Astha Agarwalla is an urban economist and Associate Professor at CEPT University. Her research focuses on the intersection of markets and urbanism, with a particular interest in analysing and quantifying agglomeration economies. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Systems from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), where her doctoral work examined the impact of urbanisation and infrastructure investments on productivity growth across Indian states. Astha has published widely in academic journals, newspapers, and other media and has taught at several leading academic institutions across India. Alongside her academic roles, she brings valuable experience from consulting and advisory positions in the infrastructure and public policy sectors.