Stuti Ganatra is an urban designer who joined Civitas in 2021. Fascinated by design from childhood, she envisioned herself becoming an independent architect and designing private residences. However, her experience working at an urban design firm at the beginning of her career, combined with her personal experiences of living in Mumbai and witnessing the power of monsoons, opened her eyes to designers’ opportunity to have a greater and more positive impact on the world when they work collaboratively instead of alone.
After completing her architecture studies and working for a few years in Mumbai, Stuti was eager to learn more about the challenges and opportunities presented by density, transit, and climate change. This eagerness led her to join Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), where she was able to build on her firsthand knowledge. Thanks to her education and experiences, she has developed a design approach that is sensitive to the context of each place, and she finds great satisfaction in learning and applying this approach to her work. Stuti’s journey to becoming a designer has been shaped by her dedication, curiosity, and willingness to learn. Her work is a reflection of her commitment to creating meaningful designs that consider the larger societal and environmental context.