Kali works across community engagement, research, urban design, architecture, and strategy to build equitable, resilient and thriving communities.

Dr Kali Marnane trained and registered as an architect in Queensland, Australia before joining The Anganwadi Project to work on a life-changing project in India in 2016. She moved to Ahmedabad to design and oversee construction of Bholu 15 Preschool in one of the city’s largest informal settlements. This experience motivated Kali to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy to question the ways in which the built environment marginalises certain groups of people. Her thesis, An Architecture of Informality: the social and physical environment of two informal settlements in Ahmedabad, India, used architectural and ethnographic research methods to understand the origin and significance of spatial patterns from residents’ point of view. Research fieldwork, a fellowship to New York with Gehl, and consulting in Brisbane have developed Kali’s skills in observing and analysing public life to identify neighbourhood strengths and opportunities.

Kali writes, lectures and teaches to continually engage in dialogue with colleagues, students and the public on how to create a positive and inclusive future for our cities. Kali is passionate about bringing cutting edge research into practice. She convenes the talk series Parlour LAB for Parlour, a research-based advocacy organisation working to improve gender equity in architecture and the built environment professions.

Currently based in Brisbane, Kali is an Associate Director at Urbis working across research, engagement, strategy, and design. She collaborates with diverse groups to ensure their voices are heard in processes of change. If you’d like Kali to facilitate a workshop, to collaborate on a project that prioritises people and the planet, or you’d like her to speak or write on a particular topic, please book a call or meeting:

MEET WITH KALI