Amitabh develops infrastructure funding and financing solutions and economic development strategies, that leverage public assets and optimize public-private partnerships for community benefit.
With over 20 years of national and international experience, Amitabh combines rigorous analysis with diverse stakeholder input to craft implementation strategies for complex infrastructure investments and economic development projects. Amitabh specializes in “restorative infrastructure” that addresses previous disinvestment while creating broad economic and environmental benefits. His expertise spans transit-oriented development, municipal financing, and long-term planning strategies that balance public objectives with private sector capabilities. Whether negotiating billion-dollar community benefits packages or designing funding mechanisms for major infrastructure projects, Amitabh helps cities and partners structure agreements that generate sustainable revenue while strengthening communities and connecting residents to opportunity.
Amitabh structures complex development agreements that balance private investment with meaningful community outcomes. He helped negotiate the development agreement between the City of San Jose and Google, securing a $200 million community benefits package for the Downtown West project. For the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, he developed a joint development strategy for BART Silicon Valley Extension stations that secured one of the first federal Expedited Project Delivery allocations. His approach ensures that major private investments generate lasting benefits for existing residents while supporting regional economic growth.
Amitabh designs innovative financing strategies using tools including impact fees, tax increment financing, and assessment districts to fund transformative infrastructure projects. He analyzed Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District capacity for Los Angeles River restoration, developed financial plans for Seattle’s proposed I-5 freeway lid to reconnect historically divided neighborhoods, and evaluated value capture strategies for the Crenshaw/LAX Line extension connecting disinvested communities to major employment centers. His work demonstrates how strategic financing can turn ambitious infrastructure visions into implementable realities.
As a leader in transit-oriented development, Amitabh has advised on projects across transportation modes from bus rapid transit to high-speed rail. He developed TOD frameworks for LA Metro’s West Santa Ana Branch light rail and formulated land use strategies for the ARRIVE Corridor commuter rail in San Bernardino County. His broader planning work includes shaping general plans and economic development strategies for cities including Los Angeles and Culver City, focusing on fiscal sustainability and post-pandemic economic recovery. Internationally, his projects span fifteen countries, including regional development strategy for India’s Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor and advisory work with the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
Amitabh holds a Masters in Urban Planning and a Masters in Building Science from the University of Southern California. He also holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, India.
- Vice President with AECOM
- Regional Director for Planning, Design, and Development for AECOM in India
- Principal with Economics Research Associates
- Member, Urban Land Institute
- Member, American Planning Association
- Registered Planner, American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
- Council of Architecture, India
Projects
HR&A developed a comprehensive funding and financing strategy for infrastructure to enable transit-oriented development (TOD) across Hawaiʻi with the goal of helping address the state's critical housing crisis. Working with the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, we identified viable value capture tools, calculated infrastructure costs across four pilot areas, and created policy recommendations to make transit-oriented development more financially feasible statewide. Our work also supported a successful $6.6 million Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO) grant application.
HR&A worked with the City of San José from 2017 through 2021 to negotiate and structure Google's transformative Downtown West development adjacent to San José’s Diridon Station. Through our strategic advisory and direct participation in complex negotiations, we helped secure a groundbreaking $200 million community benefits package and shaped a Development Agreement that has established a new national model for equitable technology campus development, with community advocates calling it "perhaps the strongest community benefits package for a project of its kind anywhere in the country."
HR&A supported San Diego State University to develop the vision and business plan for a 1.6 million square foot Innovation District at SDSU Mission Valley, a transformative mixed-use development on a 165-acre transit-oriented site. We guided master plan refinement and are supporting procurement of a developer for up to 500,000 square feet of research space, positioning SDSU to expand career opportunities for its 35,000 students while growing its $5.7 billion annual regional economic impact.
HR&A advised Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) on maximizing development value and public benefits for their flagship Downtown San Jose BART station site, part of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension. Our strategic planning has positioned this significant transit-oriented development (TOD) to become a model in Silicon Valley while advancing VTA's policy objectives, including affordable housing creation.
Get in Touch with Amitabh
