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07.08.25

Lessons from Auckland: Upzoning and Density in New Zealand

Event Big Swings (2025)
July 8th, 2025
6:00pm - 8:00pm
FXCollaborative
1 Willoughby Avenue 7th floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11205, USA

Chris Bishop is the Minister of Housing, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Minister of Transport, Leader of the House, Associate Minister of Finance and Associate Minister for Sport and Recreation. He is the MP for Hutt South. Before serving as an MP, Chris worked as a researcher for the National Party in Opposition and was later an advisor to Ministers in the John Key-led Government. Chris was the National Party Campaign Chair for the 2023 General Election.

Geoff Cooper is the Chief Executive at The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. He has a background in global policy having worked for the United States Federal Reserve and the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. He is a former Chief Economist for both PwC and the city of Auckland, New Zealand, where he worked on infrastructure, housing, regulation, and financial policy. He holds a Master of Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Maulin Mehta, AICP, is New York Director at Regional Plan Association. He helps lead many of RPA’s research and planning efforts across the state and builds support for a range of projects to improve New Yorkers' quality of life. He helps lead the New York Neighbors coalition, which works to build a statewide framework to help ease our housing crisis. Maulin is a board member of the University of Orange, a free school of restoration urbanism based in Orange, NJ where he started his career in urban planning.

Heather Beck is Deputy Chief of Real Estate Development at the New York City Housing Authority. She helped implement resident-centered engagement and partner selection policies and launched a program that provides NYCHA residents independent, technical support. Prior to working at NYCHA, Heather worked at Citizen Housing & Planning Council where she co-led a research initiative that pulled best practices from London’s social housing revitalization into recommendations for New York.

Join Urban Design Forum for a conversation on New Zealand’s strategies to increase housing production through upzoning.

Although a fraction of the size, New Zealand has faced many of the same housing challenges as the U.S: rising prices, suburban sprawl, and a younger generation that can’t afford to buy a home. In contrast to the U.S., New Zealand has taken drastic measures to make it easier to build housing and densify its cities — starting with the Auckland Plan, which upzoned 75% of the city’s residential land area and resulted in a 15% increase in housing stock over the next eight years. 

Hon. Chris Bishop, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Transport and Geoff Cooper, Chief Executive at Te Waihanga, the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission will join Maulin Mehta to discuss the impact of efforts to densify across New Zealand, moderated by Heather Beck.

What lessons can New Yorkers learn from New Zealand’s efforts to build buy-in for housing across a range of stakeholders?

RSVP
Guest & Accessibility Policies

This event is open to Urban Design Forum Fellows, Global Circle members and their invited guests.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully.

  • The venue will have an entrance and elevators that are ADA-accessible.
  • This event will have microphones and speakers.
  • If you’re not feeling well, please stay home. Face masks are encouraged, particularly if you have been recently exposed to colds, flus, or other illness. If you have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days, a high-quality, well-fitting face covering is required at all times.
  • Please refrain from wearing strong fragrances to accommodate guests with allergies or environmental sensitivities.
  • If you have additional needs, we will do our best to accommodate. Please contact rsvp@urbandesignforum.org.
About Big Swings

Our 2025 Global Exchange initiative, Big Swings seeks to build solidarity between leaders in New York and other cities taking “big swings” at their housing crises. By exploring the cultures and politics behind housing shifts around the world, we will equip decision-makers to better advocate for reform and support a new generation of leaders to house every New Yorker. 

Continuing Education

This event is been approved for 1.5 AIA CES LUs.

Support

Lead Sponsor

We thank founding Global Circle Sponsors Apple Bank, CAMBA Housing Ventures, Charney, Cozen O’Connor, Fogarty Finger, HKS, Jamie von Klemperer, KPF, One Architecture, Perkins Eastman, Skylight, Turner Construction, Upside Collab and Zillow.

Global Exchange is made possible with additional support from our Board of Directors, Director’s Circle, and company and individual members. Our programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

To learn more about supporting Global Exchange, please contact Miranda Bellizia, miranda@urbandesignform.org.

Image Credit: ChewyPineapple

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