Professor Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu, 40, has made a name for herself in the world of Town and Regional Planning.
She is also an editor for a journal on climate interactions focusing on the climate impact-published by Tylor and Francis, and the Head of Housing and Town Planning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), a full professor, South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChl) Chairperson for inclusive cities, National Planning Commissioner (NPC) in the Presidency Office and is responsible for strategic planning in SA, the Scientific Committee Member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) and alternate chair for the South African Council for Planners (SACPLAN).
She made history by becoming the first black woman in the country to graduate with a PhD in Town and Regional Planning at UKZN in 2015. She holds a Masters in Town and Regional Planning and a degree in geography and environment- both obtained from UKZN. Additionally, she has a Diploma in Project Management obtained from Rosebank College in Cape Town.
It was Prof Magidimisha-Chipungu’s curiosity of how cities were built and designed that led her onto her career path.
“I come from a rural area and I always had the desire to know why some cities were built differently and better than others. I did not understand the disparities in the way in which cities are designed and I thought there was bias.
“My burning desire was to try and find solutions for that problem and as I grew up, I started to learn more about town planning,” she said.
In her list of many achievements, she is among the 2018 Mail & Guardian top 200 Young South Africans who are influential, received recognition as one of the best young academics by UKZN in 2018 and won an award of Teaching Excellence in the College of Humanities. She also has received an award of excellence conferred on her by ISOCARP for the outstanding role she played during the Young Professional Planners’ workshop and her participation in organising the Congress in September 2016. She was nominated for the Vice Chancellor research award at UKZN and has also been nominated as the most influential woman by the Royal Town Planning Institute based in the United Kingdom.
She said that her work had a major impact on the economy of the country.
“In order for an economy to be functional, it has to work in a functioning city or planned areas. So, through my profession and what we do, we teach students to design cities that will also attract investors.
“We also work with the municipalities to allocate land. Depending on how you design your city, you can either attract or chase investors away. You need planners to be able to attract investors,” said Professor Magidimisha-Chipungu.
She said that although presently she was in a much more favourable position, getting a footing as a black woman in an industry dominated by men, forced her to work 10 times harder than than her counterparts.
Prof Magidimisha-Chipungu, a mother of three children, balances her life by spending quality time with her family.
An average day away from work included bonding sessions with her family and going on road trips.
Her message to other women was:
“You define your future, not your parents, not your friends and not your spouse. If you do not put effort into who you want to be or nurture your dreams and your goals, nobody will and you will have nobody to blame at a later stage,” she said.