Maria Katticaran is a licensed architect and urban designer at HDR, focusing on community-centered, equitable design. She has helped shape mega-projects across North America and India, such as Union Station (LINK US) in Los Angeles, the Ontario Line in Toronto, Pittsburgh International Airport, etc. These projects reshape cities and create social infrastructure spaces, impacting the daily lives of millions. She is passionate about Environmental Justice, Health and Equity outcomes in her projects.
Maria is deeply involved in her community, serving on the City of Oakland's Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board. She is also on the Advisory Board of the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, where she reviews grant proposals and advises on fund allocations to equitable, climate-resilient projects across the Bay Area. With these experiences, she has imbibed a valuable perspective on community aspirations and how projects impact local communities. This brings a holistic approach to her work; she strives to consider both the technical and economic aspects of projects as well as their broader social, community, and environmental implications.
Maria received a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from UCLA's Suprastudio. Previously, she received an Erasmus University scholarship to attend UN-Habitat's Urban Management Tools for Climate Change diploma. She is an alumna of Open Architecture Collaborative's Pathways to Equity program.