People.

Place.

Purpose.

Your urban development specialists.

About Us.

The Urban Advisory (TUA) connects the dots between key players in the built environment.

TUA exists in the spaces in-between. They fill the crucial gap by connecting and communicating with communities, property and design professionals, council and government executives, politicians and Iwi Māori, to create effective strategies and deliverables that benefit all parties.

Think of TUA as your personal project advocate; a safe pair of hands to guide and assist you through the complex world of urban development. Our mission is your mission.

We care about creating more equitable homes, towns, neighbourhoods and cities. We want to help you in strategising and delivering your urban project. Got a vision? The Urban Advisory can make it happen.

A portrait photo of Dr. Natalie Allen and Greer O'Donnell

Urban Strategy

Urban Strategy is the crucial role of joining the dots of city-making. Urban strategists work across the scales of urbanism and bring people around the table to solve complex and challenging urban problems.

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Meet the Directors

Led by Urban Strategists Dr Natalie Allen and Greer Jones, The Urban Advisory connects the dots between key players in the urban environment.

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Our Vision

Our mission is to create healthier and more equitable homes, neighbourhoods, towns and cities.

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Project Experience.

Research

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Research

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Strategy

People know their places best. TUA help clients capture their knowledge and analyse the data, to create a strong evidence base for their decision making.

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Strategy

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Design

TUA work closely with clients to develop place-specific strategy and thoughtful design solutions. This can include spatial and masterplans, development strategies and placemaking / tactical urbanism, to name a few.

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Design

Delivery

TUA prioritise turning strategy into action. This can often mean developing project briefs and bringing together project partners, to securing funding for clients and implementing programmes.

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Delivery

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TUA Impact.

The Urban Advisory continuously puts their money where their mouth is; investing back into the urban environment sector via research, education, co-funding projects and regularly speaking at industry events and conferences across Aotearoa and Australia.

Dr Natalie Allen and Greer Jones invest TUA’s time and resources, driven by an unwavering belief that knowledge should be accessible and inclusive.

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Knowledge Hub

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Education

Co-Funding

Natalie on the podium speaking to a large crowd

Key Note Speaking

We worked with TUA to develop our approach and programme plan for a housing project and land $2.5m of funding to help us deliver it well. What made working with TUA a good fit was our strong value alignment, but they were also a good personality fit for our team.

Jodi Hayward

CEO, Te Pai Roa Tika o te Taitokerau

Putting together an iwi housing strategy for the first time required people with expertise and knowledge. TUA were amazing to work with, professional, engaging, helpful and have a lot of expertise.

Lisa Bishop

Property Project Lead, Ngāti Toa

We worked with TUA to investigate the delivery of new housing models, in particular co-housing and a lot of useful knowledge was built up amongst our team. The team at TUA had a good mix of skills, were great facilitators, were collaborative, and their reports were well-presented and detailed.

Brenna Waghorn

GM Strategy & Planning, Eke Panuku

TUA have been professional and accommodating throughout and your work has been invaluable in getting the plan change to the point it is today. We have enjoyed working alongside you all.

Karen Lees

Project Manager, Griffithsi

Our relationship with TUA seeks to redefine what working in a true partnership means. Whilst the tangible outcomes will produce our Housing Strategy, being the crucial first step to achieving our housing aspirations, the intangible benefits of this relationship will enable both entities to increase their capacity and matauranga.

Kim Tahiwi

Project Lead, Ngā Hapu o Ōtaki