Uttara Ramakrishnan

Uttara Ramakrishnan is an accomplished urban designer and policy planner currently working with the City of Berkeley since November 2023, where significant contributions include leading a $600,000 corridor upzoning initiative and facilitating city-wide community workshops. As a cofounder of CoTales, Uttara empowers younger generations through graphic novels that promote equitable city design. Previous roles include a Climatebase Fellowship, design strategist at ERA-co, and urban designer at Perkins and Will, where a focus on sustainability and user-centered outcomes has been evident. Additional experiences include leadership positions at People United for Mobility Action, teaching and research assistant roles at The University of Texas at Austin, and impactful design work at ZGF Architects and Collective for Spatial Alternatives. Uttara holds a Master of Architecture in Urban Design and a Master's degree in Project Management, complemented by a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture and an exchange program at Tongji University.