Jeenal Sawla

Principal Advisor at the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs

Jeenal Sawla works as the Principal Advisor at the Smart Cities Mission of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. Here, she anchors initiatives to transform streets and public spaces in India’s Smart Cities. Through the India Cycles4Change and Streets4People initiatives, she supports 40+ cities, along with ITDP, to improve walking and cycling. Through the Nurturing Neighborhoods Challenge, she works with BvLF and WRI in 10 cities, to make them friendly for young children and their caregivers.  Under the Placemaking Marathon, she supports 50+ cities to develop small public spaces. At the Ministry, Jeenal also works on improving citizen services and infrastructure by leveraging data and technology in 100 Smart Cities. 

Prior to this, Jeenal worked in urban development across the United States, Switzerland and India. Jeenal holds a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Kamla Raheja in Mumbai and a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Harvard University, USA.