Travel Grant Recipients
Priyanka Salunkhe is a first-year master in city planning student in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT. Her research sits at the intersection of design, water resilience, and spatial justice, examining how community knowledge and inclusive governance can shape infrastructure design in a rapidly changing climate. Before coming to MIT, Priyanka worked in Bengaluru, India, where her engagement with flood-prone, low-income communities living alongside waterscapes led her to initiate Durasti, a community-led effort to repair infrastructure while strengthening local capacity, agency, and collective stewardship. Her research at MIT investigates the design-politics of large-scale resilience investments and proposes using design as a method to move beyond technical solutions and reimagine equitable urban futures. Her research will be featured in the inaugural Occupancy exhibition at the MET Warehouse in Fall 2026. Priyanka holds a bachelor of architecture from CEPT University, Ahmedabad.