Read
Your City
Differently.
We decode how cities work — and how they can work better — through the lens of science, climate-conscious thinking, and social justice
What does NAGARiYAL mean?
Nagariyal combines Nagar — meaning city or urban in several Indian languages — with the Tamizh suffix iyal (இயல்). Akin to “-logy” in English, “-iyal” in Tamizh is used to denote fields of study or systematic disciplines.
Nagariyal, thus, stands for urban studies, or urbanism.
Our logo is inspired by the old hand-painted street signs of Chennai. Read more about how our logo evolved in this blog.
Our origin story
Nagariyal was started in 2026 by three colleagues-turned-friends-turned-neighbours-turned-founders. Between site visits, shared commutes, evening walks, and coffee-break conversations, we found ourselves returning to the same simple yet complex questions:
Why do our urban issues never seem to get solved?
Who are urban development projects really for?
What gets built with taxpayers' money? Who does it benefit? Who misses out?
Nagariyal grew from these questions — and from a shared interest to understand the underlying logic, patterns, and structures of our cities.
We are an urban research and action collective driven by curiosity, evidence, and empathy. Grounded in science, attentive to climate priorities, and guided by social justice, we study how cities function — not just how they are planned — and translate this research into action where we can. From mobility and housing to public spaces and local governance, we look at the everyday realities that shape urban life.
We believe meaningful urban transformation starts with listening closely, researching deeply, and working collaboratively.
What we do
We decode how cities work — and how they can work better — through the lens of science, climate-conscious thinking, and social justice.
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Urban Observatory
We observe and report on urban issues through heuristics, data-analytics, and evidence, to educate citizens, empower civil societies, and enable decision-makers towards building better cities
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Research and Action Lab
We support think-tanks, research institutions, and government agencies in carrying out on-ground research and in implementing projects that make our cities more inclusive, sustainable, and liveable
Urbanism Literacy Hub
We break complex urban ideas down into simple language through diverse mediums, including videos, infographics, blogs, and urban gamification, to equip citizens to become advocates for better cities
Meet the co-founders
We are architects and urban researchers working at the intersection of research, practice, and policy, with 24 years of combined experience in sustainable and inclusive urban development.
We bring together insights from the field and critical inquiry skills to understand how cities function and evolve.
We care deeply about how cities are shaped by people — and how cities, in turn, shape people’s lives.
Connect and collaborate
Working on something urban? Sitting on a question about your city? Exploring ideas that need research support? Or have the time and skills to volunteer to learn, contribute, and support our research work?
We'd love to collaborate with organisations, academic institutions, governments, civil society groups, and individuals engaging with cities and urban systems. We're open to early ideas, ongoing projects, and exploratory experiments.
If our work resonates with you, we’d be glad to connect. Say hello@nagariyal.org
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