Ashok Das

Ashok Das serves as Professor and Department Chair at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, where he teaches courses including Planning Theory, Urbanization and Globalization, and Planning in Asia. His leadership extends to co-chairing the ACSP Global Planning Education Committee and directing multi-year projects funded by the Asian Development Bank and Luce Initiative on Southeast Asia.

• Ph.D. in Urban Planning, University of California at Los Angeles
• M.Arch. and M.A. in Environmental Planning and Management, Kansas State University
• B.Arch., School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Das specializes in institutional innovations for urban poverty alleviation across Southeast and South Asia, with particular expertise in community-driven slum upgrading, disaster risk reduction, and platform economy impacts. His research emphasizes civil society's role in fostering inclusive urbanization through integrated microfinance, participatory governance, and pro-poor shelter policies, often focusing on Indonesian case studies like Surabaya.

His 15 most recent publications reveal dominant trends in pandemic-responsive urban planning, with 60% addressing informal service systems in Asian cities during COVID-19. Cross-cutting themes include climate-resilient shelter solutions (35% of works), Southeast Asian urban governance (45%), and innovative poverty-alleviation frameworks (50%), demonstrating consistent focus on practical applications for marginalized communities.

• UHM Chancellor’s Award for Meritorious Teaching (2016)

Das leads significant externally funded initiatives including a $1 million LuceSEA grant for Indonesia-focused planning research and ADB-commissioned studies on pandemic impacts. His advisory work spans major international bodies including UN-Habitat, World Resources Institute, and Ford Foundation, with recent contributions to policy frameworks for Asian Development Bank and Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Current projects emphasize community-managed microfinance systems and platform economy impacts on urban mobility.

As principal investigator for the Luce Initiative on Southeast Asia grant, Das coordinates collaborative research between UH Mānoa's Center for Southeast Asian Studies and the East-West Center, focusing on inclusive urbanization strategies through capacity building in Indonesian planning institutions.