Rahul Mehrotra

Rahul Mehrotra is a Professor of Urban Design and Planning and the John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD). He concurrently chairs the Department of Urban Planning and Design and directs urban design programs. A dual-practice academic, he co-founded RMA Architects in Mumbai (1990), balancing teaching with architectural projects addressing conservation, housing, and advocacy across India and globally. His work emphasizes social equity, historical urban contexts, and the intersection of design with systemic inequities.

His academic contributions include seminal books like Bombay: The Cities Within (urban history), Architecture in India – Since 1990, and Working in Mumbai, which critically examines architectural practice within socio-political landscapes. Research initiatives like the Harvard-led Kumbh Mela study (2012–2015) and the Kinetic City concept redefine urban theory through ephemeral systems and South Asian urban dynamics.

Mehrotra’s pedagogy challenges architectural canons to address structural racism, spatial justice, and interdisciplinary collaboration. As a CICA member and curator of exhibitions such as Soft Thresholds, he advocates for inclusive urbanism. His affiliations include Harvard’s Laxmi Mittal South Asia Institute and the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.

Key awards include the 2018 Venice Biennale Special Mention for projects addressing social boundaries. His current courses (e.g., Ephemeral Infrastructure, Decentering the Canon) reflect commitments to rethinking urban pedagogy and global inequities.