FALAKNAAZ PATNI

Falaknaaz Patni is an urban planning and housing professional working at the intersection of design, planning, policy, finance and implementation. She began her career in architecture in Mumbai, working on large-scale residential and mixed-use developments as well as historic building conservation — experiences that shaped her understanding of adaptive reuse, cultural continuity and housing as a long-term stewardship responsibility. She subsequently pursued a Master of City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University, focusing on housing, environmental planning and public systems, where she was selected as an Eagleton Fellow and received the Governor's Executive Award. Her graduate work and internships deepened her focus on housing stability and climate resilience, including statewide resilience planning at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection through the Blue Acres Buyout Program, and coordination across agencies with UN-Habitat. As a Financial Analyst at NW Financial Group, she now supports housing authorities and public agencies across New Jersey in evaluating redevelopment strategies, reviewing capital needs assessments, analysing project feasibility and structuring long-term funding. Her interdisciplinary background connects the financial, spatial and community dimensions of housing, with interests in affordable housing, citizen participation, urban governance and the circular economy.