Saloni Parekh

Saloni holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from India and has extensive experience in the design and execution of developer-led small and medium-scale housing, mixed-use and public space projects. She has also worked on community-driven projects principally leading an interdisciplinary engagement on Freedom Skatepark, Ghana. Adept at understanding and aligning the interests of various stakeholders she breaks down silos to create value for all.

She holds a master’s in City Design and Social Science and is keenly interested in merging practice and research. Notably, she led research on the book ‘In the Name of Housing’ which studied the spatial form and occupancy patterns in affordable housing projects in Mumbai. Her research has also explored alternative regeneration strategies without displacement in London and spatial planning in the post-pandemic city of Copenhagen.

London Borough of Haringey

During her placement as an Urban Design Officer at Haringey, Saloni played a bridging role between Planning Policy and Development Management during a pivotal stage of the borough’s Local Plan-making process. She contributed to several major evidence-based policy studies, including the borough-wide View Management Framework and the Tall Buildings Study for Locally Significant Industrial Sites. She led design-led capacity assessments based on GLA guidance and provided recommendations for site allocations.

Saloni helped break down siloed workstreams by integrating site capacities, building heights, and protected views through processes using generative AI, 3D modelling, and visualisation tools. This improved cross-team communication and supported more informed, data-driven decision-making. In addition to her policy work, she also supported the review of planning applications, particularly for council-led housing schemes.