People.
Place.
Purpose.
Your housing and urban development specialists.
About Us.
The Urban Advisory (TUA) is the go-to strategic consultancy in Aotearoa, New Zealand, founded over a decade ago by nationally recognised housing and urban development experts, Dr Natalie Allen and Greer O'Donnell. We have a proven track record of enabling tangible outcomes in our neighbourhoods, towns, and cities through an integrated service offering in research, strategy, design, and implementation advisory.
Our practice — what we call urban strategy — seamlessly moves your project from vision, planning and design through procurement to create places that are liveable, inclusive, and future-ready. Our approach is grounded in academic rigour, powered by emerging technologies, and shaped by real-world experience.
If you have a housing, precinct or city wide project you need to unlock - give us a call.
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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 O'Donnell, The Urban Advisory connects the dots between key players in the urban environment.
Our Vision
Our mission is to create healthier and more equitable homes, neighbourhoods, towns and cities.
Services.
Research
TUA is highly regarded as a NZ Research Organisation, using world-class technology platforms to capture data in order to understand our people and places.
Research
TUA is recognised as a leading New Zealand research organisation, using advanced data platforms and evidence‑based methodologies to understand people, places, and the systems that shape them.
We believe communities know their places best. Our research captures this local knowledge and pairs it with robust data and analysis, giving decision‑makers a strong evidence base for shaping housing, neighbourhoods, precincts, towns, and cities. Understanding current and future needs is essential to ensuring solutions are relevant, equitable, and deliverable.
Our research capabilities include:
- Literature and policy review
- Market research and market engagement
- Sentiment surveys
- Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation
- Social impact assessment
- Urban amenities assessment
- Co-design and design thinking facilitation
- Community and stakeholder engagement (with local partners)
Research is a foundational element of Urban Strategy. It informs project direction, design, and delivery frameworks —just as these components shape the questions we ask. In a rapidly changing environment, asking the right questions at the outset ensures informed, future‑focused decision‑making.
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.
Strategy
Strategy is the process of turning insights into an actionable plan. TUA works with clients to define clear goals and develop data‑informed, delivery‑focused strategies that guide decision‑making and investment.
Our approach integrates the four core elements of Urban Strategy — research, design, strategy, and delivery — ensuring every strategy is grounded in evidence, shaped by community needs, and structured for real‑world implementation. Our strategies identify the people, partnerships, and resources required to turn vision into reality.
TUA is experienced in developing strategies across:
- Housing
- Precincts
- Place and spatial planning
- Economic development
- Sustainable growth
- Future development
- Kāinga and whare strategies
Our process is bespoke and outcome‑driven. We draw on continuously updated internal datasets, as well as the latest national and international evidence, to ensure strategies are robust, future‑ready, and aligned with best practice.
Design
Design, in an Urban Strategy context, has two main functions: to aid in the formation and implementation of the strategy, as well as visually articulating the vision for a place.
Design
In an Urban Strategy context, design serves two critical functions: shaping and operationalising the strategy, and visually communicating the vision for a place.
Strategy and design operate in tandem. Design thinking tests ideas, informs options, and illustrates what is possible; strategy ensures those ideas are achievable. TUA works with a wide network of design professionals — urban designers, landscape architects, planners, engineers, and specialist advisors — to bring the right expertise to each project.
Our design capabilities include:
- Precinct design and planning
- Spatial and masterplanning
- Town centre development
- Community‑centred design advice
- Urban design reviews
- Private plan changes and Section 32 reports
Design is embedded in the practice of Urban Strategy. It helps translate strategic direction into compelling visuals and practical development pathways, supporting engagement, confidence, and clarity throughout the project lifecycle.
Delivery
TUA is experienced in deal origination and initiation; a key point of difference in how TUA operates as a consultancy. With world-leading experts in our network, TUA gets projects off the paper and into existence.
Delivery
TUA’s delivery practice is a key differentiator in the consultancy market. We not only provide research, strategy, and design — we remain involved through delivery to ensure strategic intent becomes real‑world outcomes.
We specialise in the early stages of project formation, including deal origination, structuring, and partnership development. Our team understands the mechanics required to position a project for success, from securing the right partners to identifying pathways to capital and funding.
Our delivery services include:
- Business case development
- Project brief development
- Deal origination and partnership structuring
- Procurement and commercial advice
- Programme and project governance
- Support for Māori‑led development planning
- Development feasibility and property advisory (with partners)
TUA stays at the table through delivery because implementation is where outcomes are realised. We ensure that well‑crafted strategies move beyond planning, establishing the conditions, partnerships, and momentum required to bring projects to life.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
