Welcome to Urban Planning is Not Boring, the podcast that explores the fascinating world of urban design and planning. In this episode, we are thrilled to have Shruti Shankar, the urban design director at Studio One Eleven, a renowned interdisciplinary architecture, interiors, urban planning, and landscape architecture practice based in Long Beach, California.

Originally from Chennai, Shruti brings a unique perspective to her work, deeply fascinated by the people and life of cities rather than just the buildings themselves. As a trained architect, she has always been drawn to the larger picture—the organic life that thrives in bustling metropolises like Mumbai and Los Angeles, with a keen focus on accessibility, universality, and community building.

During this conversation, we delve into Shruti's journey, discussing her upbringing in Chennai and how it shaped her passion for urban planning. We explore her role as an urban design director at Studio One Eleven, known for their collaborative approach and commitment to community building and neighborhood development. Shruti shares her insights on the importance of sustainability and resilience in urban design, drawing from her experiences as a Fullbright Fellow and a certified eco districts planner.

From her rise in the field to her thought-provoking ideas on building more inclusive and sustainable urban environments, Shruti's expertise shines through in this engaging conversation. Join us for an inspiring and informative episode as we explore the power of urban planning to shape equitable cities with Shruti Shankar, urban design director at Studio One Eleven, on Urban Planning is Not Boring.

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About Shruti

Shruti Shankar is the Urban Design Director at Studio One Eleven with an interdisciplinary background in Urban Design, Architecture and Sustainability. She brings over a decade of project experience in the USA and internationally to her work. She has lead and worked on a variety of project types and scales, from placemaking, tactical urbanism and streetscape improvement projects, to urban design, community visioning and strategic planning. Shruti’s work focuses on creating sustainable and vibrant urban places through people-focused design, equitable planning methods, and collaborative city-building.  Some of her award-winning projects include Station Area Plans for cities along Metro’s proposed West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor, and the Other-to-Residential Toolkit produced for the Southern California Association of Governments to address the need to produce more housing in Southern California cities. Shruti was born and raised in Chennai, India, and earned her Master’s in Urban Design from Washington University in St. Louis on a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship for Leadership Development, following her Bachelors’ degree in Architecture from Anna University in Chennai. She is an AICP Certified Planner and a LEED Accredited Professional for Neighborhood Development.

Studio One Eleven

Shruti's Studio One Eleven Profile

Shruti's LinkedIn