fro better living and evolving affordable housing models, engaging in policy framework for mass housing, reclaiming public space in Mumbai by developing the waterfronts, re-envisioning the city and the open spaces of Mumbai, urban renewal and conservation projects along with an architectural practice involving urban planning, urban design, architecture and interior design assignments across the country. He hopes to integrate architecture and democracy to bring about desired social change in the country.

Kunal Khanna is an economist by training, but has well and truly adopted the ways of permaculture which now guides his approach to everything he is involved in. He spent his early professional years in Melbourne, Australia where he was the Catalyst at the Innovations Lab at the City of Melbourne where he bought ideas, people, infrastructure and data, to explore potential solutions to urban environmental issues and improve city services. In 2020, Kunal founded the All Living Things Environment Film Festival or ALT EFF, a platform that inspires and mobilizes communities to take action towards creating a sustainable future. Now in its fourth year, ALT EFF uses the medium of film to create awareness accompanied with conversations and workshops to drive impact. Under Kunal's leadership, it has become the largest film festival of its kind in India reaching an audience of over 20,000, and a footprint with events and activations in 12+ cities and towns.

Lubaina Rangawala is Program Head, Urban Development and Resilience with the Sustainable Cities and Transport team at WRI India. She has been associated with the institute for nine years. Her current work focuses on green infrastructure projects, nature-based solutions to address long-term climate risk in Indian cities, and working with vulnerable communities to build their resilience capacities. She is currently involved in climate action plans, disaster management and flood mitigation measures in Indian cities. At WRI, Lubaina led the development of a global tool called the Urban Community Resilience Assessment, and continues to address issues of gender, equity, diversity and inclusion in city resilience plans. Lubaina started her career as a researcher and visiting lecturer at two architecture schools in Mumbai. She worked with the KRVIA design cell on projects affiliated with the Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU) and the World Bank. During her short stint at the City of Emeryville, California, USA she helped set up the online building approvals portal, and worked with the City of Berkeley on local economic development strategies in low-income neighborhoods of South Berkeley. Lubaina is an Urban Planner and Architect from Mumbai, with over 14 years of work experience in India and the United States. She earned her undergraduate degree in architecture from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (KRVIA), Mumbai University, and a dual master’s in Architecture and City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, with a focus on housing, community, and economic development.

Meghana AT is a theatre artist and a theatre addict, who works as an actor, writer, director, producer, pedagogue. She has worked in Mumbai’s theatre circuit since 2012. She has collaborated with several theatre artists including Mahesh Dattani, Trishla Patel, Rehaan Engineer, Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Faezeh Jalali among others. She has a Master’s in Authorial Creativity and Pedagogy from The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. As the founder of tafreehwale, she aims to build a space for playfulness, research, pedagogy, and activism.

Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar is an award-winning journalist based in Mumbai. She has worked as an editor and reporter across media for more than two decades, including at the Christian Science Monitor in Boston and The Times of India in Mumbai. Over the years, she has reported on everything from culture to economy but specialises in issues related to science, environment, and development. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Atlantic, Science, Yale E360, and the New York Times, among others. She has a master's in science journalism from Columbia University in New York.