Akshita Mandhyan Urban Design & Planning | Research + Mapping + Visualization | 2023 - 2026
Index of S elected Wor ks
Urban Design & Planning | Research + Mapping + Visualization | 2023 - 2026
01_ R o sie Gat eway Plaz a, Westland, MI, USA 02_R en ew p air D et r o it , Detroit, MI, USA 03_Per ip h er al U r b an ism s, Sao Paulo, Brazil 04_Tam ir ap ar an i Wat er sh ed St u d y, Tamil Nadu, India This portfolio brings together a selection of GIS and spatial analysis projects developed through my Master of Urban Design at the University of Michigan and subsequent urban design and research work. Across different scales and contexts, these projects explore how spatial data can be used to understand places, identify patterns, and communicate complex urban conditions. My GIS work has focused on questions of land use, mobility, accessibility, demographics, development, public space, and community context. Using ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and QGIS, I have worked with and combined spatial datasets to conduct analysis, develop maps, and translate findings into clear visual narratives that can support planning and design decisions. With a background in architecture and urban design, I approach GIS as both an analytical and communication tool. I am particularly interested in how mapping can reveal relationships between people, infrastructure, land, and the built environment, and how spatial analysis can contribute to more informed and community-focused planning. The projects included here represent my development as a GIS practitioner and my interest in using geospatial tools to better understand places and support decisions that advance communities.
05_H ig h D en sit y: N eig h b o r h o o d St u d y, Delhi, India
Shiawassee Watershed
01
Independence Twp
Springfield Twp
Rose Twp
Highland Twp
Oakland Twp
Orion Twp
ROUGE RIVER SYSTEM MAP
Auburn Hills
White Lake Twp
Shelby Twp
Rochester Hills
Waterford Twp
Watershed Boundaries
Westland, MI, USA
9XS Design | Ongoing
Professional Project (In Progress)
Rouge River Rouge River Watershed Boundary
Pontiac
R o sie Gat ew ay P l az a Team: Akshita Mandhyan + Salam Rida
Rosie Gateway Plaza/Park Macomb Twp
Sterling Heights
Troy
Commerce Twp
City Boundaries
Clinton Watershed
Milford Twp
West Bloomfield Twp
County Boundaries Fraser
Bloomfield Twp
Wixom
Parks
Beverly Hills
Individual Contribution: Research, Mapping, Spatial Analysis, Graphic Asset Production, Report
Royal Oak
Roseville Trailhead Sites
Warren
Secondary Access Site
Farmington
The Rosie Gateway Project is a public space and branding initiative that celebrates the legacy of
Hills
Huron Watershed
Rosie the Riveter and the history of the Norwayne neighborhood. My work focuses on conducting
Lyon Twp
Clinton Twp City of Westalnd Boundary
Southfield
Novi
Rest Stop Sites
Oak Park
archival and community-based research to build a narrative framework that informs interpretive
elements, public engagement, and site identity. I contribute to mapping, spatial analysis, and graphic
Lower Rouge Access Points
asset production. I am currently compiling a comprehensive report that weaves together research
01 Canton Center
findings, narrative strategies, and program recommendations to guide the project.
Road
Northville Twp
Livonia
Detroit
02 Morton Taylor
Trailhead
Rouge Watershed
Plymouth Twp
03 Lotz Road
Salem Twp
04 Commerce Court 05 Newburgh Road
Detroit River
Garden City Canton Twp Superior Twp
01
02
13 14
Westalnd 03
04 05
06 07 08
09
11 10
Inkster
Rouge River 16
Dearborn
Wayne
07 Dynamite Park
15
12
06 Goudy Park
Allen Park
1718 19
08 Venoy Dorsey
Park (East)
20
09 Venoy Dorsey
Park (West)
10 Dowton Inkster
Romulus
Taylor
Ecorse Creek and Combined Downriver Watershed
Ypsilanti Twp
11 Inkster Park 12 Dearborn Hills
Golf Course
13 Ford Field Park
Van Buren Twp Brownstown Twp
14 Rouge River
Gateway Trail
15 Rotunda Drive
York Stony Creek Watershed Augusta Twp Twp
Sumpter Twp
Huron Twp
16 Kessey
Fieldhouse Boat Launch
17 Fordson Island 18 Fort Street Bridge
Park
19 Forman Park
Milan Twp
London Twp
Exeter Twp
20 Belanger Park
Ash Twp Berlin Twp (Monroe)
Dundee Twp
Raisin Watershed
Raisinville Twp
Frenchtown Twp 5 miles
Rosie Gateway Plaza
Site Plan
02 R ene w pai r Det ro i t Detroit, USA
Urban Design Technology Studio | Winter 2024 Instructor: Prof. Cyrus Peñarroyo
Team: Akshita Mandhyan + Cameron Blakely + Ehsan Alam Academic Project, University of Michigan
Individual Contribution: Mapping, Design Strategy, Part of Site Programming, Collages Well before the “digital age”, Detroit was experimenting with innovations like the automobile and
Technologies like the highway. However, urban renewal, redlining, and urban freeway construction created an unequal impact of these technologies and instead lead to displacement and a loss of opportunity for many Detroiters. Today, the city outwardly seems to be making a comeback, but
revitalization projects like District Detroit and the University of Michigan's Center for Innovation (UMCI) continue to ignore harmful legacies and, in many ways, only exacerbate the sense of exclusivity downtown. What could be a counter proposal to the UMCI and District Detroit?
