Richa Shukla Vuppuluri
Richa Shukla Vuppuluri, Ph.D. is an urban environmental planner based in Washington, DC, with roots in Mumbai, India. Her expertise spans urban sustainability, infrastructure systems, and people-centric urban practices. With experience across academia, non-profits, and consulting, she brings an interdisciplinary approach to planning and design.
Currently, Richa is a Managing Planner at a DC-based consulting firm, where she leads projects in climate resilience, community engagement, and urban design across the Northeastern U.S. She thrives at the intersection of disciplines, using context-driven, co-produced knowledge to inform engaged and equitable planning practices.
Richa has conducted extensive research on sustainable urbanism and hazard mitigation at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the University of Washington, Seattle. She is also a member of the Complex Southern Urbanism academic research network, hosted by the Manchester School of Architecture (UK) and KRVIA-ES (India).
She holds an interdisciplinary PhD in the Constructed Environment from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) from Harvard GSD. She is also a certified AICP and Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP).
- Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch), Mumbai University, KRVIA-ES, India
- Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD), Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
- Ph.D. in Constructed Environments, University of Virginia, School of Architecture
- Graduate Certificate in Environmental Policy and International Development, Harvard Extension School
- Sustainability in Urban Infrastructure Systems
- Global Cities
- Participatory Planning & Co-Produced Knowledge
- Urban Water Management & Nature-Based Solutions
- Climate Resilience
- Mapping & Visual Communication Methods