oUR TEAM
ATISHA VARSHNEY, AICP
With +10 years of experience in architecture, landscape and urban planning, Atisha has worked in 8 countries and cumulatively designed over 50 million sqft of dense urban environments ranging from streetscapes, campuses, infill developments, downtowns to large master-planned communities. Atisha is an expert in land use, ground floor activation, proforma based design, parking strategies, TDM credits, community benefits, project management and business development. She has actively engaged with government agencies and real estate developers, collaborated with stakeholders and led community engagement in volatile situations leading to consensus building.
As an urbanist with a diverse portfolio, she stands on a strong foundation of observation, analysis, human-centered design thinking, systems planning and implementation strategies. She takes an agile and lean approach to project management, working collaboratively with her team and her partners to find high-value design solutions.
Atisha is well-connected with the planning landscape in Silicon Valley and actively involved with local chapters of APA, SPUR and ULI, where she serves on the Urban Catalyst team and Silicon Valley programs committee respectively.
Atisha@FORWARDCitylabs.com |https://www.linkedin.com/in/atishav/
Full PRoject List
Community Design
Santa Clara Downtown Precise Plan
Santa Clara, CA
Brisbane Baylands: Post-Plan Urban Design
Brisbane, CA
Blackstone Housing and Transportation Study
Fresno, CA
Square One Related Densification Master Plan Toronto, Canada
BSD City Master Plan
Jarkarta, Indonesia
Landscape Design and Site Planning
Blossom Hill Station VTA TOD
San José, CA
Riverside Plaza Public Space Design
Chicago, IL
Fremont City Wide Parks System Plan Fremont CA
Yellowstone Club and Ski Resort
Big Sky, Montana
Mekana Beach Resort
Maui, Hi
Jeju Ora Mixed-Use Masterplan
Korea
Center for Life Science
La Jolla, CA
El Cerrito Family Court
El Cerrito, CA
Streetscape and Capital Improvement
Yerba Buena Street Life Plan
San Francisco, CA
Albany Complete Streets Project
Albany, CA
3rd St Rehabilitation - San Rafael, CA
Hesperian Boulevard Complete Street Implementation - San Lorenzo, CA
HOW Street Collaborative - Pro Bono Neighborhood Initiative - San Francisco, CA
Education Design
CSU Fullerton Campus Physical Master Plan Fullerton, CA
CSU Maritime Academy Feasibility Studies
Mayo Hall - Vallejo, CA
Hayward Unified School District - STEAM Buildings at Hayward High School, Tennyson High School, Mt. Eden High School
Hayward, CA
NYU Law School, Peking University
Beijing, China
Read Full Resume
Appointed Leadership Position
Franklin Forward Initiative, Founding Director and Program Manager, February 2021-Present
AINAK, Non-profit supporting cost free eye care, Outreach Director & Board Member, April 2020-Current
Santa Clara Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee(BPAC), Jan 2021- Current
Downtown Community Task Force(DCTF), Santa Clara Downtown Precise Plan, Nov 2020-Current
Affiliation
Urban Land Institute, SV Programs Committee Member, Silicon Valley Chapter, 2108-Current
Urban Land Institute, Urban Plan Facilitator, Sept 2017- Current
SPUR SJ, Urban Catalyst Team member, Since 2018
Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, Member, October 2019-Current
APA CPAT + WRT Outreach Parklet, National Planning Conference SF, Project Manager 2019
Co-Founder, Anchal Project, Women Empowerment Not for Profit, 2008 – 2012
Olmsted University Scholar, RISD, 2009
Education
Advanced Certificate in Real Estate Development, San Jose State University, 2020-Ongoing
Rhode Island School of Design, Master of Landscape Architecture
School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), Bachelor of Architecture
Continued Education
Proforma Certification, ULI, Ongoing
Beyond Smart Cities: Emerging Design and Technology Certification, MIT Media Lab, 2019
Leadership Program with Carol Murray, Two Day Workshop, ULI, 2019
From Idea to Real Business, Stanford CEC, Winter 2015
Human-Centered Design, Ideo.org, 2016
Work Experience (+10 years)
Forward City Labs, Founding Principal, October 2020-Current
WRT, San Francisco, Associate & Senior Urban Designer, April 2016 – September 2020
VITA, San Rafael, Landscape and Planning Project Manager, July 2015 – April 2016
OJB, San Diego, Landscape Design Associate, June 2013 – July 2014
KPF, New York City, Architectural Designer, July 2010 – June 2013
Business Intern, Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale, CA, June – September 2009