By Rajeev Jain, Contributing Writer, Beyond India Magazine.
In a landscape often dominated by short-term interventions and reactive urban planning, the work of Anoushka Puri stands apart for its clarity of vision and depth of execution. A Toronto-based aviation planner and a graduate architect from the University of Toronto, Anoushka is the founder of the International Shelter Foundation (ISF), a not-for-profit initiative focused on delivering safe, inclusive, and sustainable housing solutions for low-income families in India’s informal settlements.
Her professional background includes working on multi-billion-dollar airport infrastructure projects at ARUP, a globally respected design and engineering consultancy known for shaping cities through intelligent planning and sustainable development. However, it is her independent work through ISF that has garnered increasing attention. Along with her corporate work, Anoushka has gained recognition for the growing impact of ISF’s initiatives. Her ability to bring technical expertise to community-led solutions reflects a rare blend of global perspective and grassroots commitment.
The International Shelter Foundation’s mission is rooted in the belief that housing is more than shelter. It is the foundation for safety, opportunity, and dignity. This principle guides one of ISF’s flagship projects: the redevelopment of Kamgar Chawl, a 26-household informal settlement in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. The site, located on valuable urban land, faces significant challenges in sanitation, structural safety, and long-term resilience.
In response, ISF has launched a national design competition to generate innovative
redevelopment proposals. The competition is currently underway and invites architecture students from across India to reimagine Kamgar Chawl through the lens of sustainability, modular construction, and spatial equity. Participants are provided with real site data, including layout plans and household demographics, and are encouraged to propose low-cost, scalable solutions that minimize displacement and respect the social structure of the existing community.
The competition has drawn interest from student teams at some of the country’s most respected architecture schools. The initiative seeks to create a platform where emerging designers can engage directly with complex urban challenges while contributing meaningful, implementable ideas. Once submissions are received and reviewed, selected proposals will move into a refinement phase with guidance from professionals in planning, architecture, and engineering.These will then be presented to local government authorities for consideration.
What sets this effort apart is its emphasis on participation rather than token consultation. Residents are part of the process. Students are treated as co-creators. The designs are being developed not as academic exercises but as serious proposals for future implementation.
In parallel, ISF is broadening its scope to include child education and community health infrastructure as part of its housing redevelopment strategy. Puri’s conversations with education leaders like those of the Bharat Scouts and Guides and of Akshar Gyan in Bhopal have influenced this multidimensional approach. Future phases of ISF’s work aim to incorporate digital learning spaces, libraries, and improved sanitation systems into site designs, further embedding housing within a holistic vision of community development.
Anoushka Puri’s trajectory reflects a new generation of professionals who are reapplying global skills to local problems with rigor and purpose. Her leadership of ISF demonstrates that when technical expertise is guided by empathy and informed by local realities, housing can become a lever for equity and long-term transformation.
In a country where informal settlements continue to grow faster than formal housing supply, initiatives like ISF offer a blueprint for what thoughtful, community-focused urban redevelopment can look like. Under Puri’s direction, it remains committed to delivering design solutions that are not just functional, but just.
