Balakrishnan R. Balachandran

Dr. B.R. Balachandran (Bala) is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Solutions Lab (SSL) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB). Established in 2015, SSL is a collaborative research and action institute focused on keeping historically excluded people and communities safe and healthy in the face of climate change. As its operational head, Bala supports ongoing research worth over a million dollars and is developing a strategic plan for the next five years. SSL 2.0 will see the emergence of a platform for UMass Boston’s faculty, researchers, and staff to collaborate with community partners in transdisciplinary action research to support community-led transformative adaptation to climate change. His responsibilities include being Principal Investigator in a Massachusetts Department of Transportation project to make the rail line to Cape Cod more resilient. His recent research also examines risk tradeoffs in disaster-induced displacement and relocation in coastal Louisiana and wildfire resilience research in California. Working at the intersection of urban planning, disasters, sustainability, and equity, his research informs policy frameworks promoting sustainable adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

 

Dr. Balachandran is a certified urban planner (AICP) and international development consultant with over 30 years of professional experience. He has expertise and experience in the following areas: planning for post-disaster recovery, resilience, and adaptation; land use - transport integration, land use planning, and urban land management; affordable housing policy, integrating social, economic, and environmental concerns; and planning for resilient and sustainable water and wastewater management. He recently provided advisory services to the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and KfW Bankengruppe on post-disaster recovery, institutional reforms, and capacity building for climate-resilient urban planning. He has served as Director and a member of the Governing Board in several organizations, including consulting firms and non-profits focused on sustainability, resilience, and adaptation, providing strategic planning advice at an organizational level. These organizations include CEPT University and Environmental Planning Collaborative in Ahmedabad, India, and CDD Society and Alchemy Urban Systems Pvt. Ltd. in Bangalore, India.

 

Publications: Balakrishnan R. Balachandran

LinkedIn Profile: B.R. Balachandran