Indira Cowkur

• Ph.D. Candidate, Design and Planning, University of Manitoba.
• M.C.P., Community Planning, Vancouver Island University.
• B.A., Architecture, B.V.B. College of Engineering, India.

Indira Cowkur is a PhD student in Design and Planning at the University of Manitoba, specializing in housing policy, affordability, and social equity. She began teaching in 2024 for the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba, where she supports Planning Design III (Urban Design). Her role involves guiding students in creating sustainable and inclusive urban design solutions while fostering critical thinking and equity-focused approaches to planning.

Before pursuing her PhD, Indira worked as an architect on residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, gaining a deep appreciation for how thoughtful design can shape communities and improve housing equity. Her academic and professional journey blends her expertise in architecture, urban planning, and policy analysis to address pressing housing challenges.

At home, Indira and her husband share their life with a lively Rottweiler who keeps things interesting. She enjoys exploring Winnipeg, discovering its unique urban spaces, and finding inspiration for her work in the city’s vibrant streetscapes.

CITY 7430: Planning Design 3 (Urban Design)

Indira’s research explores housing policy, affordability, and social equity, with a focus on expanding housing options for low-income families, multi-generational households, and aging populations. Her doctoral work centers on Missing Middle Housing (MMH) as a viable solution to address housing shortages and equity gaps. She examines critical barriers, including restrictive zoning regulations, high land costs, and developer preferences for high-density or single-family housing, to identify policy interventions that promote inclusive and sustainable urban development.

Indira’s past research includes studies on housing forms as tools to advance affordability and the role of government in fostering private-sector engagement in creating affordable housing. Together, her work seeks to bridge design, policy, and community needs to address housing inequities effectively.

ACSP Conference 2024, Seattle: Co-authored with Richard Milgrom. Presented as a working paper titled "Unlocking Potential: Mid-Rise Development Along Winnipeg's Corridors." 

https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.acsp.org/resource/resmgr/2024_conference/docs/acsp2024_bk_of_abstracts.pdf