Geethanjali MiniRajesh Urban Planner/Designer/Architect LinkedIn Online Portfolio
Email : geethanjalimr@gmail.com Mobile : +1-646-823-2334
Professional Experience •
New York Department of City Planning Associate Urban Designer/ Planner (Bronx Borough Office)
New York City March 2020 - July 2022
◦ Focus Area: Urban Design/Planning, Community engagement ◦ Actively participated, contributed to Bronx Metro North Study - Community outreach, participatory design charrette, created engagement tools/workshops. ◦ Involvements in Large scale Urban Design projects, Waterfront guidelines, design RFP reviews and inter-agency work ◦ Actively participating in Civic Engagement studio think tank to research planning from equity lens. Engaged in two work streams: Civic engagement strategies/ tools and Post-Mortem analysis of past NYC planning. ◦ Management of private/public applications through Land Use process (ULURP Process) ◦ Graduated from NYC City Planning - Land Use Academy 2021 Navy Narwal cohort ◦ Liaison to Bronx Community Board 7
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Rebuild By Design
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MUD Workshop
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HABITAT Workshop
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Volunteer Designer and Researcher for Amy Chester ◦ Urban Research and developed illustrations for RBD ◦ GIS Mapping, comparative analysis and generated maps: – Link to work Urban Designer ◦ Assisted in research of Jersey City for Spring UD studio at NJIT ◦ Urban research and analysis of potential master planning project in Jersey City ◦ Designed methods and graphics for Community outreach Project
New York City August 2019 - Present
New York City Jan 2020 - Mar 2020
New York City
Architect and Urban Designer Nov 2019 - Jan 2020 ◦ Urban Research assistance: Research in post-Soviet industrial cities and its parallel study of the American Rust Belt. (Nizhny Novgorod and Detroit) ◦ Design for competition of Museum of History and Community of Puerta de Tierra, San Juan
Studio Recyclebin Architect and Urban Researcher
Trivandrum, Kerala, India Jun 2016 - Mar 2018
Experience in Urban Design and planning projects; Urban Research, community outreach projects, conceptual development, site supervision, documentation, illustration. Engaged in office management, presentations, coordinated interns, prepared drawings, 3D renderings. Other works included social activities involving Trivandrum corporation, local municipalities, and Non-Profit Organizations. Few selected projects: ◦ Carbon Neutral Village – Meenangadi, Kerala India 2017 ◦ Toilet Tales, holistic research on the phenomenon of public toilets, through gender and equity lens. Trivandrum and South India 2016-18 ◦ Museum of Habitual Error, Public Art installations, Trivandrum, India 2017 ◦ Urban Park Development for City Govt, Trivandrum, India 2017 ◦ Social Campaigns and education projects for State - Govt schools, Kerala 2016 ◦ Backyard Urbanism - Design Research Proposal 2016
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Green Army International
Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Senior Mentor Feb 2017 - Feb 2018 ◦ Co-created a platform where students are introduced to climate change and waste management strategies through activities and interactive sessions under the auspices of City Govt. of Trivandrum. ◦ Created residential camp structure and reports incl. the framework and evaluation matrices, for internal documentation and public relations. ◦ Conducted and optimized youth workshops and public sessions for students on climate change and leadership.
CICA Institute Part Time Architecture Tutor at B Arch Coaching Center – NATA
Trivandrum, Kerala, India Dec 2016 - Mar 2018
Education •
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Pratt Institute
Brooklyn, NY
Master of Science Architecture and Urban Design May 2018 – June 2019 Course works : Critical geography and mapping, Urban Theory, Architectural Space and Political Philosophy Experience : Design Admin – Graduate assistant at Dean’s Office School of Design Kerala University, College of Architecture Trivandrum Bachelor’s in Architecture Studio work highlights
Trivandrum, Kerala, India June 2011 – May 2016
◦ UD studio: ‘Window of nature’ urban design project at govt medical college, Trivandrum. Studied the urban fabric and interaction between fragmented nature, city, and the bystanders of patients ◦ Housing studio: Planning studio exploring on fisherfolk communities in coastal areas of Vizhinjam, Trivandrum Kerala. ◦ Thesis: ‘Sarang Rural university’, Research on History and literature/live case studies of alternative schools and philosophies. Designed organically growing flexible spaces based on Sarang’s alternate education principles. Location – Attappady, Kerala.
Skills • Design: Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro; Rhinoceros 3D, Auto-CAD, SketchUp, Maya, Grasshopper, Key Shot • Fabrication: 3D Printing, Casting, Molding, Laser cutting • Visualization: Hand drafting, Sketching, Graphic Design, Photography, Collage • Mapping: Photogrammetry software, Texture mapping, GIS • Language: Malayalam (native), English, Hindi, Tamil (speaking proficiency)
Publications • Author – MS AUD City in a Building – Urban hybrid proposal, Brooklyn Navy Yard 2019 Pratt Institute • Featured in – Nutri City; Geethanjali MR published by Architecture and Urban Design (MSAUD) at Pratt 2018-2019 edited by Jonas Coersmeier • Academic Paper – Violence in Architecture - Concept analysis Bernard Tschumi and Michael Foucault 2018 Guided by Prof. Peter Macapia, Pratt Institute • Dissertation – Architectural Education and Pedagogy, Trivandrum, Kerala 2015
Achievements and Leadership • Volunteer Youth engagement planning with DIVCOMM (NY APA diverse planners committee) • Participant Graduated from NYC city Planning’s Land Use Academy’21 Navy Narwal cohort • Awarded Pratt Merit based Scholarship 2018 - 19 • Works Showcased – Culmination thesis project displayed at Material Urbanism Show The Hall, Brooklyn in 2019, Meandering Scape - Urban Design project exhibited at Pratt Shows NYC 2019 • LeadershipStudents Union Chairman - Elected representative of Council • Participant Thrissur Next – International Urban Design Workshop, Thrissur 2014 and 2015