Ivana Bogdanović Protić, MSC and PhD in Urban Planning and Design, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Niš, at the Chair of Town and Spatial Planning. Since starting her academic career in 2001, her research has focused on urban planning and design, particularly on public open spaces, large housing estates, outdoor thermal comfort, urban regeneration, smart cities, and urban agriculture, with an emphasis on post-socialist urban transformation. She has published over 80 scientific papers, two books, and has participated in numerous research projects and received several prestigious awards. Currently, she is involved in the scientific research project dealing with re-introducing public open spaces into residential areas in Serbian cities by improving urban planning and design practices, fostering participatory planning, and promoting inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable environments ready for future challenges.