Kingston Sagenu
Kingston, an Architect with a Master’s in Urban Strategies and Design from the University of Edinburgh, with a professional background in Architecture. Having experience in public realm design, strategic visioning, and policy formulation. Passionate about sustainable, people-centric urban environments, combining design skills with a passion for community enrichment and research-driven public wellness.
Fiera Alifa
Fiera is an experienced professional in architectural and urban design development, with a background in Urban Design and City Planning from UCL. She is skilled at applying new concepts to create sustainable urban solutions that are both practical and research.
Kinza Shafique
Kinza holds a B.Arch. from the National College of Arts and an MArch from Coventry University. She currently works as an Architectural Assistan, with a focus on creating user-centered designs. Kinza uses a data driven approach with exploratory methodologies aiming to implement strategies that enhance environments and promote sustainability.
Melba Rose
Melba is a passionate and dynamic Urban Designer and Architect with extensive experience in architectural and urban design research and development. She thrives in competitive environments, bringing innovative ideas and a strong ability to grasp and apply new concepts to create impactful and sustainable urban solutions.
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Jit Shetty
Jit holds a BA in Classics from Georgetown University. His legal experience includes firms such as PwC and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Jit is an aspiring journalist keen to add more strings to his bow as a researcher. He has a deep interest in archives stemming from his Classics degree. Jit is also due to start a Master's in Media and Communications at LSE in September 2025.
Negin (Niki) is an urban planner, architect, and researcher with expertise in planning applications, urban design, and community-based development. With a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Loughborough University, she focuses on sustainable cities, social wellbeing, and heritage conservation, combining academic research with practical experience in the UK and internationally.
Negin Sadeghi
Jaini holds an MSc in Public Policy from the University of Strathclyde and a PG in City Planning from the University of Glasgow. She has extensive expertise in geographic information systems, data and policy analysis, and urban planning.
Jaini Panchal
Monde holds a BA in Architectural Engineering from the European University of Lefke, and a Master of Architecture from Coventry University (with specialisation in Environmental Design). His architectural experience includes international work in Cyprus and South Africa.
Nina holds a BA in Psychology from De Montfort University. She has a deep passion for historical buildings and their significance to society. Her aspiration is to advocate for their preservation and importance.
Nina Mutepfa
Jiahang holds an LLM from University College London. Having gained experience at law firms across the UK and China, she has also served as an Associate Editor at JURIST News. She is committed to upholding the rule of law and the protection of human rights.
Haocheng graduated from UCL Law and currently work in the non-profit sector and is in the process of qualifying as a solicitor. He looks forward to using Law as a tool to achieve human rights and justice for all, especially those who lack access to representation.
Izzy holds a BA in Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan from the University of Bristol, and an LLM from BPP University, with a profound desire to fight social injustice, especially that linked to housing inequality. She has a breadth of international legal experience and has been involved in diverse and impactful pro bono initiatives across her career.
A personal story
has turned into a
national effort
ABOUT UDRO
UDRO began as a 15-year-old's struggle to protect his childhood home, single mother and working-class community from demolition. Alexander Kardos-Nyheim's victory against the multi-billion pound New Bermondsey development project, pictured below, made headlines, described by one newspaper as a 'David and Goliath' moment.
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Alexander then founded UDRO: a team of legal, planning and architectural experts dedicated to protecting communities and heritage assets across the UK from damaging development projects.
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Today, UDRO spans dozens of experts based in the UK and internationally, divided into two core practice areas: legal advocacy and research. UDRO's legal advocates include qualified lawyers and academics with a focus on public law, human rights and urban planning. UDRO's research group includes architects, engineers, architectural historians and university lecturers with decades of experience globally.
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Together, this team is driving reform and helping communities across some of the world's most consequential urban hubs.
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Management
Lauren Lindridge
Lauren is a Law (with France) BA candidate at the University of Birmingham. She is interested in developing her career in line with human rights intiatives. She is excited to help and advise communities through UDRO, while gaining hands-on legal experience.
Laurissa Wishart
Laurissa is a recent Law (LLB) graduate of Cardiff University with experience in court support and pro bono advocacy across healthcare and public law. She has a particular passion for public interest litigation and policy reform, informed by her legal work and personal experience advocating for vulnerable individuals.
Legal Advocates
Researchers
Alara Tosun
Alara holds a Law degree from SOAS, University of London. Her interests lie in public law, human rights, and legal advocacy. She has experience in legal research and drafting, with a particular focus on protecting communities and supporting law reform.
