Anjali Mahendra

Director of Research, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Bio

Anjali Mahendra is Director of Research at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. She leads the research agenda, guiding our worldwide team in conducting policy-relevant, innovative and interdisciplinary research across all program areas of WRI Ross Center. She advises staff on research design, ensuring the production of high-quality knowledge products and robust evidence to guide WRI’s engagements in cities around the world.

Anjali is currently co-leading development of the World Resources Report, Towards a More Equal City, a flagship WRI publication, working with thought leaders from around the world. Her current research focuses on how rapidly growing cities in the global South can manage urban expansion in a way that ensures equitable access to core services, and more resource-efficient economic and environmental outcomes.

As a recognized transportation expert, Anjali has taught graduate level courses in transportation policy and authored several publications on urban transportation and land use policies, their public health impacts, their regional economic development and equity impacts, and their potential for climate change mitigation.

Prior to her role with WRI’s global office, Anjali led research for the India office of WRI, then known as EMBARQ, leading teams in new areas of work such as integrating public health concerns into transport planning in Indian cities, travel behavior and energy consumption patterns in newly developing peri-urban gated communities, and understanding the accessibility of slum dwellers to public transport services.

Before her position in India, she led projects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Transportation Research Board, U.S. state and local agencies, and international organizations as a senior consultant at ICF International.

Anjali is passionate about connecting research with practice and has worked in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and India, for organizations including the World Bank, Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, TU Delft in the Netherlands, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Anjali holds a Master’s degree in City Planning, a Master of Science in Transportation, and Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, India.

She enjoys documentaries, cooking, travel, and spending active time outdoors with her family. She lives with her husband and two sons in Cary, North Carolina.

Blogs

People Move to Cities for Better Jobs and Opportunities. Impossible Commutes Are Getting in the Way
by Thet Hein Tun, Maria Hart and Anjali Mahendra - May 22, 2019
A new WRI working paper finds that though cities are hotspots for opportunity, many urbanites find it increasingly difficult to access these benefits, rendering jobs, healthcare and education increasingly out of reach for millions of people.
Too Many Cities Are Growing Out Rather than Up. 3 Reasons That’s a Problem
by Jillian Du and Anjali Mahendra - January 31, 2019
New WRI research shows that cities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are expanding outward rather than vertically. As these places grow in population, continuing their unwieldy expansion outward could push them into economic, environmental and social crises.
Equitable Planning in Ahmedabad: Beyond Eminent Domain
by Valeria Lvovna Gelman and Anjali Mahendra - August 30, 2018
Ahmedabad uses a unique process to make sure that new developments receive city services.
World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City - Framing Opportunities and Challenges
by Victoria A. Beard, Anjali Mahendra and Michael I. Westphal - October 06, 2016
Once every 20 years, the world's urban leaders gather to determine the best course of action for the world's cities. This year, at Habitat III, the 21st century challenges for cities are clear. WRI's World Resources Report examines whether providing equitable access to services can make cities more economically productive and environmentally sustainable.
Improving Life for the Urban Under-Served Makes Cities Better for All – But That’s Not the Only Reason to Do It
by Michael I. Westphal, Anjali Mahendra and Victoria A. Beard - September 20, 2016
Tackling inequality in the world's cities can be a crucial way to foster urban development, improve the environment and spur the economy.
When it Comes to Reducing Car Congestion, India’s Cities Can Learn from its Businesses
by Anjali Mahendra and Pawan Mulukutla - June 03, 2015
While India's cities continue to invest in road expansions, a handful of businesses are taking steps to reduce car dependence. The result is less car congestion and improved productivity.

Publications

From Mobility to Access for All: Expanding Urban Transportation Choices in the Global South
This working paper describes the decline in access to jobs, services and people that many cities are facing due to the confluence of two trends: rapid urbanization and motorization. In analyzing two cities in the global south – Mexico City and Johannesburg – we found that up to half of urbanites experience restricted access, leading to high travel burdens and/or exclusion from opportunities. This paper highlights three key action areas for cities to improve access: rethinking the role of streets and who they serve, shifting to integrated transport systems, and tempering the demand for private vehicle use.

by Christo Venter, Anjali Mahendra and Dario Hidalgo - May 2019

publication
Topics: WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Geography: Mexico, South Africa
Upward and Outward Growth: Managing Urban Expansion for More Equitable Cities in the Global South
This thematic paper in the World Resources Report, “Towards a More Equal City,” produced in collaboration with Yale University, analyzes data on urban expansion by measuring both the outward growth and upward growth in 499 global cities. It examines the challenge of rapid outward expansion for cities in the global South and highlights strategies cities can take to manage urban growth in a way that ensures more equal and productive cities.

by Anjali Mahendra and Karen C. Seto - January 2019

publication
Topics: WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Ahmedabad: Town Planning Schemes for Equitable Development—Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
This case study in the World Resources Report, Towards a More Equal City, examines transformative urban change in Ahmedabad India, by analyzing the land pooling and readjustment mechanism called Town Planning Scheme (TPS). This paper reviews the evidence on whether the TPS mechanism has enabled transformative change with equitable outcomes in Ahmedabad City—and if so, how.

by Darshini Mahadevia, Madhav Pai and Anjali Mahendra - August 2018

publication
Topics: WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Geography: Africa, India, South Asia
Encouraging Design Practices for Sustainable Mobility in India: A Guidebook
by Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Anjali Mahendra, Jaya Dhindaw, Madhav Pai and Saritha Sudhakaran - April 2017

publication
Topics: Air Quality, India, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities
Geography: India
Towards a More Equal City: Framing the Challenges and Opportunities
The World Resources Report (WRR) examines if prioritizing access to core urban services, we can create cities that are prosperous and sustainable for all people. This first installment of the WRR developed a new categorization of cities into emerging, struggling, thriving, and stabilizing cities. It focuses on solutions for struggling and emerging cities—over half the cities included in the analysis—because they have the greatest opportunity to alter their development trajectory.

by Victoria A. Beard, Anjali Mahendra and Michael I. Westphal - October 2016

publication
Topics: WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

External Publications

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Anjali Mahendra

People Move to Cities for Better Jobs and Opportunities. Impossible Commutes Are Getting in the Way

Too Many Cities Are Growing Out Rather than Up. 3 Reasons That’s a Problem

Equitable Planning in Ahmedabad: Beyond Eminent Domain

World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City - Framing Opportunities and Challenges

Improving Life for the Urban Under-Served Makes Cities Better for All – But That’s Not the Only Reason to Do It

When it Comes to Reducing Car Congestion, India’s Cities Can Learn from its Businesses

From Mobility to Access for All: Expanding Urban Transportation Choices in the Global South

Upward and Outward Growth: Managing Urban Expansion for More Equitable Cities in the Global South

Ahmedabad: Town Planning Schemes for Equitable Development—Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Encouraging Design Practices for Sustainable Mobility in India: A Guidebook

Towards a More Equal City: Framing the Challenges and Opportunities

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