By Appointment
PhD, University of Cincinnati
Sweta Byahut earned a PhD in Regional Development Planning from the University of Cincinnati in 2012. She holds a Masters in Planning from CEPT University, a Bachelor in Architecture from M. S. University in India, and a Diploma in Land Management from the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies, The Netherlands.
Dr. Byahut has worked for a decade in areas of planning consultancy and applied research in Indian cities, specifically in the areas of planning legislation, development regulation, comprehensive and regional planning, post-earthquake reconstruction, and inner-city revitalization. She drafted amendments to the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957 and wrote building regulations for the cities of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Bhuj. Early in her career, she obtained an EU grant for applied research and capacity building, the ProVention Applied Research Grant for Young Professionals, and fellowships from the United Nations Environment Program and the Royal Netherlands Embassy.
Dr. Byahut continues to research development regulations and urban land management in Indian cities. Her work is frequently discussed in newspapers (see here, here, and here), and was cited in the Reforms in Urban Planning Capacity in India by the Niti Ayog (National Planning Commission), Government of India. She received the 2023 Kenneth J. Groves Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award for a Practicing Planner by the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association, the College of Liberal Arts 2019 Award for Community and Civic Engagement, and the Auburn University 2016 Spirit of Sustainability Award. Dr. Byahut was elected to the Governing Board of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (2023-25), and currently serves on its Global Planning Education Committee as well as the Ad-hoc Committee for pursuing STEM Designation for the field of planning.
planning legislation, development regulation, comprehensive and regional planning, post-earthquake reconstruction, inner city revitalization