University Partners
Tulane University
Tulane University entered into partnership with the Yamuna River Project with the appointment of YRP Co-Director Iñaki Alday as the Dean of the Tulane School of Architecture + Built Environment in 2018, and since 2025 has been the primary host institution. The design studios at TuSABE are supported by a gift that the school received in 2019 establishing the Saul A. Mintz Global Research Studios fund, which generously supports the studio travel to India each year.
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia was the founding university partner of The Yamuna River Project. First conceived at the UVA School of Architecture in 2013, the YRP engaged and supported research across multiple departments and schools at UVA in subjects such as politics, water economics, environmental sciences, english, and art history.
Affiliate Partnerships
New Delhi Municipal Council
In 2025, the YRP began an engagement with the New Delhi Municpal Council, the governing body responsible for a 42.7 km2 area of central New Delhi. This area, commonly referred to as Lutyens’ Delhi, is the central seat of government not only for Delhi, but for India as a whole. Faculty and students from the Tulane School of Architecure and Built Environment engage with the NDMC through meetings and information exchange, in the pursuit of the agency’s vision of a well-planned metropolitan city.
Delhi Jal Board
Following the MOU signed between the Delhi Jal Board and the University of Virginia, faculty and students at UVA proposed a detailed series of restoration visions for the 58km length of the Najafgarh Drain – the single largest point source of pollution for the Yamuna River. Working across the disciplines of architecture, urban design, environmental science, public health, government and politics, art history and management, members of the University of Virginia community collaborated with the team from the Delhi Jal Board led by CEO Keshav Chandra, working to imagine a future of ecological prosperity for a vital section of the capital city.
Embassy of Spain in India
The Embassy of Spain in India partnered with the University of Virginia in support of the potential to change the way in which development of a metropolis is conceived. Over the past decades, Spain has invested heavily in providing its cities with technology rich services, mobility and transportation systems, and efficiency regarding energy and water availability and management. Additionally, Spain chairs the United Nations Platform for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) gathering smart city stakeholders and advocating for policies that facilitate the transition to smart sustainable cities. The Embassy of Spain in India generously hosted YRP events such as Dialogue: Citizenship and Public Space and the Yamuna River Project Book Launch.
Organizations + Individuals
Additional partners that have generously offered time, support, and expertise in the development of this project:
Organizations
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Embassy of Switzerland in India
Sheldon and Audrey Katz Foundation
UVA Center for Global Inquiry & Innovation
UVA Institute of the Humanities & Global Cultures
Yamuna Biodiversity Park
YES Institute
Professional Individuals
R.M. Bhardwaj
Rana Dasgupta
Bimal Patel
Pradip Saha