Leading Urbanist Alain Bertaud To Deliver A Public Lecture In Wellington

Internationally recognised urban planner Alain Bertaud will deliver a public lecture in Wellington on Wednesday, 18 March as part of a week of engagements with politicians, academics and policymakers across New Zealand.

Bertaud’s work has shaped city policy debates internationally. Over a career spanning several decades, he has advised governments and institutions on urban development and housing markets, including work with the World Bank and on major city reforms throughout Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

He is the author of Order Without Design, a book that has helped inform New Zealand’s cross-party consensus on the need for more enabling urban policy and planning reform. His work has been recognised and endorsed by Ministers of Housing on both sides of the political aisle, including Hon Chris Bishop and Hon Phil Twyford.

Bertaud last visited New Zealand in 2014 as a guest of The New Zealand Initiative. His return comes at a time when urban growth, housing affordability and infrastructure planning remain pressing policy challenges.

Drawing on decades of hands-on experience spanning cities from Bangkok to New York to Chandigarh, Bertaud will speak about urban growth, housing and the practical economics of city design, and how regulations and markets shape the cities people live in.

The public lecture will be hosted jointly by The New Zealand Initiative, the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission Te Waihanga, and the Victoria University of Wellington School of Government. The lecture will be followed by an audience Q&A session.

Event details
Date: Wednesday, 18 March 2026
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Venue: GBLT1, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington

The Wellington lecture is open to the public. Registration details are available here (https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/making-cities-work-tickets-1982837975762?aff=oddtdtcreator)

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