University Partners
Tulane University (Current)
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 to establish 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 is the founding partner of The Yamuna River Project. First conceived at the UVA School of Architecture in 2013, the YRP has engaged and supported research across departments and schools at UVA in subjects such as Water Economics, Environmental Sciences, and Art History.
Affiliate Partnerships
New Delhi Municipal Council
TEXT UPDATE.
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 have collaborated with the team from the Delhi Jal Board led by CEO Keshav Chandra, working to imagine a future of ecological prosperity for this vital section of the capital city.
Embassy of Spain in India
The Embassy of Spain in India has partnered with the University of Virginia because of the potential to change the way in which the 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, while guaranteeing efficient energy and water resource 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 has generously hosted YRP events such as Dialogue: Citizenship and Public Space and the Yamuna River Project Book Launch.
UVA Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation
The mission of the Center for Global Inquiry + Innovation is to advance global research at the University of Virginia. Founded in the fall of 2013, the Center seeks to build from the expertise, energy and interests of UVA colleagues toward a new intellectual agenda commensurate with a global age. Through internal grants, intellectual programming and close coordination with allied units within the University, the Center creates opportunities for faculty to think broadly, collaborate across disciplinary lines and strengthen international links with colleagues across the world.
UVA Institute of the Humanities & Global Cultures
The Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures offers a vision at once local and global, and a mission both academic and socially engaged. The IHGC aims to generate exciting research and curricular innovation in global humanities and the Global South. The Institute assists in generating a suite of programs to engage undergraduate students on one end of the participatory spectrum and the world’s leading researchers and creative artists on the other. While drawing on every kind of local expertise available, The Institute offers a deep commitment to addressing pressing global issues and a vibrant platform for exploring the historical lineages of contemporary globalization.
Organizations + Individuals
Additional partners that have generously offered their time, support, and expertise in the development of this project:
Organizations
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Embassy of Switzerland in India
Katz Family Foundation
Yamuna Biodiversity Park
YES Institute
Professional Individuals
R.M. Bhardwaj
Rana Dasgupta
Bimal Patel
Pradip Saha