Dr Bimal Patel is an Architect and Urban Planner with over 26 years of cumulative experience in consultancy, research and teaching. He is actively engaged in understanding and transforming urban design and urban planning practice in India to make them more effective in improving the quality of life in Indian cities.
During his visit to Sri Lanka as a keynote speaker at the Architect 2013, National Conference organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, Dr Patel discussed his famous Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project in Ahmedabad.
Dr Patel is the Director of Hasmukh C Patel Design and Project Management and the Director of Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC), a not-for-profit professional planning research and advocacy organisation. EPC has been doing pioneering work in developing planning methodologies appropriate to the present Indian context.
He is a graduate of the School of Architecture, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad and holds a dual post-graduate degree in Architecture and City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He has also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Regional Planning from the same university in 1995.
Dr Bimal Patel is the recipient of prestigious scholarships, fellowships and awards including The Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1992, the World Architecture Award in 2001, UNCHS Best Practices Award in 1998 and the Prime Minister’s National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design in 1998. He has also delivered public lectures at national and international forums and served as Visiting Professor at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad and as Graduate Student Instructor at the Schools of Architecture and Planning at the University of California, Berkeley.
