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Binita Mahato

Binita Mahato

Assistant Professor

Political Science

Binita Mahato

Contact Me

334-844-9057

bzm0054@auburn.edu

8048 Haley Center

Office Hours

By Appointment

Education

Ph.D., Urban and Regional Planning, University of Cincinnati, USA, 2015-2020

Master of Community Planning, University of Cincinnati, USA, 2013-2015

Bachelor of Architecture, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, India, 2006-2011

About Me

Binita Mahato is an assistant professor in Auburn University’s Community Planning Program. She has a Ph.D. in urban and regional planning, a master’s degree in community planning from the School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, and a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), India.

Mahato has worked as an architect for two years and has work experience with the Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System (CAGIS), Niehoff Urban Studio, and the Institute of Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. She has been a research fellow for the Communication in Urban Environments (CUE) research initiative by the Fruth and Gemini Foundation, University of Cincinnati. Alongside, she has worked as an editorial assistant for the Journal of Children, Youth, and Environment and has taught urban planning and urban design studios at the School of Planning, University of Cincinnati.

Mahato’s research interest lies in investigating the relationship between space and society using qualitative and interpretive research methods. Her dissertation focuses on the manifestation of social class relations over the use of public spaces in Kolkata, India. She has also worked on several other research projects on measuring the robustness of neighborhood business districts and the diversity of urban parks in Cincinnati. She has urban design and GIS certificates and likes to use her design and GIS skills to illustrate complex urban phenomena through communicative visuals.

Research Grants:

Binita Mahato, & Arindam Roy. 2022-2023. Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Case Study Grant, University of Maryland. https://antidisplacement.org/research/case-studies/

Research Interests

Space and society, Urban Informality, Global South (India/ Kolkata), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Spatial Analysis, Environmental Justice

Publications

Journal Articles:

Mahato, Binita, Retzlaff, Rebecca., & Chen, Xi. 2022. Planning, Civil Rights, and African American Voting: The Case of Montgomery, Alabama. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X221136503.              

Mehta, Vikas, and Binita Mahato. 2021. “Designing Urban Parks for Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity.” Journal of Urbanism 14 (4): 457–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549175.2020.1816563.

Kickert, Conrad, Rainer vom Hofe, Tigran Haas, Wen Zhang, and Binita Mahato. 2020. “Spatial Dynamics of Long-Term Urban Retail Decline in Three Transatlantic Cities.” Cities 107 (December). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102918

Mehta, Vikas, and Binita Mahato. 2019. “Measuring the Robustness of Neighbourhood Business Districts.” Journal of Urban Design 24 (1): 99–118. https://doi:10.1080/13574809.2018.1500137.

 

Book Chapters:

Mahato, Binita, Sweta Byahut, and Jay Mittal. 2023 (April). “Alabama City Year Program” in Routledge Companion to Professional Awareness and Diversity in Planning Education. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Companion-to-Professional-Awareness-and-Diversity-in-Planning/Diko-Hollstein-Palazzo/p/book/9781032183121

Mahato, Binita. 2022. “Chapter 33: Teaching how to conduct an environmental behavioral study.” In Teaching Graduate Political Methodology. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800885288.00046

 

Book Reviews:

Mahato, Binita. 2022. “Public Places Urban Spaces: The Dimensions of Urban Design, Third Edition.” Journal of Urban Affairs, December. https://doi:10.1080/07352166.2022.2145158.   

Mahato, Binita. 2018. “Who Cleans the Park? Public Work and Urban Governance in New York City.” Journal of Urban Affairs, 40 (8): 1192–93. https://doi:10.1080/07352166.2018.1446609.

Courses Taught

  • CPLN 7200: Urban Design Studio

  • CPLN 5110/6110: Sustainable Urbanism and Growth Management

  • CPLN 5460/6460: Geographic Information Systems for Planning and Policy

  • CPLN 6100: Urban Design Methods

  • CPLN 7600: Synthesis Studio

  • POLI 2120: Cities and Urbanization

  • CPLN 6970: Current Issues in Planning

  • CPLN 5100/6100: History and Theory of Urban Form