Ashna Mathema

Ashna Mathema is an urban planner/ architect, with some 12 years of experience in housing and urban development. She is a housing specialist, and her work has involved extensive field work in low-income settlements and slums in over 20 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. She is currently involved advisory work in low-income and informal settlements in India, Tanzania, and Uganda. Prior to the Bank, Ashna worked as an independent consultant for several years, during which she also worked for other development agencies including the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, DFID, UN-Habitat, and USAID. With a background in architecture, experience in low-income housing, her on-going work in housing finance, and a strong personal interest in disaster-resistant construction, she is looking for a way to knit these pieces together to promote sustainable development that is "green", and at the same time, "affordable" to the masses in developing countries. This is a clear challenge, but achievable, in her opinion, with the right sorts of technologies, financing mechanisms, and incentive structures.