I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Real Estate and Construction at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Architecture.

I am an urban economist and planner engaged in interdisciplinary work with a thrust on quantitative empirical research. I rely heavily on applied econometric methods to research questions on housing, real estate, migration, urban policies and development, and inequality. Most of my work is on India.

My current research is divided into three segments. The first segment consists of a range of projects investigating housing issues in India, like informality, land use regulations, and friction-laden property markets. Some of this work extends beyond India. Second, I am studying internal migration and the way migration connects with housing issues as well as the broader urban growth and development processes unfolding in India. Finally, I am starting to build a research agenda around climate change and unequal housing outcomes.

I have recently published articles in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics and the Journal of Population Economics. Some of my ongoing research papers are in the review stages in the Journal of Economic Geography and the Journal of Regional Science.

In the past, I have worked on a variety of issues ranging from sustainable development interventions in Indian villages surrounded by the Himalayas to property rights, nutrition, and health issues of women and children, and policies that reduce GHG emissions in the US freight sector.

I have been fortunate enough to work with folks from a diverse set of backgrounds, including human geographers, political scientists, engineers, planners, development economists, urban economists, and financial analysts. I have learned a great deal from all of them.

I currently live in Hong Kong, which is my eighth city. Born and raised in Durgapur, a small industrial town in eastern India, I have spent the last 15 years in four Indian cities (Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad) and two cities in the US (Los Angeles and Chicago). My lived experiences in these places partly drive my research motivation.

I graduated with a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Development from the University of Southern California's Sol Price School of Public Policy in Spring 2023.

To contact me, use one of the following email addresses: arnab.dutta822@gmail.com or adutta@hku.hk.

Following are the links to my Google Scholar page, Linkedin profile, Twitter/X handle.