Hello-ji!

︎︎︎ Essential advice guiding my work

“To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget.”

– Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living

Aman (she/her) is an urbanist, community-based researcher, visual designer and gardener with Punjabi roots practicing in Surrey, BC.

^{My deep respect and gratitude to the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt, and Kwikwetlem nations, on whose land I work and have rebuilt my life as an immigrant. I hope that in my efforts to create more equitable and just cities, I can be an ally to the local and national Indigenous resurgence efforts.}

Her work is positioned somewhere in between the spatial, the relational and the diasporic. Using different mediums (research, zines and community organizing), Aman often engages with topics of migration including the deskilling of immigrants, experiences of first-generation youth, belonging, and community power.

She is engaged in her communities (Newton, Surrey and South Vancouver), where she leads and supports initiatives related to food security, climate justice and inclusive placemaking.

She works as a research manager with SFU’s Research and Action for Healthy Cities (REACH-Cities). Previously, she worked at the City of Vancouver as a Plaza Stewardship Coordinator with the Street Activities team. Before making a career switch to urban planning, Aman worked as a communicator and designer for 5 years. She also co-founded City in Colour Cooperative - an urban consultancy engaging with historically marginalized communities.

Education:
Master of Urban Studies (2022)
and Bachelor of Arts in Communications with distinction (2017)
from Simon Fraser University

Languages:
Punjabi: advanced proficiency
Urdu, Hindi, and French: beginner proficiency

︎ hello@amanchandi.com

Linkedin

3. Notes