Pilisiwe Masiba is an experienced urban planner and GIS expert with a focus on developing smart and sustainable cities. Born in a remote rural area in South Africa with limited access to basic services, she had never seen a city until after high school—a defining experience that sparked her passion for urban and regional planning. She is now a PhD candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg, Lecturer in Urban Information Systems and works for the City of Umzimvubu within the Development Planning Department. With a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning and over 8 years of experience in land use management, GIS, environmental management and spatial planning, Pilisiwe has worked on numerous projects including smart city development, Urban Regeneration, Small Towns revitalisation application of GIS Technologies in Urban planning and climate adaptation. Pilisiwe has been involved in several smart city initiatives across South Africa, including the development of digital twin frameworks and smart city feasibility assessments. She has also presented her work at international conferences, including the IEEE Smart City Conference, ISOCARP and Esri User Conference. Pilisiwe is passionate about leveraging geospatial technologies to build sustainable and inclusive urban environments.
Pilisiwe Masiba is an experienced urban planner and GIS expert with a focus on developing smart and sustainable cities. Born in a remote rural area in South Africa with limited access to basic services, she had never seen a city until after high school—a defining experience that sparked her passion for urban and regional planning. She is now a PhD candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Johannesburg, Lecturer in Urban Information Systems and works for the City of Umzimvubu within the Development Planning Department. With a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning and over 8 years of experience in land use management, GIS, environmental management and spatial planning, Pilisiwe has worked on numerous projects including smart city development, Urban Regeneration, Small Towns revitalisation application of GIS Technologies in Urban planning and climate adaptation. Pilisiwe has been involved in several smart city initiatives across South Africa, including the development of digital twin frameworks and smart city feasibility assessments. She has also presented her work at international conferences, including the IEEE Smart City Conference, ISOCARP and Esri User Conference. Pilisiwe is passionate about leveraging geospatial technologies to build sustainable and inclusive urban environments.
