Sheela Patel - Urban Poverty, Women's Leadership, and India's Future

The Century of Cities welcomes Sheela Patel, director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), who shares decades of experience working with urban low-income communities in India. From the evolution of women's collectives to the systemic barriers of urbanization, Sheela offers an intimate look at how grassroots efforts have reshaped housing and infrastructure policy. Her career spans nearly 50 years, offering rich insights into how empowering women and inclusive strategies have driven sustainable change in urban landscapes.