Geeta Mehta: Designing Social Capital for Sustainable Communities

A Multifaceted Leader in Urban Innovation
Geeta Mehta is an Indian-American social entrepreneur, architect, urban designer, and author. She has a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi; a Master’s in Urban Design from Columbia University; and a PhD in Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo. As an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, she brings global insights from design projects spanning Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe.

Geeta MehtaWiki 

Championing Social Capital with SoCCs
In 1999, inspired by a vision of empowerment, Mehta founded Asia Initiatives (now called Social Capital Initiatives), a non-profit organization dedicated to uplifting underserved communities through sustainable development and gender-equitable projects. Her groundbreaking innovation, Social Capital Credits (SoCCs), is a community currency that rewards people for engaging in social and ecological actions—such as planting trees, managing waste, or mentoring children—and allows them to redeem credits for education, health services, or skills training. This concept, inspired by carbon credits and loyalty programs, is active in multiple countries including India, Kenya, Ghana, Taiwan, and the U.S.

URBZ: Community-Driven Urban Futures
Geeta also co-founded URBZ: User Generated Cities, a collaborative platform focused on empowering grassroots communities to transform urban neighborhoods through participatory design and advocacy. URBZ was recognized among the top 100 most influential design organizations worldwide.

Leadership, Recognition & Advocacy
Mehta has been widely honored for her impactful work:

• Named one of the “21 Leaders of the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews.
• Recognized as Social Entrepreneur of the Year by HSBC in 2017.
• Included in Forbes Women’s “50 Over 50 Impact Makers” list in 2024.
• Awarded the AARP Purpose Prize Fellowship in 2023.

She has also served in influential advisory roles, including on New York City’s Mayor’s Waterfront Advisory Board, the Millennium Cities Initiative, the Center for the Living City, WomenStrong International, and Friends of the University of Tokyo.

Author & Thought Leader
An accomplished writer and speaker, Mehta has authored and co-authored books exploring architecture, urbanism, and equity such as City Connect: Regeneration, Sustainability and Equity in the 21st Century, New Japan Architecture, and other works on Japanese design. Her work bridges design, social justice, and sustainability.