Ms Ashita Gupta

Ashita Gupta is currently working as a Research Associate for the ‘Make Space for BEES’ as a part of the AHRC Design Exchange Partnership 2024 on the theme of Biodiversity. An Architect turned Urban Designer, she has an MA in Urban Design and Planning (RTPI; Distinction) with a background in Architecture (BIM). She has worked on multidisciplinary projects across architecture, planning and urban design in the private sector and research. 

Ashita received the Urban Design ‘Victoria Henshaw Prize for Contributions to City Liveability’ from The University of Sheffield in 2021 for her research on formulating frameworks for assessing gender response in urban public spaces and enhancing inclusivity in the public realm. Interested in exploring participatory and inclusive approaches to urban design and planning, her research expertise is in the areas of sustainable urban design and regeneration, gender-sensitive placemaking, co-design and stakeholder engagement. Her recent work includes co-designing digital toolkits with young adults and excluded communities as part of the Living Lab approach for ‘Place-keeping’ of green and blue spaces in Plymouth. 

She has undertaken extensive public engagement with schools and vulnerable groups in the city for developing digital toolkits as part of the Living lab approach; including her work on the EU/ERDF Urban Innovative Actions funded action research under the Green Minds project - exploring the use of a Living Lab approach as a pathway to co-stewardship-based greenspace governance in Plymouth & the AHRC Design Exchange Partnership funded - 'Digital parks in the Sea’ project - a co-design approach to design new ways for communities (with a focus on deprived communities in coastal neighbourhoods) to engage with the sea as a public space using digital tools. 

Future Observatory: https://futureobservatory.org/research/strands/design-exchange-partnerships/biodiversity/make-space-for-bees

Project Website: https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/make-space-for-bees

Project Website: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research-and-expertise/digital-together

Press Article (Interview with Calvium): https://calvium.com/digital-seascapes/

Project Website: https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/digital-seascapes

Green Minds Living Lab: https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/research/green-minds-living-lab

UIA Project Webpage: https://uia-initiative.eu/en/uia-cities/plymouth

Project Webpage: https://greenmindsplymouth.com/

Publication: Place-keeping in the Park – Testing a Living Lab Approach https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/9930

 

 

2020 - 2021 MA Urban Design and Planning (University of Sheffield, UK) 

2014-2019 B. Arch. (Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, India)

Council of Architecture, India (Registered Architect)

Royal Town Planning Institute (Affiliate)