Improving technical capacity to plan and manage cities

Abstract

New Zealand’s technical capacity to plan and manage cities is largely constrained by a neoliberal philosophy that has reduced planning substance to ‘managing’ the adverse effects of activities on the bio-physical environment. Whilst this greening of planning was no doubt necessary, it has come at the expense of social and economic considerations such as regional development, urban design and safety concerns arising from, for example, natural and man-made hazards.