Ayanda Roji is the head of research and knowledge management at the City of Johannesburg's Parks and Zoo Department in South Africa. She is a convenor of the first regional multidisciplinary knowledge sharing hub focusing on public space, the Centre on African Public Spaces - a knowledge public space sharing platform for African cities, universities and civil society organisations. She is a strong advocate of innovative alternative practices that seek to include voices and ideas of vulnerable groups in shaping communities they live in. Currently, her preoccupation is to push Africa cities to view green and public spaces as vital components of sustainable urban transformation and greener urban futures with a key role in promoting social and environmental resilience of urban systems. She holds a master's degree in Local and Regional Development from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University in the Netherlands.