Olusola Olufemi

Olusola Olufemi, an Associate Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, obtained her PhD in Town and Regional Planning from the School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She also obtained a Certificate in Food Security from Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Olusola’s research and teaching career spans a period of over 25 years in Nigeria, South Africa and Canada. Olusola was involved in teaching at the Departments of Urban and Regional Planning, Geography and Women’s studies between 1986 and 2013. Olusola worked as a Research Fellow (Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan, Nigeria); and Chief Researcher (Human Sciences Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa). She was the pioneer coordinator of Women in Planning Network of the Commonwealth Association of Planners. She was a recipient of the IKEA 1990/1991 Grant and the Gerd Albers 2005 Award. Olusola is the author of the book “Concepts in Food Security” for practitioners, academics and tertiary education students in Africa. She was a Visiting Professor at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria in 2013. Olusola’s interest is Social Planning, Policy and Advocacy specifically in the areas of Homelessness, Gender and Food Security. She currently works as an Independent freelance consultant, mentor and educator.

Helena Heyning

Helena C.M. Heyning grew up in the Far East (Indonesia). She returned to The Netherlands to finish high school and received her master’s degree in Landscape Architecture & Urban/Regional Planning at the internationally well known  Wageningen University & Research Centre (WUR). She believes in lifelong education.
From 1969 to1989 Helena worked as a consultant at one of Holland’s’ most leading private offices in City and Regional Planning & Architecture. In 1989 she switched to a management career as director of Urban Planning & Public Works departments in large numbered/urbane Dutch cities and municipalities.
Since 1998 she is managing director/owner of MB&A B.V. with management assignments all over the Netherlands as well as in Caribbean St. Maarten (Dutch Antilles) including commissions in rehabilitation and empowerment programs. She is a partner in Ruimtelink (Spacelink).
Helena is past-president of the Association of Dutch Urban Planners. She was a member of the Presidium of the National Council on Spatial Planning and a member of the National Council on Traffic, Water Management and Public Works (both advisory boards to respective ministers) as well as the Council for City Planning  Amsterdam. She worked for the EIA Commission and chaired over two decades hearings on national infrastructure projects as the representative of the Minister of Traffic etc.  She  lectured for many years at the Polytechnic Spatial Planning (Utrecht).
Since 2008 Helena is a bureau member of the prestigious Eo Wijers Foundation focused on/promoting integrated solutions for regional planning issues.
Helena (ISOCARP member since the early seventies) was General Rapporteur of the ISOCARP  congress ‘LAND and WATER – Integrated planning for a sustainable future’. She co-guided the Young Planners workshop in Jerusalem.