Julia Alvarez
Julia is a human rights lawyer specialising in refugee and migration law. She recently completed a PhD in International Human Rights Law on digital rights and human dignity, and she has fieldwork experience working with asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, and vulnerable communities. Her work combines legal practice, research, and advocacy, with a strong commitment to protecting rights.
Gamze Yıldız Tarman
A qualified solicitor in England & Wales and a Turkish-qualified attorney, Gamze is a PhD candidate in international law at Ankara University while pursuing a second master’s at City, University of London. She has worked as in-house counsel at an international construction company for five years and volunteered at Pro Bono Clinics. She is passionate about business & human rights and social justice.
Shayan Khan
Shayan holds an LLM (Hons) from the University of California, Berkeley, specialising in international law. She has served in various legal capacities across the US, UK, and Pakistan, including roles at BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs. Shayan is a qualified Solicitor in England & Wales and an Advocate in Pakistan. She is passionate about human rights law, inspired by her diverse background, and is dedicated to advocating for social justice and equitable legal practices.
Onthatile Khanyisile Vuma
Khanyisile is a postgraduate student at the University of Pretoria pursuing her Master of Social Science in History. She has an academic background in history and psychology, fostering versatility in research interests ranging from town planning and architectural history, gender studies, SDGs, comparative history, colonial/post-colonial history, and the histories of mental illnesses.
Thierry Rousset
Thierry is a researcher and former lecturer in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town. His teaching and research has focused on the fields of environmental history, settler colonial studies and heritage studies. His current work considers how global circuits of knowledge production and conceptions of modernity coalesced in late nineteenth century colonial and metropolitan international exhibitions.
Lamis El Khatieb
Lamis is an Environmental Urban Planner, Policy Specialist, and Climate Expert helping cities enhance governance and quality of life. She holds an MSc in Environmental Futures with Climate Change from the University of Essex and a BSc in Environmental Architecture and Urbanism from Ain Shams University. A recipient of the GREAT Scholarship for Sustainable Futures under the British Council's Climate Connection program associated with COP26, Lamis collaborates with global organisations on climate finance, sustainable urban development, and just transition strategies.
Isimbi Sebageni
Isimbi, a passionate researcher with a Master’s in gender studies & working towards a PhD in International Relations, champions global solidarity and marginalised communities. She has a nomadic spirit, having lived in eight countries, she brings enthusiasm, teamwork, and a drive to amplify the voiceless through her studies and research.
As an Architectural Designer at Populous, Keerthi's focus is on crafting sustainable designs that leave a lasting impact on communities. Her educational journey at The Bartlett School of Architecture provided her with a deep insight into the social aspects of architecture, allowing her to integrate data-driven decision-making into my work.
Keerthi Prakash
Neha is an architect, urban designer and planner. As a graduate urban designer with a Master’s in Urban Design and International planning, with a professional background as a junior architect, she combines technical design skills with a passion for research-driven heritage protection and community empowerment. Neha's work focuses on sustainable urban development, bridging historical preservation with inclusive, eco-conscious city planning.
Neha Kulkarni
Harry Strange is a recent graduate of the University of York with a BA in English and Related Literature and an MA in Contemporary Culture and Thought. Harry’s research for After Exploitation culminated in the BASNET report AN AFTER THOUGHT: Report on Modern Slavery; Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion; and Cultural Sensitivity Training in Local Authorities. Harry has also studied Afropolitanism and Social Justice at the University of Cape Town, and The Philosophy of Homeric Literature at UCL
Harry Strange
Abdullah is an award-winning architectural designer specialising in climate-resilient, human-centric, and spatial design. He possesses 2+ years of experience and is a Master of Architecture graduate of the AA School of Architecture, where his final design project challenged urbanisation models rooted in The Gulf, reshaping property and economic development.
Alexander Kardos-Nyheim
Founder & Chief Executive
Having read Law at the University of Cambridge, Kardos-Nyheim trained at law firm Allen & Overy LLP. He has also founded a number of companies and public initiatives, including AI start-up Safe Sign Technologies, recently acquired by Thomson Reuters, and The Cambridge Journal of Law, Politics, and Art, an international academic journal.
Conrad O'Callaghan
Director of Interventions
Receiving a First Class degree in Classics from UCL, O'Callaghan has led multiple interventions across London to protect the city's heritage and communities. He specialises in archival research and has produced significant new evidence to urban planning decision-makers considering developments across London.