Maya is an Urban Designer and Planner whose work focuses on sustainable and resilient design, integrating cultural narratives and collaborative community engagement. Since joining MTA in 2009, she has been involved in a variety of high-profile museum, university, college, and master planning projects. Maya’s planning experience includes serving as a subject matter expert for Waterfront Toronto, developing master plans for Qatar’s Education City, Surrey City Development Corporation, and the Town of Whitby, as well as campus plans for the University of Lethbridge, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Conestoga College.
In her academic roles as the Chair of Environmental Design at OCAD University and a Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto, Maya investigates the intersection of public health and the built environment. Her research, examining how social and cultural practices affect ecosystem health, is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canada’s Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program, and the Centre for Aging & Brain Health Innovation Spark Program. Her significant early work in environmental design earned her the Architectural Research Centres Consortium King Medal.
Additionally, Maya is active in professional and advocacy groups. She is a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Promoting Equity and Justice Committee, a patient advocate and research partner with the University Health Network, and an executive member of Building Equality in Architecture Toronto (BEAT), which recently received the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Advocate for Architecture Award in 2024. Her work consistently integrates health, design, and climate resiliency across her professional and academic activities.
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