Aarti Mehta contributes a diverse portfolio of inclusive community engagement, public space planning, designing qualitative research, and analysis. With an applied urban placemaking lens, she seeks to shape policy and build relationships with the community to help connect and learn from one another.  Aarti strongly advocates for place governance and improving quality of life in all of her work. She enjoys being in the field and working with the community to find the unknown and present powerful stories. In her role, she understands the nuances of addressing complex ideas in ways that are meaningful and enjoy collaborating with public, peer, non-profit, and community partners.  As a Senior Manager, Aarti’s workflow includes research and analysis, database management, facilitation support, and creation of visual products. Born and raised in India, Aarti’s relationship to the importance of place was the impetus for shaping the built environment profession. Her diverse interests and experiences have led her to have a fluidity in building vision, urban space planning and management, and critical thinking. This quality has been exemplified by her involvement in planning mini plazas at Times Square Alliance (BID) in New York City. A graduate of Pratt, Aarti joined Perch Advisors as a Project Manager in 2022.