Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design
Chairlady, Programs and Events Committee
Dr. Sujata S. Govada is an award-winning, qualified urban designer, certified urban planner and registered architect in India with over 35 years of experience having worked on a diverse range of projects in Hong Kong, US, Philippines, India and the region. She is the CEO and Managing Director of UDP International, an award winning global boutique practice based in Hong Kong since 1994, with representative offices in San Francisco, and Hyderabad, India. UDP International has won 16 major planning and design awards including Central Harbourfront Master Plan, Graham Street Urban Regeneration Alternate Proposal, Harbourfront Connectivity Study in Hong Kong, the Clark Green City Master Plan in the Philippines, Naya Dharavi Master Plan and IT Master Plan in India. UDP International is Innovative by Design leveraging award- winning smart and sustainable design and planning with a collaborative place-making approach with a focus on People, Place and Planet. Some of her recent and current projects include Kai Tak Sports Park and Smart Cultural Precinct @ Central in Hong Kong; large waterfront master planning projects in the Philippines and Balanced land use plan for a Marina District in the US; and the ADB Metro Rail TOD Project in Bengaluru and Urban Design and Architectural Guidelines for Amaravati in India.
Dr. Govada is the Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainable Urbanisation (ISU) which she set up in 2014 in Hong Kong. She has undertaken Smart City Research leading to the Hong Kong sections in Springer publications “Smart City Smart Economy” (2016), “E- Democracy” (2017), “Smart Metropolitan Region” (2018), “Smart Environment for Smart Cities” (2019), “Smart Living for Smart Cities (2020) and Smart Mega Cities” (2021) edited by Prof. T.M.V Kumar. ISU has also undertaken local initiatives such as the Smart Cultural Precinct (SCP) engaging the local community with a vision to develop a walkable Cultural Precinct in Central, Hong Kong. Over the last two years Dr. Govada has been involved with Ar. Sergeijs and his team in the Rebuilding Cities Workshop and was instrumental in making it an international workshop getting universities in Hong Kong, India and the US to participate as well. She has gained a reputation as a thought leader in shaping smart, sustainable, resilient, liveable and walkable communities and cities around the world.
In 2025, Dr. Govada was teaching as Part-time Lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Urban Design & Regional Planning Program of City University of Hong Kong. Prior to this, as an Adjunct Associate Professor, at the School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Dr. Govada taught courses and studios as part of the master’s program in Urban Design that she also helped to start. She also was Assistant Professor at Urban Planning at the Department of Urban Planning and Design, the Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, teaching part time in the master’s programs in Urban Design and Planning. She was also a Global Trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and was an Exco Member as well as the 2015 President of the Hong Kong Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Hong Kong). She was also the Founding Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design (HKIUD), which she was primarily responsible in setting up. Dr. Govada was also a former representative of the Harbourfront Commission in Hong Kong instrumental in the enhancing the Hong Kong harboufront. Dr. Govada was also an advisor for World Bank on their Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Study focused on design, planning, development, implementation and scaling up of TOD based developments around the world.