California, USA| bhagyasshree1@berkeley.edu | Ph: +1 510 7742 871| linkedin.com/in/bhagyasshree-ramakrishna Link to Portfolio: https://bhagyasshree1.myportfolio.com/ Professional Work Experience
• A decade of work experience as an Urban Designer, Architect + Researcher urban design.
• Led and implemented projects involving low-cost tactical interventions.
• Contributed to international journals, book chapters, and conferences.
• Highly passionate on contributing and implementing innovation in urban life connections, inclusive neighborhood design, water-sensitive urban design, and gender theory across global urban contexts.
Key Professional Experience
Urban Designer |Egis Group and Van Leer Foundation (VLF), in collaboration with Urban95 and Pune Municipal Corporation https://www.egis-group.com/ | https://vanleerfoundation.org/urban95/
URBAN95 Program- Designing child-friendly cities through low-cost interventions
Key Projects and contributions:
• Framing Design Guidelines for Child-Friendly Urban Spaces in collaboration with WRI, BvLF, Urban95 International, Parent+ and Pune Municipal Corporation.
Formulating Early Childhood Development (ECD) Urban Framework and Recommen dations.
Framing Creche Design Guidelines for Early Childhood Framing ITC Urban Design Safety Guidelines (for Pune)
• Lead, Conceptualized, Tested and Executed 4 key small-scale urban design projects
Preparation of Feasibilty Reports for Tactical and Permanent Urban Design Interven tions for Government, public infrastructures at a 1. crèche, 2. Primary Health Care center, 3. neighbourhood Municipal park and 4. Open space within a municipal ity-operated primary school.
Concept and Design development for the ITC-Friendly Urban Design Interventions
Coordination and monitoring execution on site with contractors and engineers of government agencies.
Conducting Formative Research Survey’s with Parents, Grandparents, Caregivers, School Teachers, Children, Early-Childhood Development Specialists. Coordination with Government departments, schools, colleges, designers
• Preparation of Feasibility Reports, DPRs and Tender Drawings, Progress Reports
• Organization of the Annual Kid’s Festival - a week long city-scale event promoting child safety, development, accessibility
• Capacity Building Workshops with Government Depts- Road, Garden, Health, Education
• Lead, executed Tactical Urban Interventions for 7 urban design projects at : -Public Park, at Lumbini Park, Yerwada
-Open Space within a Primary Health Care Center
-Creche, Government-operated at Pune
-(x3) Open Spaces within a Primary School, Government-operated -Child-Priority Zone, School Streets
June 2023
May 2024
Urban Designer , HCP, Ahmedabad, India
Mumbai Port Trust, Brownfield Project
Nariman Point- Regeneration of a Commercial District Site drawings and documentation, Feasibility Reports, Masterplan drawings and proposal conceptualizations
Architect, Katerra Technologies, India
Townhomes, Santacruz, California Prefabricated Timber Construction
Conceptual ideation, Masterplan Drawings and visualizations
Architect, BRIC Design Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India
Villas Scheme, Masterplanning at Alibaug, CNC School, Mumbai
Conceptual ideations, co-ordination with clients, consultants and vendors, on-site construction inspections, preparation of working drawings and 3D visualizations for Architecture+ Interior Design
Architect, Urban Interventions, Mumbai, India
Principal Architect, Ainsley Lewis
Archbishop House, Conservation restoration of Churches, Mumbai, WD drawings, condition mapping
Education
UC Berkeley, California- Center for Environmental Design, USA
Master in Urban Design (MUD) GPA 3.9
Sem1: tracing BIPOC micro-businesses across spatial vacancies in Richmond, CA
Sem2: Parks as Disabilitiy-friendly experience to wander, Pinnacles National Park, CA
Thesis: Anamolies of a Civic Center : de-centrality of Monuments+public space in San Francisco, CA
CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India
Master in Urban Design (M.Arch)
Major in Urban Design, Minor in Urban Conservation
Politecnico di Milano, Milan Italy
Urban Research Thesis Semester
Thesis: Examining transformation of Industrial Districts: Case of Art Districts in Milan,Italy
Mumbai University, Rizvi College of Architecture, India
Bachelors in Architecture (B.Arch)
Thesis: Urban-Rural Continuum: Symbiosis of Food Networks
Certifications
“Mapping Cultural Resources: A Tool for Strengthening the Future”
Issued by Council of Architecture - Faculty Development Programme
“Public Policy Research”
Issued by Centre for Public Policy Research
Skills and Focus Interests
Software skills: AutoCAD, google Sketchup, InDesign, Photoshop, GIS, Illustrator, MS Office, Python and Computational thinking (basics)
Interpersonal Skills: Team Leadership, communication and collaboration, decision-making, Urban Design theory and Regeneration strategies, Urban Policy, Architectural theory, History and Design, Masterplanning, Concept Development
2024-2025
Presentations
City of Berkeley - Methodogically surveying, categorizing and redesigning Sliplanes intersections in Berkeley through the lens of pedestrian priorities. City of Hollister and the National Park ServiceImagining National Parks as spaces for alternate experiences where persons with disabilities could experience the outdoors in new ways to wander, Pinnacles National Park, CA
Awards and Research Grants
Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), UC Berkeley Finalist Preresentation: Themed ‘Land Use Solutions for Decarbonization and Resilience’ showcasing research projects and creative solutions for sustainable land management in response to the climate crisis across inter-disciplinary departments.
