About Me

My name is Mihir Shirish Saraf and an urban planner & designer enthusiast. I am currently in my second year of the MUPP (Master of Urban Planning & Policy) program at the University of Illinois - Chicago.

As an international student growing up in Dubai, moving to Chicago has abetted me in understanding the urban context from a different lens to the world of planning given the fact that this city is a perfect urban laboratory for a budding urban planner like myself. Additionally, a great case study for transportation planning given the city’s accessibility to transit stops be it bus or train, affordability and high demand.

As an Architect, I have a proclivity for design and hope to integrate my design skills with planning to engender sustainable and just communities enabling residents lead a better quality of life. This is what drives me to become a Sustainable Urban Planner.

Moreover, having completed my graduate studies at UIC, I have developed an inclination towards both spatial and transportation planning wherein I intend to use my design skills to visualize transportation related improvements in terms of accessibility, traffic flow efficiency and pedestrian safety. I intend to have a holistic approach when it comes to community development in projects that I will be a part of.

As far as my long-term plans go, I have always had an interest diving in the management arena and climb the corporate ladder runing my own Planning + Design Consultancy focusing on bolstering transportation accessibility, improvements and environmental sustainability in neighborhoods. With time and experience, I will gravitate towards international projects keeping in mind that people lead a healthy, comfortable and safe lifestyle globally.