Studio Divercity envisions a world where people-centered nature-based cities replace car-centric urban sprawl.
Meet Studio Divercity
Studio Divercity is an international platform that offers spatial and strategic design solutions for public and private bodies aiming to create urban environments that foster wellbeing. It is the brainchild of Reena Mahajan.
Reena is an architect, urban planner, and multilinguist, with a strong background in low-impact, water-sensitive, and sustainable urban development.
For over 15 years Reena has successfully conceptualised and coordinated urban restructuring and development projects for Paris-based urban design consultancies in close cooperation with an eclectic mix of professionals across an interdisciplinary landscape.
Beyond her urban design practice, Reena is a dedicated lecturer, public speaker and impassioned advocate for people-centered urbanism. She actively participates in social projects and urban workshops around the globe.
Reena is spearheading a road culture and design awareness campaign #MontevideoPacificada in Uruguay’s capital, one of her adopted cities of several years.
Originally from India, she is currently based in Paris.
We practice what we teach & what we preach!
URBAN DESIGN SERVICES
Studio Divercity is an international platform that offers spatial and strategic design solutions for public and private bodies aiming to create urban environments that foster wellbeing.
Studio Divercity ‘generalises’ in low-impact, site-sensitive & water-sensitive urban design.
Cities for people.
Cities with nature.
Sustainable Urban Development.
Walkable communities, resilient cities.
Some of Studio Divercity’s projects
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"REPAIRING & PREPARING Tirana for a Resilient Future" An Urban Planning Workshop with Les Ateliers de Cergy in Albania for the City of Tirana [2020-2022]
Role : Workshop pilot and facilitator
Image: Facilitating the final workshop in Tirana with urbanists from all over the world to deliver urban resilience strategies to the City of Tirana [2021]
Client : Les Ateliers de Cergy
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"SAU a la Calle" : A TACTICAL URBANISM Project in central Montevideo with Uruguay's Architects Association and the City of Montevideo
Role : Project Coordinator
Image : Facilitating a co-design workshop with residents, architects, urban planners and government officials to define the objectives of the ongoing tactical urbanism project [ 2023]
Client : Architect’s Association of Uruguay [SAU]
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"PEDESTRIANISATION of Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja" Assessing the impact of traffic calming on the old town's liveability and local businesses
Team : Santiago Beiró, Reena Mahajan , Cecilia Olivieri, Tim Voßkämper
Client : City of Montevideo [IM] & University of Uruguay (UDELAR]
…and some of Reena’s work as project lead at Atelier LD,
a Paris-based multidisciplinary urban planning consultancy
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Eco-neighbourhood WOODI, Melun, Ile de France Design, coordination & implementation of an urban development project of 2,700 housing units with public facilities, retail and urban parks [63 ha]
Design team : ATELIER LD (lead designer: urban design, landscape design, hydrology, roads & utilities, SOREC (civil engineering), COSITREX (transport/mobility), COLORADO, VIZEA (ENR) (environmental quality), ON (lighting), MEDICO (health consultancy)
Client : SAS La Plaine de Montaigu
Image : Noé Simonet & Atelier LD
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ZAC Les Jardins de Clopée, Giberville, France Masterplan & public realm design & delivery of an urban development project of 1000 housing units [41 ha]
Design team : ATELIER LD (lead designer: urban design, landscape design, roads & utilities), PACT ARIM (regulations)
Client : Normandie Aménagement & Edifidès
Image : Noé Simonet & Atelier LD
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Croix de L'Orme, Bruyères-Le-Châtel, Ile de France Design, coordination & development of 500 housing units, retail, public realm [16 ha]
Design Team : ATELIER LD (lead designer: urban planning, landscape design, roads & utilities, hydrology), H4 (environment)
Client : Grand Paris Aménagment
Image : Badia Berger Architects
Services
Masterplanning
Eco-districts
Water Sensitive Urban Design
Urban Regeneration
Urban Guidelines
Sustainable Mobility Solutions
Placemaking
Participatory planning
Masterplanning Eco-districts Water Sensitive Urban Design Urban Regeneration Urban Guidelines Sustainable Mobility Solutions Placemaking Participatory planning
TEACHING
Studio Divercity offers capacitation courses in English, French and Spanish to both students and professionals aiming to develop a multidisciplinary approach to sustainable urban design.
