Jayaraj Sundaresan

Dr. Jayaraj Sundaresan is a Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He teaches across urban studies, planning, and development domains while conducting research on vernacular governance, planning violations, and decolonial urbanism in India and London.

• PhD in Regional and Urban Planning Studies (LSE Geography)
• MSc in City Design and Social Science (LSE Cities)
• MArch in Urban Design and Planning (CEPT Ahmedabad)
• BArch in Architecture (CET Kerala University)

His research focuses on urban politics, commoning practices, and planning illegalities through ethnographic methods. Key themes include:

• Decolonial urban theory
• Water governance and ecological transformations
• Corruption in land use planning
• Vernacular formations of power
• Participatory urbanism critiques
• Comparative global South urbanism

Scientific contributions span 15+ years with notable work on Bangalore lake restoration dynamics, urban commons, and JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) digital governance. Awards include:

• UNESCO award for Arackal Palace conservation
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK

He has advised Kerala's Chittur-Thathamangalam Municipality on participatory planning (2022-2023) and contributed to London's Tall Buildings evidence Framework (2013). Current work involves a monograph on Indian planning violations.