Invited Speakers
Geeta Mehta
Adjunct Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia University in New York &
Founder of Social Capital Initiatives
Sushmita Shekar
Urban Design Professional at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill
Social Capital is the greatness of great cities and great communities. It brings people together to undertake actions of social good, and find a bigger meaning in their lives. It improves the quality of life, environment and culture in a way that money alone cannot. The tendency of measuring everything in terms of money over the past decades has resulted in neglect and depletion of Social Capital in many countries, developed as well as developing. The webinar aims to contribute to the global conversation about the urgent need to include social and ecological capital, alongside financial capital in design of all projects and policies. Tangible results of Social Capital in our neighborhoods and cities include better quality and management of public spaces, streets, water and sanitation infrastructure, public transportation, and more. These elements not only impact public safety, health, environmental stewardship, and social tolerance, but all of the Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon by members of the United Nations. These goals are the only international framework we have for actualization of social, ecological and financial capital for our planet.
About the presenters:
Geeta Mehta is an adjunct professor of architecture and urban design at Columbia University in New York. She is also the founder of Social Capital Initiatives (formerly Asia Initiatives) a non-profit organization that works with underserved communities to help improve neighborhoods, the environment and people’s livelihoods through social capital. Geeta is the innovator of Social Capital Credits (SoCCs), a virtual currency for social good that has won the World Changing Idea award from the Fast Company, and prizes from MIT SOLVE, General Motors, Vodafone, Caterpillar and others. She was recognized in the Forbes List of 50 over 50 Impact Makers, by Women’s eNews as one of the 21 Leaders of the 21st Century, and is a Purpose Prize Fellow.
Geeta serves on the New York City Mayor’s Waterfront Management Advisory Board, and the Management Policy Council of the University of Tokyo. She also served as the president of the American Institute of Architects’ Japan Chapter while she lived in Tokyo. “Sustainable Cities for the Future”, the 7th book she has co-authored was launched at the T20/G20 meeting in India in 2023.
Sushmita Shekar is an urban designer, policy advocate and architect committed to advancing urban development that prioritizes social and environmental capital. Through her work at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) and Sangath, she has been on the forefront of working with local and national governments in several countries including US, China, Russia, India and Middle East Regions to promote sustainable urban and economic growth. She was honored as one of the Future 100 designers in the US and Canada region by Metropolis Magazine.
Sushmita is a Board member of Social Capital Initiatives and Consultative Delegate to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), where she contributes to international policy and urban strategy through statements at various UN convenings like UN ECOSOC Youth Forum and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Sushmita is also a part of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development Urban Cluster where she supports programs around the UN2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. She contributed a chapter to “Livable Cities of the Future” for the G20 Summit. She is a Fellow of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a Research Affiliate at the Columbia Centre for Sustainable Urban Development.
Register for this webinar
About Our Webinar Series
This event is part of our regular webinar sessions for social capital researchers including PhD/master students. These sessions include invited presentations from prominent scholars as well as presentations by PhD students and experts in professional practice.
For social capital researchers, these sessions are an opportunity to hear about the latest social capital research and insights from scholars working on the concept. They can be a great way to connect with people, to get advice, discuss ideas or issues, get suggestions for literature to read, or you can just listen.
Are you researching social capital and want to present your research? Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.
Generally, presentations can be 20 to 45 mins. The content of your presentation will depend on your research stage.