In 2022 Reena helped the Architect’s Association of Uruguay [SAU] to expand its student-reach through her 4-module course titled “People-centered Sustainable Urban Design”.
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Gender Inclusive Urban Planning & Design
MODULE 1
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Water Sensitive Urban Design (SUDS)
MODULE 2
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Sustainable Mobility
MODULE 3
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Density, Diversity & Nature
MODULE 4
ACTIVISM
Studio Divercity advocates people-centered cities. Reena has been spearheading a road culture campaign #MontevideoPacificada in Uruguay’s capital city for the past 2 years and was invited to present her work at the 2023 global summit WALK 21 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Reena advocates walkable cities where one can cross the street without fear or where children can safely ride a bike to school. Her multifaceted approach involves driving public debate on social media, giving interviews and lectures, teaching, drawing political cartoons and photo art, and conducting participatory workshops – with the common goal to enable cultural change and influence public policy.
Montevideo Pacified (#MontevideoPacificada) is a multilevel road culture and urban design awareness campaign that aims to challenge the car domination of Uruguay’s capital city. Through a series of actions simultaneously impacting community, urban design, private iniatives and public policy, Reena aims to change Montevideo for the better.
Promoting social change through art
Pedestrian priority
Montevideo gets a new "bike path"
The elephant in the room is inadequate bike infrastructure
When parking is more important than people
Pavement isn't parking
"Why can't cyclists stay in their lane?!"
Car Culture
What do rape culture and car culture have in common?
Policy Advocacy through media
Electric cars can’t be the focus of sustainable mobility
Questioning Montevideo’s public policy
Sustainable cities are child friendly cities
How bike lanes solve major city problems
Montevideo Pacified : a city designed for people
Car-centric cities cannot claim to be sustainable
What collaborators say about Reena
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“Reena's innovative multidisciplinary course and its high level content attracted architects, students, professionals from other disciplines and even a mayor. The course was put into practice, culminating in a tactical urbanism project, that she coordinated with technical and interpersonal competence, allowing the Architects' Association to contribute to the city’s urban transformation through innovation and participatory methods.”
Natalia Brener
Director of Sustainable Development, Canelones, Uruguay
Ex-President, Uruguay’s Architects’ Association [SAU]
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"With her professional knowledge and creative communication skills, Reena left her mark on the city of Montevideo. Her campaigns and projects enriched the public debate and raised people's awareness that the city needs to shift its mobility paradigm."
Tim Voßkämper
Founder, Colectivo Ciudad Abierta
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“Reena is experienced, knowledgeable, analytical and is acutely sensitive to local and strategic problems. Professional and brilliant on complex issues in difficult terrain, and in different languages and cultural contexts."
Véronique Valenzuela,
Project Director, Les Ateliers de Cergy
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“Reena's course was very diverse and compact, spanning a wide variety of subjects. She was excellent, demonstrating knowledge, experience and an ability to deliver and articulate it well. As a mayor, the knowledge I acquired has served as a compass for the difficult and rewarding task of generating sustainable urban development with people at the centre.”
Arturo Bentancor
Mayor, Juan Lacaze, Uruguay
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"In her role as a scientific pilot for the Tirana Workshop, Reena had the experience and ability to understand the complexities of urban development, and well as the social and economic aspects of the territory. Her social and human capabilities gave her a good understanding of all stakeholders, creating smooth communication, while she also demonsrated a tremendous capacity to ensure a contribution from civil society. She was particularly good at running the workshop with local and international participants, fostering their creativity and group dynamic."
Christine Lepoittevin
Director, Les Ateliers de Cergy
