Smita Rawoot is the Urban Resilience lead at World Resources Institute (WRI). She leads a team of researchers and urban development professionals who are focused on helping cities manage and adapt to their climate risks while advancing human & environmental health, economic opportunity, and social wellness. She is leading the Urban Water Resilience Initiative in Africa that is helping develop strategic plans for water resilience in six cities. She also helped in the development of the Accelerate Access Coalition in India to support the development of resilient WASH and healthy spaces in urban poor communities. Before joining WRI, she was with the Global Resilient Cities Network, where she led the work of advancing the implementation of priority resilience initiatives in North American cities. Smita is an urban planner, architect, and urban designer. Smita holds a master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a master’s degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute.