Rituja Karmarkar

Rituja Karmarkar (she/her/hers) is a Research Assistant at Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), where she analyzes Chicago family housing trends using GIS and helps produce policy research. She is a Master of Urban Planning and Policy candidate at the University of Illinois Chicago, concentrating in Economic Development and an AREUEA 2026 Pipeline Scholar.

Originally from Mumbai, Rituja is a licensed architect whose work bridges design and planning. Before joining MPC, she conducted urban research and GIS analysis on community-centered projects in India, combining ethnographic fieldwork with spatial analysis. She is passionate about equitable development and the ways data and design can shape more liveable cities.