Nidhi Subramanyam, Ph.D.

Nidhi Subramanyam

Nidhi Subramanyam is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto investigating urban governance, planning for water security, and migrant inclusion in rapidly urbanizing geographies. Her research uses a range of interdisciplinary frameworks and ethnographic, spatial, and participatory methods to understand how planning reflects and reinforces the status quo in shaping the transition to ‘improved’ conditions and how different social groups interact with planning processes to contest inequalities and create just, equitable, and sustainable futures during these transitions. You can read more about Nidhi Subramanyam’s research interests, projects, and publications here.

At the University of Toronto (UofT), Nidhi Subramanyam is based in the St. George (Downtown) campus, where she also serves on the Presidential Advisory Council for the Indian Subcontinent. Nidhi is also a faculty affiliate with the School of Cities, the Data Sciences Institute, the Toronto Climate Observatory, and the Centre for South Asian Studies. She serves on the Steering Committee for the School of Cities India, a Tata Trusts funded multidisciplinary initiative to generate collaborative research on and solutions to urban problems in India. Outside UofT, Nidhi is a faculty member of the American Association of Geographers, the Canadian Association of Geographers, the Urban Affairs Association, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Planners Network, and the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP). She serves on the Global Planning Educators Committee of ACSP and participates in the Global Planning Educators Interest Group (GPEIG), Faculty Women’s Interest Group (FWIG), and Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG).

Prior to starting her Ph.D., Nidhi Subramanyam worked at the International Development Centre in Ottawa, NoMa Business Improvement District in Washington DC, Transparent Chennai in Chennai, and DCOOP Architects in Mumbai. She obtained her Ph.D. and Master of Regional Planning from Cornell University and Bachelor of Architecture from the Academy of Architecture at the University of Mumbai.