Women in Energy Photo Contest: Tanja Obradović

The Photographer Behind the Image

• Inspiration and background: 

  My connection to my home region inspired me to work on the energy transition where its benefits are most needed. I saw that renewable energy could do more than reduce bills: it could bring people together, improve living conditions and give a village facing depopulation and energy poverty a reason to plan its future collectively.

  Women, particularly those in rural communities, are still too rarely recognised as initiators and decision-makers in energy projects. Their different experiences of housing, mobility, care responsibilities and energy poverty are often overlooked. Women need equal access to technical knowledge, finance and leadership opportunities, but also institutions willing to listen to local experience and treat it as expertise.

• Short biography:

  I am an architect, urban planner and Head of the Department for Urban Planning Inspection at the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia. I graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture at the University of Niš and began my career in architectural and urban planning practice. I am a licensed architect and a court expert in urban planning, design, legislation and regulations.

  Since 2005, I have worked in the field of national urban planning inspection. From 2020 to 2023, I served as the Chief Urban Planner of the City of Niš. I earned my PhD in 2025 and have published several scientific papers in the fields of architecture and urban planning. I was selected by UN-Habitat to coordinate the preparation of the first Voluntary Local Review in Serbia for the City of Niš, as well as the development of the Quality of Life Index. I am the founder of the International Conference on Urban Planning and a member of the Organising Committee of the National Urban Forum of Serbia.