Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City, is located in Thar Desert, India. This picture is captured from the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, overlooking the walled city.
This picture was clicked on one of our many field trips to study street vending practices and patterns across India.
This picture was clicked during the annual Rath Yatra festival. The main element of this festival is a public procession accompanied by chariots.
Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City, is located in Thar Desert, India. This picture is captured from the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, overlooking the walled city.
Hey! Welcome to Hidden Cities!
“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”
- Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino
Skipping all subtleties, we’re obsessed with cities! We’re two friends who bonded over this on our journey of becoming urban planners.
We feel cities hold a myriad of cultures and lifestyles, each so distinct, that they create the illusion of being separate cities. Cities are kinetic; they transform with the people living in them. Each city has hidden gems; the pockets that unfold glorious stories of the past and its people, offering experiences that can enrich one's perspective of the city. Similarly, each city has its own challenges, camouflaged by the hustle and bustle of city life.
At Hidden Cities, we want to have fun while exploring these perspectives through the lens of urban planning. Channeling our passion for urban equity and resilience, we aim to decipher everyday challenges and experiences from cities around the globe. We will strive to achieve a balance between absolute cynicism and rose-tinted glasses perspective, but hey, no promises!
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Team:
Prithvi Deore
Prithvi Deore is an urban planner in Los Angeles. She is a self-proclaimed book hoarder and is equally passionate about all-things-food!
Prithvi is interested in working towards building safer, resilient, equal cities and systems. In the past, she worked on urbanization, transportation, street vending, slum rehabilitation and displacement related research projects.
Prithvi has a Masters Degree in Planning (MPL) from University of Southern California and a Bachelor's Degree in Planning (B. Plan) from CEPT University. Check out her LinkedIn for more info here.
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PS - Current quarantine activities include checking off books from her reading list, painting flowers on doors, and inventing odd recipes.
Saumya Lathia
Saumya Lathia is one part urban planner, one part Indian mythology enthusiast, and two parts Amdavadi. She loves to travel, listen to audio-books, and mindlessly chatter about food.
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Saumya believes in data-driven decision making and is committed to advocate for sustainable and equitable urban development, through her research skills. She is currently associated with School of Arts and Sciences and Global Center for Environment and Energy, housed at Ahmedabad University.
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Saumya has worked on various equity challenges like informal economy, homelessness, affordable housing, women’s safety and contested urban spaces. Saumya has a Masters Degree in Planning (MPL) from University of Southern California and a Bachelor's Degree in Planning (B. Plan) from CEPT University. Check out her LinkedIn for more info here.