Smitha M B

Senior Manager - Academic Office | mbsmitha at iihs dot ac dot in
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EDUCATION:

2012   MSc, Community and Regional Planning, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

2006   MArch, Architecture, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

1997   BArch, Architecture, Mysore University, Hassan

 

 

Countries: India, USA
States: Karnataka, New Mexico, Pennsylvania
Cities: Bangalore, Albuquerque, Philadelphia
Languages: English, Hindi, Kannada

Smitha was a Professor of Architecture, and Program Coordinator at the Center for Smart and Sustainable Technologies, SJB School of Architecture and Planning (SJB SAP), Bangalore, India. At SJB SAP, context-sensitive design possibilities, equity, access and historical influences have been central to her teaching. Smitha MB has lead and coordinated studio teams, which explored methods to incorporate larger concerns impacting built environments through analytical studies and design projects at the undergraduate level. In addition to teaching theory and studio courses, her academic engagements included international collaborations, faculty-curated international architectural tours and coordinating architectural research as the first recipient of a Science and Technology grant for architectural research from the Vision Group for Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, India. As an academic Planning Consultant for the Center for Sustainable Development, Bangalore, a not-for-profit organisation, Smitha contributed to the review of the BIAPA (Bangalore International Airport Planning Area) Master Plan.

 

Smitha has held various academic and professional positions in the USA and India. These include independent architectural and planning consultancies in India; health care planning at the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems (UPHS), Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, USA; teaching engagements at Temple University, USA, the University of New Mexico, USA, and at various institutions in Bangalore, India.

 

With a strong belief in interdisciplinary collaboration, her interests in the Architecture and Planning disciplines include: Food Systems Planning; Accessibility oriented Transportation Planning and Policies; and Planning and Design of Health Care facilities. Her special interests lie in the expressions of identity, modifications of cultural markers and the intersections of built environment and public health.

 

Smitha is a registered architect in India and her professional practice focused on home renovations to facilitate safe aging-in-place, and to meet the needs of contemporary multi-generational households.

 

At IIHS, Smitha works with Academics & Research team and is responsible for the preparatory activities, programme delivery and also on the proposed IIHS MUP and PhD programmes in Urban Practice. Additionally, she assists in setting up and managing various administrative systems and processes.

Books/ Book Chapters

  • Surie, A., Goswami, A., Arakali, A., Revi, A., Ravindranath, D., Bhan, G., Anand, G., Balakrishnan, K., Kapoor, N., Sami, N., Vasanth, P., Anand, S., Smitha, M. B., Viswanath, S., Baberwal, S., Mitra, S., Batikar, T., & John, V. (2023). Towards a new urban practice: The urban fellows programme 2016-2022. Indian Institute for Human Settlements. https://doi.org/10.24943/9788195847303
  • Smitha, M. B., Vishwanatha, K., & Chandrashekhar, M. N. (2019, April). Connecting sustainable design projects at fragile water bodies with smart city interventions: Contemplative explorations in architectural pedagogy. Paper presented at the 49th Annual meeting, Urban Affairs Association, Los Angeles, USA.
  • 2019 Panel Discussion: Contemplations on architectural education at the 61st Annual NASA Conference (ANC) National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA, India), SJB School of Architecture and Planning, Bangalore, India.
  • Smitha, M. B. (2018, July). Memory. Erasure. Resilience. Paper presented at the Symposium proceedings on International Summer Cities on Working Waterfronts and Freshwater Fictions, Carleton Urban Research Lab (C-URL), Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
  • Smitha, M. B. (2018, July). Framing new narratives: Teaching sustainable urbanism. Paper presented at the Symposium proceedings on International Summer Cities on Working Waterfronts and Freshwater Fictions. Carleton Urban Research Lab (C-URL), Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
  • Smitha, M. B. (2015, July). Sustainable communities: Linking food systems, transportation planning and the built environment. Low Carbon Summer Architecture Programme (LCSAP-2015), Welsh School of Architecture (WSA), University of Cardiff, Wales, UK.
  • Smitha, M. B. (2011, March). Integration of urban agriculture with TOD in city neighborhoods: Adding value as a critical low intensity complementor. Paper presented at the 41st National Conference, Urban Affairs Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
  • Smitha, M. B. (2010, October). Greening the city and eating it too! Exploring the relationship of urban farms in West Philly with existing transit facilities. Poster presentation at the Annual Regional Conference, Pennsylvania Chapter, American Planning Association.