Pratima has worked in the area of sustainable low-cost housing and sanitation for the urban poor for over 26 years. Using concepts like multi-stakeholder consultation, user-centered design and participative governance long before they were fashionable, her approach has evolved to include the following principles:

-          Understanding the true situation before making plans—collect data and speak with all involved parties

-          Designing spaces, whether building for the poor or toilets, must account for habits and ambitions of residents/users, rather than aiming for the lowest cost solution—this means engaging the final users rather than thrusting a well-meaning solution upon them

-          Managing infrastructure is more important than building it—hence, accountability and management systems must be put in place from the start, not as after-thought

A recipient of Aga Khan scholarship, and an expert in ‘Building Design for Developing Countries’, through her Masters-in-Architecture from London based Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, Pratima who co-founded the NGO- Shelter Associates in 1993, has impacted over 3,70,000 people by providing safe sanitation through community and individual household sanitation. The data driven, community centric and cost sharing model, ‘One Home One Toilet’ (OHOT) has led to over 21000 household toilets being facilitated directly in slums of Maharashtra in the cities of Pune, Kolhapur, Thane, Navi-Mumbai, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Sangli and Panvel (updated October 2020).  Their social housing efforts in the cities of Pune and Sangli-Miraj has impacted over 8400 people and they continue to engage in slum rehab projects in the city of Kolhapur.

In December 2009, Google Earth recognized her efficient use of Google Earth technology towards poverty mapping, and thus acknowledged her as 'Google Earth Hero', which made her the only Indian to receive ‘Google Earth Hero Award’ and she has also been identified by BBC as a leading ‘Slum architect of India’.

In the last 6 years, she has won many awards including, LPC Honour Award at the UN Convention 2020, ‘NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum 2017’, award, recognized as a Social Entrepreneur by Ashoka Fellowship, India Sanitation Coalition- FICCI’s special recognition for innovative use of data for delivery of sanitation, ‘Amazing Indian’ by Times Now and the HUDCO award for sanitation solutions jointly with the Pune municipal corporation, to name a few.

Pratima speaks and presents her work extensively across the world at universities, to governments and other social sector organizations, including policy discussions and advisory role in government programs such as the Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY). She has been a vocal advocate of OHOT model on various national and international platforms.