Saloni Shrestha

I work as a PhD student in the Division of Environmental Communication at the Department of Urban and Rural Development. My research focuses on the communicative and collaborative dimensions of governance and planning in contested urban spaces, with particular attention to how social media shapes contestation, participation, power dynamics and legitimacy in planning processes. Drawing on case studies from Kathmandu, Nepal, I examine how digital platforms function as tools, actors and arenas in contentious urban development projects.

I hold a master's degree in Planning and Sustainability: Urban and Regional Planning, where my thesis explored collaborative urban redevelopment in post-disaster contexts. I also have a Bachelor of Architecture degree. My interdisciplinary training in architecture and collaborative urban and regional planning informs both my academic and practical approach to research.

Professionally, I have experience in architecture, urban planning, collaborative governance and post-disaster reconstruction. I was involved in a national research initiative evaluating the effects of decentralization across 14 districts in Nepal, as well as in post-earthquake rebuilding and redevelopment efforts in the rural communities of Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk and Ramechhap. I have supported capacity-building programs for elected rural representatives in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk and contributed to the planning, design and implementation of development projects in resource-constrained and conflict-prone areas of the Kathmandu Valley. This includes work on the development and revision of local-level planning policies, urban design guidelines and multi-sectoral urban development plans.