Karunya Subramanian is an intern with the UrbanShift Program and Research. Prior to joining WRI, Karunya worked as an urban planner with United Nations Habitat and Greater Cities Commission (Sydney, Australia). She worked on projects that involved developing policies, strategic planning documents and providing oversight and coordination across government agencies to deliver the strategic vision and sustainable development goals of cities.

She holds a Bachelors degree in Architecture from BMS College of Engineering (India), a Masters degree in Urban Planning from University of Sydney (Australia) and a Masters degree in Urban Design from Georgia Tech (United States).

Karunya currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Her family’s peripatetic lifestyle provided her with a childhood spent in different cities. At a very early age, this nomadic background developed her curiosity for the relationship between culture, environment and cities.