Meet the Team 

Rajanya Bose
Postdoctoral Researcher
Sheffield University-UK

Rajanya is a Postdoctoral research associate in the School of Geography and Planning, University of Sheffield, UK. For this project, she is primarily working on the research outputs, focusing on developing the theoretical framework, the research strategy and empirical findings, apart from supporting the youth mobilisation in both cities. She has a PhD in International Development at the University of East Anglia, UK. In her doctoral thesis and her prior work in the NGO sector in India, she has extensively researched on socio-economic inequalities, land dispossession, and labour rights in rural and urban India

Lumanti Joshi

Project lead in Nepal

LUMANTI Support Group for Shelter

Lumanti Shrestha Joshi is a community architect working with urban poor communities in Nepal since 2008. She graduated as architect in 2001. She has been working with LUMANTI Support Group for Shelter from 2008. She is currently working as Programme Manager-Housing in Lumanti. She is an active member of Community Architects Network and Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, which is based in Bangkok. LUMANTI is a non-government organisation dedicated to alleviate urban poverty in Nepal through integrated approach of improving shelter conditions for urban poor, works for onsite upgrading of settlements with the provision of secure tenure, support in the construction of housing and improved access to sanitation and water supply and credit facilities. She is deeply involved in promoting community development projects, primarily Housing, keeping people at the center. She is involved in various slum upgrading and housing projects implemented in various cities around Nepal implemented by the organisation, which are done in partnership with community organisations and local government. She enjoys working closely with the communities. Currently she is leading the team in Nepal for the project "Co Constructing Neighbourhood for Diverse Young People: Civic Media Technologies for Urban Governance", supporting the youth group in the city of Dharan to create a space in the municipal governance system.

Aditya Singh

Project Coordinator

Hunnarshala Foundation

Aditya is an architect and a development professional at Hunnarshala Foundation, Bhuj. He also leads another organisation called ‘Aabhat’ as its director. He has an extensive experience in appropriate construction technologies and inclusive planning of the built habitat. He has worked on the housing for the urban low-income groups, as well as traditional housing practices of the rural communities. Additionally, he has also been involved with various studies and documentation exercises of urban public spaces, under the larger agenda of the 'right to the city'. In this project he is working as the project coordinator looking after the administrative aspects. 

Camila Cociña

Co-Investigator-Policy Impact

International Institute for Environment & Development

Camila Cociña is a senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development, IIED, where she co-convenes the Housing Justice work. Camila is a development planner and architect, whose work focuses on housing justice, urban equality, informality and participatory governance. She has worked on collaborative initiatives with communities, civil society, international agencies and governments in Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. As part of the YCIV team, she works promoting the policy impact and legacy of the project, coordinating efforts to systematise and share the lessons from the grounded activities with international networks of civil society organisations. She is based in Santiago, Chile.

Aishwarya Gupta

Workshop Coordinator

Hunnarshala Foundation

Aishwarya is a trained architect currently practicing in Bhuj. Within the context of this action research project, her role occupies programmatic design and strategic planning of workshops for diverse youth participants. Central to her role is the integration of grounded research, particularly focused on understanding the dynamics and needs of youth within urban environments. This serves as a foundation for continuously adapting and refining the trajectory of the workshops, ensuring they remain flexible and responsive to the diverse aspirations of the youth group. Through this iterative approach, Aishwarya hopes to bridge the often-separated domains of academic research, community engagement, and practical urban development. 

Shounak Saha

Hunnarshala Foundation

Shounak Saha has a master's degree in Rural Studies. In this project, I conceptualize and execute outreach strategies to engage a diverse cohort of participants, ensuring inclusivity and representation. My work emphasizes identifying emerging research questions for in-depth analysis, particularly in the domains of governance and civic media. I employ observational methods to collect qualitative data, systematically documenting participant behavior and insights to assess the workshop’s outcomes. As a facilitator, I lead discussions and practical exercises, fostering an interactive and reflective learning environment. Furthermore, I cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with community stakeholders and participants, which are essential to the workshop’s effectiveness and its sustained impact on governance and social transformation.

Pravesh Khanal

Researcher/Architect

Kathmandu University-NP

 As a Research Assistant at Kathmandu University, I contribute to the Neighborhoods Fit for Diverse Young People project by developing research strategies, conducting literature reviews, collecting data, and preparing reports. I also represent KU in meetings, ensuring our work supports inclusive, resilient urban spaces through civic media and participatory planning.

Alexandre A. Frediani

Co-investigator-Policy Impact

International Institute for Environment & Development

Alexandre is a principal researcher and co-convenes IIED’s work on Housing Justice. He specializes on issues around human development in cities of the global South. His work explores the role of housing policy and practice in advancing sustainable and equitable development pathways, particularly in the context of the world’s majority. Through partnership with grassroots, NGOs, government and multilateral organisations, Alexandre is particularly interested in promoting the advancement of community-led and participatory approaches to the knowledge and responses to current housing global crisis.

