Economics for Real People: ‘Productivity, Density and Auckland’s Urban Future’

This week, the Auckland Uni Economics Group has another guest speaker for you to enjoy (and question). Here’s the news…

Hi everyone,
This Thursday, we are excited to be having Geoff Cooper, the Chief Economist of The Auckland Council, come and speak to us.

About the Event:
Productivity, Density and Auckland’s Urban Future:
At the turn of the 20^th Century, just 40% of New Zealanders lived in cities. Since then, nine in every ten New Zealanders have chosen to live in an urban area. Despite the evolution of various technologies reducing the costs of distance to almost zero, cities are seemingly more popular than ever. Not all cities are equal however – both in New Zealand and abroad, the largest cities are growing fastest. Auckland will add an additional person to its population every 20 minutes, compared to 2 hours for Christchurch and 2.5 hours for Wellington.
    For all the benefits that density brings however, there are significant costs associated with density and urban living. Density can put pressure on property prices and can generate congestion costs and environmental degradation; infrastructure must be maintained and often expanded. Managing these costs through a variety of pricing, investment and regulatory tools will be critical in Auckland’s bid to become a world class, competitive city.
About the Speaker:
Geoff Cooper is the Chief Economist of Auckland Council. Prior to this he was an economic advisor at the former Auckland City Council.  He has extensive experience working across local government and non-Governmental sectors including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
    Geoff provides strategic economic advice to council executives, the Council and the Mayoral office on major transport investment, alternative funding tools and urban economics. Geoff graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters of Economics with First Class Honours. Geoff is a well known figure across the Auckland public sector, and academic community, as such he was a finalist for the young New Zealander of the Year in 2010 and in 2012 he won the Institute of Public Administration’s New Professional of the Year. 
When & Where:

    Date: Thursday, October 3
    Time: 6pm-7pm
    Location: Room 215, Level Two, University of Auckland Business School (OGGB), Grafton Rd,

As usual, all are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there. And don’t forget to check us out on the web at our Facebook group.