Vineetha Nalla

Research Project

Intersecting injustices: investigating the role of identity, infrastructure planning and governance in experiences of disasters in India’s cities

Biography

Vineetha Nalla is a PhD Planning student at the University of Toronto. Originally from Hyderabad, India, she is fluent in Telugu, English, and Hindi. She holds an MSc in Building and Urban Design in Development from University College London as a Commonwealth Scholarship awardee and a Bachelor’s in Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, India.

Her doctoral research, informed by six years of experience with government agencies and civil society organizations, examines how marginalized communities navigate the intersection of systemic inequalities, environmental injustices, and urban flooding. By understanding these lived experiences, she aims to identify pathways for environmentally just planning and disaster management practices globally. She intends to utilize her time at university to work towards bridging theory and practice in addressing disasters by developing actionable strategies and pedagogy that contribute meaningfully on the ground.

As a PhD scholar, she seeks to create inclusive research for at-risk communities and disaster planning practitioners, drawing on prior work with diverse, non-academic platforms. Long-term, she aims to develop curricula for early-career practitioners, integrating disaster risk and urban planning insights supported by the foundation’s peer network and mentorship programs. Outside her research, she enjoys playing badminton and cycling through the city.