Professor Hangwelani Hope Magidimisha is an academic in the Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). She is an NRF-rated researcher. She is currently appointed as a national planning commissioner at the office of the presidency. She is also the first black South African born women to be appointed Associate Professor in Town and Regional Planning In South Africa based at UKZN. Prof Magidimisha holds a Masters in the same field and a degree in Geography and Environment – both from UKZN. She is also a co-general rapporteur for 57th ISOCARP Congress to be hosted in Doha. Prof Magidimisha Chipungu is the chair of the organizing committee for the International Symposium on Inclusive Cities.

She is Chief Editor of the Journal of Inclusive Cities and Built Environment. She continues serving on several boards locally and internationally with a focus on the built environment. She has won numerous excellent awards, including the Vice-Chancellor Research Award at the University of Kwazulu-Natal. She is also recognized by The Planner Magazine (for the royal institute of town planner) based in the UK as the most influential woman in 2021. She is currently co-PI in an inclusive city project with a focus on southern Africa countries such as South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Namibia Prof. Magidimisha-Chipungu record of service spans but not limited to the City Planning Commission for eThekwini Municipality, advisory committee of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA-KZN), member of KwaZulu-Natal Tribunal and up to late a Board member of SACPLAN. In view of a long history excellence, she was recently appointed as the first SARChI Chair in Inclusive Cities in South Africa. The Chair is co-funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and South African Cities Network. The Chair is the first in the Built Environment Cluster at UKZN and it is focused at investigating issues around city inclusivity. Her research and publications record spans the authoring and co-authoring of a number of books, book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in both local and international publishing outlets. Recently she has co-edited a book on Urban Inclusivity with a focus on Southern Africa.