University of Michigan Centre for Innovation - Interior Proposal by KPF
Salvage Furniture
Salvage Architecture
Salvage Decor
Salvage Computing
AR model of the Counter Proposal
University of Michigan Centre for Innovation - Counter Proposal
Renewpair Detroit
District Detroit
03 Pe ripheral Urb an i sms Sao Paulo, Brazil
Public Design Corps | Spring 2024 Instructor: Prof. María Arquero de Alarcón
Public Design Corps, University of Michigan Individual Contribution: Mapping, Photography, Fieldwork, Informational Video for the project
In Spring 2024, I participated in a Public Design Corps field trip to Sao Paulo for 3
weeks along with 12 other students. The purpose of this trip was to document ground realities to countermap PIU Arco Jurubatuba project which threatens the existence of
Favelas (informal housing) and those residing in it. This was done in partnership with
several local partners in Sao Paulo which included several housing rights movements, community leaders, popular lawyers, and architectural firm such as Peabiru who work
Click here for the Vimeo link to the video I made!
04 Tamiraparan i Wat ershe d S tu d y Tamil Nadu, India
Urban Design Studio | Fall 2024 Instructor: Prof. Prof. María Arquero de Alarcón Individual Work
Academic Project, University of Michigan The Tamiraparani River is Tamil Nadu’s only perennial river. The River originate in the Pothigai Hills in the west and flows to the plains, fields and agricultural land in the east. The story of this river goes all the way back to ancient times. The River
provides water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes and most importantly fo irrigation. It is also flanked with such a rich biodiversity which led to the government
protecting certain areas that house these unique moments of biodiversity. The river is also the central spine around which many taluks and villages have grown.
My Cabinet of Curiosities:
from a week long Field Trip to the five landscapes of the Watershed Region
Tamiraparani Watershed Study
WAT ER I N F R AS T R U C T U R E
Tamiraparani Watershed Study
05
1. 3 story mixed-use residential -
2. 4 story mixed-use residential -
3. 5 story mixed-use residential -
4. 3-5 story retail/commercial block
Density: 20,000 people/km2
Density: 15000 people/km2
Density: 12000 people/km2
Density: 0 people/km2
Site Coverage: 100%
Site Coverage: 100%
Site Coverage: 100%
Site Coverage: 100%
Retail on 2 floors
Retail on 3 floors
Retail on 4 floors
H i gh Densi t y: A Neighbo rh o o d S t u d y Chandani Chowk, Delhi, India
High Density Seminar | Winter 2024 Instructor : Claudia Wigger Individual Project
Academic Project, University of Michigan
FAR: 3
Chandni Chowk, Cent ral Delhi Area: 5.6 square km
Population: 193,402 people
Population Density: 34,536 people/km2
FAR: 4
FAR: 5
FAR: 3-5
High Density: A Neighborhood Study
Sit e Sp ecif icat io n s Total Site Area (sqm)
250,000
Total Greenspace/Open Space (sqm)
25,810
Total Built Area (footprint, sqm) Area of Infrastructure (sqm)
Area Surface Parking (sqm) Area of Water (sqm)
BASIC PROJECT STATISTICS
162,970 21,220 10,610 00
Gross Building Area (sqm)
6,51,880
FAR Range
3-5
Average FAR
Density (people/km2) OTHER
Number of Schools
Number of Public Transportation Stops
2.6
15,000
0 2
L eg en d Mixed Use Buildings
Residential Building
Surface Parking
Trees, Public and Green Space
Schools, Institution, and Public Buildings
Streets
Retail, Commercial, and Entertainment
First Floor Retail
Lot Line