Tim Moonen: Business of Cities managing director says Auckland is bouncing back, but still playing catch-up to other cities

Tāmaki Makaurau is bouncing back after a chaotic few years, but still playing catch-up to other global cities.

The second annual State of the City report released today shows housing affordability and transport infrastructure are lagging behind.

It calls for significant investment and planning to kickstart projects with the speed, scale and coordination required.

Business of Cities Managing Director Tim Moonen told Mike Hosking Auckland re-entered the global economy later than nearly every city of its size.

“The return to tourism, the return of investment, the return of business, jobs, people who are mobile moving around has been a bit slower. We expect that gap to bridge but it’s still there two years on.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So we got the findings of Auckland's second annual State
of the City reports. So it compares the region's performance
with nine similar places around the world. We have stubbornly
low productivity, increasing unemployment, the cost of living and rising
inequality is letting us down. The report was done by
the UK based urban intelligent firm, the Business of Cities.
The managing director of doctor Tim moon And is, well,
there's Tim morning to you when we're dealing with things

(00:21):
like experience, prosperity and transport decline. Transport I get obviously,
what's experience decline? And how do you measure it?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Well, you measure it by things like what's the experience
of people when they come into the city center or
the CBD. Do people feel safe going to and from work,
traveling home late at night? What is the feeling of
not just being in the natural environment but in the
urban realm. And you measure it by people's perceptions, but
also measures about what things are happening, good and bad.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
And when you talk about the slower COVID bounce back,
what literally do you mean by that?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, we mean that, of course Auckland more than nearly
every city of its size around the world was slower
to in effect re enter the global economy because of
all of the restraints, and therefore it is meant that
the return to tourism, the return of investment, the return
of business jobs, people who are mobile moving around has
been a bit slower. We expect that gap to bridge,

(01:18):
but it's still there two years on, and it means
that there's just a challenge about how to make sure
to get back on the front foot from.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
The other cities the other nine. Are we an outlier
or are we broadly in the mix.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
You're in the mix because Auckland's firstly an incredible city
in terms of how livable it is. Its reputation is
still pretty strong around the world, and all the investments
and things in the past, I think give it a
certain set of fundamentals that give it an advantage. But
the other cities increasingly in this group, but also particularly

(01:54):
in larger parts of the cities around the Asia Pacific
region and moving more quickly now, whether it's with more structure,
whether it's with really aggressively positioning themselves in the industries
that are going to grow new jobs, or whether it's
about positioning themselves so they're more attractive to people when
they're making choices about where to live, where to move,
where to visit. That's where I think Auckland's got room
to catch up.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
And what's the best of the nine outside of well
good question?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
I think in Europe it's Copenhagen of the other cities,
because it's made so much success not only being a connected,
walkable city, but also a usually prosperous city with some
of its major companies driving huge amounts of growth. And
then you'd say probably Vancouver in North America has done
a pretty good job of being both a having North
American innovation but with high high living standards and a

(02:41):
high level of equality relative to the rest of the region.
So those are the two to look to.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
All right, Tim, appreciate you time very much, doctor Tim
Moon the Business of Cities Managing directors. So the cities
are Austin, Brisbane, Copenhagen, Dublin, Fokioka, Helsinki, Vancouver. I can't
even read my own writing for the other one in Portland,
so Leviv, who was it? Tel Aviv was to well done?
Appreciate it very much. Tim.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
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