Meghna Mohandas

 
Private space as political ‘genderscape’: How social and political contexts shape the rental housing experiences of Indigenous migrant women in Bengaluru, India
 
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?

Each experience of my life has been shaped by everything that came before it; this has been the case with the decision to pursue a PhD too. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I became interested in learning more about issues of housing inequalities in urban India. I completed my undergraduate thesis on 'chawls', a form of affordable rental housing in Mumbai. My essay on the socio-spatial qualities of a home for destitute women in my hometown Kozhikode was awarded the 3rd prize in the Berkeley Essay Writing Competition that was awarded by the University of California, Berkeley, in 2015. My academic interest on the topic paved the way for a job as an architect in the built environment team at SELCO Foundation in Bengaluru upon graduation. Here I worked with low-income migrant communities to develop various affordable housing solutions. I then felt the need to familiarise myself more with housing policies in India and joined the Indian Housing Federation, where my primary role was to conduct research on various affordable housing policies and its implementation across the country. While working with these organisations, I realised that I needed further training to be able to understand the social and political contexts that shape housing inequalities, rather than just the spatial. This is why I decided to pursue my postgraduate degree in City Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics. I also had the opportunity to work as a research assistant on the 'Experiencing Density' project at LSE Cities/LSE London. However, upon completing the degree, I felt the need to further pursue a doctoral degree as a one year postgraduate program was insufficient for me to explore the particular intersection of rental housing, race, and gender in urban India.

Why did you decide to study at UBC?

Once I decided to pursue my PhD in urban planning, UBC was an obvious choice. The School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) is a world-renowned department in the discipline. My supervisors Dr. Leonora Angeles and Dr. Julia Harten have immense research experience in the fields of urban spatial inequalities and rental housing, and it is to work under them that I decided to study at UBC.

What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?

One of the key challenges doctoral students in the urban planning discipline have been facing is a gap between planning practitioners and the knowledge that is generated within academia. SCARP has been focused on bridging this gap. As a PhD student in the department, I have been receiving immense training and guidance on making my research relevant beyond the academic community. This focus on navigating the space between practice and academia is one of the key aspects of the program that attracted me.

What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?

I think what surprised me most was how beautiful it can get during the summer. The city is extremely green and I love spending time on the beach when weather permits.

Once I decided to pursue my PhD in urban planning, UBC was an obvious choice. The School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) is a world-renowned department in the discipline. The focus on navigating the space between practice and academia is one of the key aspects of the program that attracted me.
 
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?

My undergraduate degree in architecture, my postgraduate degree in urban sociology, and my 4 years of work experience on various aspects of housing inequalities in India and the UK have prepared me to undertake research on this particular topic at UBC.

What advice do you have for new graduate students?

The PhD program can be a very isolating space. Make sure that you have a good social network and support group as it can be difficult to navigate this long process on your own.

 
 
 

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