Research Project Title: Paradoxes of Lake Development
Research Grant: Awarded the Saint Gobain Research Grant Program 2022-23. “Lakes Panvel” for Analysing the socio-cultural associations of Heritage Water Bodies in Panvel, Navi Mumbai.
Grant Awarded Urban Studio Research Project (USRP) organised by Council of Architecture (COA), selected from National Research Competition.
Titled: ‘Heritage Talavs in Panvel’ examining - in association with a place of worship (of different faiths) forming a sacred, cultural urban landscape.
CEPT University Excellence Awards: for Studio Unit “Ungendering the Everyday City”, Co-Tutor Bhagyasshree Ramakrishna, Monsoon Semester 2020
Citizen ‘Spirit of Mumbai’ Award for aiding rescue operations for flood victims honored by Government Chief Minister of Maharashtra for Mumbai 2005 Flood Deluge, India.
Academic Positions
Assistant Professor, Mumbai University, Pillai College of Architecture, Navi Mumbai
Masters in Urban Design: History of Urban Design, Urban Conservation, Thesis
Bachelors in Architecture: History of Architecture, Architectural Design Studio, Thesis
Thesis Guide, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Bachelors in Urban Design
DRP - (Directed Research Project) thesis, the students asssisted with my on-going research work as part of their thesis project.
Lead Studio Co-Tutor, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Bachelors in Urban Design
Studio Focus - “Un-Gendering the Everyday City” - Examining Feminist Gender Theory in Urban Spaces.
Structuring and outlining course work and weekly exercise briefs, delivering studio lectures and presentations, student project discussions providing analytical and design inputs via on-campus and online classes.
Teaching Assistant, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Bachelors in Urban Design
Design Studio - “Humanising Urban Spaces” - Speculative Design Intervention for Neighbourhood level existing urban space (neighborhood parks) to create a community place in new urban development of Ahmedabad city.
Course - “Climate and Design of the Built Environment” - Co-ordinating and organizing on-campus and online classes, conducting weekly tutorials, to clarify concepts, grading assignments, co-ordinating between students and studio faculty.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications
Harvard Urban Review/Featured Article: Ramakrishna.B, Ramesh, S. (2022). Geographies of Incineration: The (In)visible Aides of the Tenebrous Urban Networks. Harvard Urban Review.
International Journal/Featured Article: Ramakrishna.B, Ramesh, S (2023). “Contentions of affordability in the habitat planning of a new town: a case of Navi Mumbai, India” Cidades. Comunidades e territórios. Volume 47.
Tekton Journal/ Featured Article: Ramakrishna.B, (2020). “Changing Role of the Contemporary Public Realm: Case of Industrial Design Districts in Milan” Tekton Volume 7, Issue 1, March 2020 pp. 18 – 32, Ed. Smita Dalvi; Mahatma Education Society, Mumbai
Conference Presentations and Papers
“Politics of Gender, Democracy, and Public Space: Role of Beaches in Reclaiming Women’s Right to the City.” Blurred Boundaries-In Search of an Identity. Pune: SMEFs BRICK School of Architecture, 2021. Bhagyasshree Ramakrishna, Shruthi Ramesh.
“Curating Informalities:e Syncretism of Social Innovation in the City Museum”. “Connecting Cities, Connecting Citizens” CAMOC-ICOM. Barcelona 2021 conference. Bhagyasshree Ramakrishna, Shruthi Ramesh, Shriya Dhir.
Book Chapters
International Book Publication: examining children in informal settlements along the highways and their access to play, learning and knowledge-sharing institutions through the lens of urban design mechanisms.
International Book Publication: examining a theoretical lens of metropolitan tourism, its changing narrative with urban development in constant flux.
International Book Publication: Ramakrishna.B, Ramesh, S (2023) “Contestations to a Climate-sensitive heritage: Examining the Negotiations of Cultural Markers along Mumbai’s expanding Metropolitan Coast”, Climate Change related Urban Transformation and the Role of Cultural Heritage. Geographies of the Anthropocene. Vol. 6, No 2, Dec 2023. Edited by Matthias Ripp & Christer Gustafsson.
Led Research projects assisted by Students, CEPT University (DRP)
“Examining Jacobs-Foucauldian Gaze at the Urban Edge in Feminist Theories” The thesis aims to analyse the definition of ‘the gaze’ in gender theory, as a production of the built environment and gendered access.
“Open Source Urbanism” examining Social Innovation, Flexible Zoning and Publicly Open Private Spaces in the research examines the various planning mechanisms to allow open-access of various knowledge-sharing institutions, and potential knowledge-sharing public spaces.
“Cities as a Platform for Social Innovation: Case of Kala Ghoda, Mumbai” The thesis examines the notion of Innovation Districts, institutional collaboration, and its application to a socially-inclusive policy framework.