Our research hub

Spanning housing, transportation, education and land use economics, our hub is dedicated to building an evidence base to support economic policies that make our cities more productive, more inclusive, and more sustainable.

Balancing living standards against environmental sustainability is arguably the most important policy priority of the twenty-first century. Our research examines how we can use cities to further develop, diversify, and decarbonise the economy.

The Urban and Spatial Economics research hub consists of hub leader Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy and postdoctoral research fellow James Jones.

Geoff Cooper BSc, MCom (Hons.), MPA

Geoff is an economist, strategist and teacher with experience across public and private sectors in New Zealand, the United States and Asia. He is currently the General Manager of Strategy at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission. He is a former Chief Economist at PwC and Auckland Council and has worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. His research interests include housing policy, land use regulation, infrastructure and urbanisation. He also regularly lectures on Urban Economics both at the University of Auckland and through the Government Economics Network.

Chris Crow BA, MA

Chris is an independent economist and data scientist who works with clients in public, private, and multilateral development sectors around the world. He specialises in quantitative modelling, urban development, and spatial network analysis. He was formerly an economist for PwC and an urban specialist for the World Bank. His research interests include land use policy, infrastructure funding mechanisms, housing affordability, and applications of emerging tools and methods to evidence-driven policy.

Peter Nunns BA, MA, BCom(Hons)

Peter is Director of Economics at the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga. His objective in this role is to provide evidence on how we can increase the efficiency of the New Zealand infrastructure sector. He has previously worked in central government, local government and consultancy, often with a focus on housing, transport economics, and urban development.