Marina Kolovou Kouri

Project Coordinator

Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

Marina Kolovou Kouri is a Project Coordinator at the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR). With a background in architecture and urban design, Marina has contributed to diverse development and research initiatives in Southeast Asia. Her work involves collaborating with practitioners, organized communities, academic institutions, and international organizations on local and regional projects centered on community-led development, collective approaches to securing access to land and housing, and advancing grassroots participation in governance. In her current role, Marina facilitates the coordination of Asia-based project partners and supports the exchange of knowledge and learning between the project and other ACHR partner organizations.

Gynna F. Millan

Co-Investigator-Civic Media

International Institute for Environment & Development

Gynna is a development planning practitioner and urban designer at Universidad del Valle, Colombia, where she co-leads the PopuLab. Her work combines digital technologies and storytelling to amplify communities' voices in urban development. She specialises in innovative methodologies that merge participatory action research with audiovisual techniques. As part of the YCIV project, she facilitates the design and implementation of civic media workshops in Bhuj and Dharan, working closely with the teams to develop creative approaches for influencing local governance. She holds a PhD in Business and Management with emphasis in Smart Cities in the Global South. 

Himanshu Burte

Co-Investigator - Research 

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Himanshu Burte, an architect and urbanist, is Associate Professor at Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies (ADCPS), Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), in Mumbai. Himanshu researches urban governance, planning and infrastructure in India, with a special interest in lenses of spatial justice and sustainability. He recently co-edited a special issue of the journal City (https://tinyurl.com/strvio) focused on the structural violence of spatial transformation in cities of the global south, and co-created a related digital exhibition titled make/break (www.makebreak.tiss.edu). His last book (co-edited) was Urban Parallax: Policy and the city in contemporary India (Yoda Press, 2018).  

Lajana Manandhar

Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

Lajana is the Executive Director of Lumanti Support Group for Shelter and General Secretary of ACHR, based in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Her specific role in the project is to support and provide guidance in the implementation of the YCIV project, coordinate with  University of Sheffield team as necessary, explore how the learning from the current project could be shared and upscaled with ACHR wider network members in Asia.   

Chandra Lal Pandey

Co-Investigator - Research

Department of Development Studies, Kathmandu University

Chandra Lal Pandey, PhD is an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Development Studies, Kathmandu University. He earned his PhD and Post Doctorate from the University of Waikato, New Zealand. He has over 20 years of working experience in South Asia. He has an extensive research and teaching experiences in the domains of urban governance, climate change, disaster risk reduction, public policy, and sustainable development. He is the research-lead for Dharan, Nepal. He has published a large number of research articles in the high impact factor, leading international peer-reviewed journals

Ananta Raj Bajracharya

Lumanti Support Group for Shelter

Ananta is a development and communication professional with 25 plus years' experience in community development, project implementation and audio-video production. He has a robust skill set in project coordination and management, ensuring the smooth execution of initiatives across various project cities. This expertise encompasses overseeing the implementation of program activities, which involves meticulous planning and organization to guarantee that all components function harmoniously. With a strong capacity to supervise and guide the project teams in the development of work plans and budgets, I have good experience and expertise in project monitoring and reporting, documenting and disseminating best practices through various media formats, including print, audio, and video.  At present, Ananta has been associated with Lumanti Support Group for Shelter as a Documentation and Information Management Coordinator with the assignment of the role as maintaining effective external communication by keeping LUMANTI's members, networks, and partners updated on organizational activities through the official communication channels, particularly the social media and website. Apart from this, he is also assigned to coordinate some projects for the smooth and effective implementation of the projects. Concerning this project (YCIV), Ananta is assigned to ensure the smooth coordination, planning and implementation of the project initiatives backstopping the project team in the field.

Ashutosh Gupta

Researcher 

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Ashutosh is a geographer by profession, currently persuing his PhD at Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies, IIT Bombay. HIs personal PhD work aligns with the theme "Youth, active citizenship and their role in shaping urban governance". Ashutosh has joined YCiv as a researcher working with Hunnarshala Foundation specifically for the case of Bhuj.

Newton Maharjan

Lumanti Support Group for Shelter 

Newton Maharjan has been working with Lumanti Support Group for Shelter as a Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for the past seven years. He conducts field visits, interacts with beneficiaries and periodic project assessments for the case studies, provides monitoring of the project and records the data of beneficiaries. Additionally, he contributes to communication efforts by developing leaflets, brochures, and multimedia content. 

In YCIV project, Newton supports data collection, trains volunteers, reports on project progress including documentation, media, photography and videography. He coordinates with the youths of Dharan for training the youth cohort, mobilizing them on CIVIC Media activities and enabling the youths of Dharan to work collectively, reflect their city through the digital CIVIC media.

Naiara Yumiko

Design and Communications Consultant

Sheffield University-UK

Naiara is an urban designer with a background in critical design and urban research, with experience collaborating with NGOs, universities, and international organisations in the UK, Brazil, Colombia, and Kenya. Her work focuses on participatory planning and issues of informality. In this project, she is a communications and design consultant, leading visual communication and identity while bridging design, activism, and research. She is based in Lisbon, Portugal.