Urmi Sengupta

Urmi Sengupta is an Associate Professor and Director of Education (Postgraduate Taught Programmes) at Queen's University Belfast's School of Natural and Built Environment. She holds a PhD from Newcastle University and expertise in architecture, urban planning, and housing studies. Her research focuses on urban development in the Global South, particularly land rights, post-disaster urban recovery, and public space equity. She has edited major works like Housing India: Programmes, Policies and Governance and sits on the editorial boards of International Journal of Housing Policy and Urban India. She supervises PhD students and contributes to UN SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities) and 13 (Climate Action).

Education:

• PhD in Urban Studies, Newcastle University
• MSc in Urban Planning (Asian Development Bank Fellow), University of Hong Kong
• BArch, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Research Interests: Urban informality, post-disaster resilience, housing equity, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable urban design. She explores how marginalized communities assert their 'right to the city' through spatial and political struggles.

Key Projects:

• Post-Disaster Space: Kathmandu's Durbar Square Reconstruction
• Climate Change Impacts on Majuli Heritage
• Healthy Urban Ageing in Brazilian Cities

Awards:

• Best Dissertation Award (2000), HK Institute of Town Planners
• ADB Fellowship (1998)
• Multiple editorial roles in housing and urban policy journals

Teaching Roles: Co-ordinates modules on sustainable communities and site design. Former Programme Director for MSc Urban and Rural Design.

Media Engagement: Commentator on Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction, urban policy debates, and heritage protection in Kathmandu.