Meet the Directors.
Urban Strategists Dr Natalie Allen and Greer O'Donnell are nationally recognised strategic advisors in housing, infastructure and urban development.
For the past decade they have led the team at The Urban Advisory and supported the industry to innovate how we deliver our homes, neighbourhoods, towns and cities.
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Dr Natalie Allen
PhD in Urban Design, Master of Architecture (Hons), Bachelor of Architecture (Hons), Bachelor of Architectural Studies
Natalie works with our clients to make the seemingly complex simple when it comes to designing and delivering our built environment.
She specialises in designing neighbourhoods that enhance wellbeing and is passionate about supporting our clients to innovate when it comes to delivering quality, resilient, and people-centric developments.
Natalie has a background in architecture, urban/spatial design, and urban governance and extensive research experience across a range of critical urban topics: integrated urban planning and community visioning, urban growth and increasing density, and housing preferences and demand. She maintains wide-ranging industry networks in both the public and private sectors and brings a creative, long-term strategic perspective to all our work.
Natalie regularly speaks at conferences, delivers webinars, is a panel moderator and writes about delivering citizen-centric neighbourhoods.
She grew up in Tāmaki Makarau and spent alternating weekends growing up visiting her tīpuna in Paihia, Te Tai Tokerau and Ngāmotu, Taranaki. She also spent formative time living in Costa Rica, Uganda, and Cheng du. Natalie currently lives in Tāmaki Makarau with her husband and two young daughters.
Natalie specialises in:
- Urban Research
- Urban Regeneration
- Housing Strategy
- Housing Needs Assessments
- Community + Stakeholder Engagement
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Greer O'Donnell
Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Arts (Political Science, Anthropology)
Leveraging her legal and anthropological background, Greer O'Donnell offers a distinctive perspective to the industry. Her expertise is concentrated in the early phases of projects, where she effectively facilitates collaboration among market and public sector entities, along with key stakeholders. This strategic approach results in strong partnerships, attracts capital for urban development initiatives, and ensures a comprehensive understanding of project context, rigorous evaluation of assumptions, and the identification of key strategic opportunities.
Greer's demonstrated ability to cultivate strong, collaborative relationships has been pivotal to the success of a diverse range of projects. Her extensive experience encompasses housing and social infrastructure initiatives across civic, arts and culture, parks, sports, and recreation sectors.
Greer's core strength is in co-designing implementable pathways and effectively translating strategies into tangible outcomes across various sectors. She is committed to innovation and creative solutions, with a particular focus on evolving approaches to city-making. Greer is committed to upholding the role of mana whenua in guiding the restoration of Aotearoa’s social, ecological and cultural richness.
Greer’s professional background is complemented by her upbringing on a hill country farm in Whanganui, extensive experience living and working in Ōtautahi, and her current residence in Tāmaki Makaurau with her family.
Greer's areas of specialisation include:
- Precinct Delivery
- Urban Regeneration
- Project Feasibility and Origination
- Affordable and Community Housing
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Media
Media
Dr Natalie Allen and Greer O'Donnell are leading housing and urban development experts in the Urban Strategy space for Aotearoa New Zealand.
With over two decades of collective experience, they are highly knowledgable in regards to past, current and future trends in our local Urban environments.
Natalie and Greer break down complex urban topics into easy to understand concepts, providing depth and insight into urban development, housing economics, the housing crisis, and more.
Natalie and Greer have been quoted, written for or had research featured in multiple publications, including:
They are available for interviews and to provide comment on their work, latest thinking, research and what’s going on in New Zealand’s urban environment.
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Keynote Speaking
Keynote Speaking
As leading experts in New Zealand’s housing and urban development space, Natalie and Greer are engaging and high-energy keynote speakers.
Active in their research and work in developing Aotearoa New Zealand’s urban environments as healthier and more equitable places to live, Natalie and Greer are uniquely positioned to provide unparalleled insight into how all of the urban pieces fit together.
Keynote topics include:
- Wellbeing and the Built Environment
- Community Wealth Building
- Delivering Affordable Housing at Scale
Presenting to audiences across Australasia, Natalie and Greer bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table to inspire, challenge, and ultimately encourage people to think differently about how we do housing and urban development.
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Study Tours
Study Tours
Study tours involve taking a team of people onsite to visualise and understand examples of our built environment done well. TUA is experienced in leading these tours both locally and internationally.
In 2018, Natalie and Greer participated in an international study tour visiting London, Freiburg, Oslo and Amsterdam. They also participated in the inaugural City Makers Guild Study Tour on Collaborative Urbanism, which visited Berlin, Vienna and Zurich.
2019 saw the Directors lead their own International study tour, visiting sites in both the UK and the USA.
A study tour is an important way to get decision-makers and key players in our urban environments to examine, rethink and explore how we’re doing things.
Feel free to reach out to Natalie and Greer if you would like to organise and facilitate a study tour for your team.
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