At the intersection of sustainable design strategies and data-driven community advocacy, Savalee Tikle is studying in the Department of Urban Planning and the GSD. An architect and urban research practitioner from Mumbai, she specializes in urban innovations and design paradigms, with experience at Perkins Eastman Architects DPC and SEArch Design Studio.
Her work is grounded in sustainable urbanism and shaped by fellowships such as YLAC, PUKAR, and LEAP Cities, alongside collaborations with NGOs and placemaking initiatives. She served as a Harvard Bloomberg Summer Fellow with the City Leadership Initiative in Indiana, where she created the city’s first GIS-based blight database and developed a replicable revitalization model reframing underutilized sites as opportunity zones for housing, public space, and economic growth.
Throughout her career, Savalee has led community-based research addressing grassroots issues, contributed to policy drafting, and conducted multi-sectoral studies on urban development, transportation, waste management, poverty, and gender dynamics. Through her cross-disciplinary and systemic approach, she weaves design, policy, and community insight into strategies that foster resilient, inclusive, and equitable urban futures, leaving an impact that resonates across geographies.
The Harvard Graduate School of Design Class of 2026 represents the range of departments and disciplines that shape the school’s distinctive approach to design education. In this series, students share perspectives on their work, research, and experiences, reflecting a commitment to advancing a more resilient, just, and beautiful world. Together, these videos offer a cross-section of the GSD’s intellectual and creative community.