Dr. Bimal Patel is an architect, urbanist and academic who has traversed disciplinary, professional and institutional boundaries to explore the ways in which architecture, urban design and urban planning can enrich the lives of people in India’s cities. He heads HCP as its Chairman and Managing Director. Bimal received a Diploma in Architecture from the CEPT, Ahmedabad, in 1984. He received a Master’s in Architecture and a Masters in City Planning in 1988 and a PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1996, Bimal founded Environmental Planning Collaborative (EPC), a not-for-profit consultancy and policy-research and advocacy organization. Since 2012, he has also been heading CEPT University as President. His work has won numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2019, which is amongst the highest civilian honors conferred by the President of India.