Ar. Shefali Deepak Arora

Bio

Ar. Shefali Arora is a landscape architect, academician and researcher with over 19 years of experience in teaching, professional practice and academic leadership. She holds a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and is pursuing a PhD. focusing on urban parks, children’s well-being and sustainable urban design. At MIT-WPU, she aims to foster research-led learning, interdisciplinary collaborations and industry engagement while mentoring students to develop innovative, ethical and sustainable design solutions to create resilient, people-centric environments.

Educational Qualifications :
B.Arch (2007)- Sinhagad College of Architecture, Pune
M.LA- Master’s in Landscape Architecture- (2009)- School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
Pursuing PhD- UID, Gandhinagar

Areas of Expertise : Urban Ecology, Evidence- Based Design solutions, Sustainable Landscape planning.

Teaching Experience : 19 Years of teaching experience in architecture and design education. Taught undergraduate and post-graduate students. Mentored thesis and dissertation projects at various institutions across Pune, Mumbai.
Associated with B.N.College of architecture, D.Y.Patil College of Architecture Ambi, Talegaon, Minerva College of Architecture, Symbiosis institute of Design, Symbiosis Skills and Professional university, Pune Design School, Marathwada Mitramadal College of Architecture, MIT WPU School of Design.

Industry / Research Experience :
19 years industry experience in Landscape architecture along with teaching. Currently co- founder of Architecture firm Design Attitude.

Publications and Research Work :
Publications :

1. The Psychological Effects of Green Spaces on Urban Children: An Environmental Psychology Approach. Published in International Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology, Vol 27, Issue 1(2026), 233-245 - https://scibulcom.net/en/article/1311- 5065_2026_27_1_233-245, (Scopus Indexed Q4), March 2026.

2. Operationalising SDG 17 through affordances: A partnership framework for children’s well-being in urban landscapes. Published in International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary field- DOIDOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/20251202, Volume 11, Issue 12, Dec 25.

National Conferences:

1. Paper presented at National Conference on Built Environment and Beyond: Theory and Practice 2.0, Oct 23, Pune. Understanding the spatial planning requirements of girl child user in urban parks. Published in PeerReviewed e-Book with ISBN: 978-81- 955887-9-4

2. Paper presented at International conference on wellness, held on 10-12th Oct 25. The Psychological Effects of Green Spaces on Urban Children: An Environmental Psychology Perspective on Well-being.

3. Paper presented at National Seminar on Sustainable Development for Viksit Bharat @2047: A multidisciplinary approach, held on 6th Sept 25. Urban parks for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: A review on enhancing children’s well-being.

4. Paper presented at International Symposium on Niche Areas of Sustainable Development (ISNASD’25) on 3- 5 th Nov 25, Pune. Operationalising SDG 17 through Affordances: A partnership Framework for Children’s Wellbeing in Urban landscapes.

Awards and Recognitions : Narendra Juneja Gold Medal- Best Thesis Award- Landscape Architecture, SPA 2009.

Professional Affiliations : Registered with Council Of Architecture, India
Registered with ISOLA- Indian Society of Landscape Architects, India.

Subjects Taught :
Architecture Design, landscape planning, theory of landscape architecture, Basic Design, History, Architecture research, Interior space design.