Stu Donovan
Economist researching cities, transport, housing, & energy. I focus on New Zealand & Australia, with European dalliances. And some chaff.
- After a ten-year hiatus from blogging, the hard-working people at @greaterauckland.bsky.social (Greater Auckland) have kindly agreed to publish some of my rando musings as a guest blog post titled, "Why it takes a city to save a village, and vice versa." www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2025/05/13/w...
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- Do you have: ❓ a passion for research ❓ a PhD (or, are close to getting one) ❓ the desire to live + work in New Zealand If you answered ✅ ✅ ✅, then you might want to consider applying for Research Fellow or Senior Fellow positions with us at Motu Research. More deets: www.motu.nz/about-us/wor...
- To my dear friends in my beloved Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, New Zealand -- I'm pleased to be visiting your verdant shores on *2 April* for two public events that some of you might be interested in coming along to. Find links to details + register below.
- 🚨 urban economics research siren 🚨 In this recently published (open access) paper in "Land Use Policy", my co-author (Matthew Maltman) and I review critiques of the economic evidence on the effects of upzoning in Auckland. We find these critiques have little to no merit. doi.org/10.1016/j.la...
- Hi fwiends, I'm pleased to be contributing to a discussion on housing and infrastructure policy that is being organised by the Law and Economics of New Zealand and hosted by KPMG Wellington on 13 February. Deets and register (in person or online) here: eventbrite.co.nz/e/pipe-dream...
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- 🚨urban economics research siren 🚨 A new (open access) paper considers the effects of upzonings in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. tldr - housing permits ⬆️ by ~10-18% - rents ⬇️by ~21% vs counterfactual These effects are for the metropolitan region. sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- One of my final fun projects as a consultant in Australia was to contribute to a project that sought to incorporate the benefits of bus priority into a macroscopic ("strategic", or four step) transport model. You can read more about the process here. veitchlister.com/bus-priority...
- Does housing affordability and security affects fertility? According to this study the answer is "yes": When people aged 20-25 years are given social housing (via lottery), then they are 32% more likely to have a child and end up having 33% more children in total. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
- Kia ora from Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, where the clouds are doing something a little special.
- "Impacts on the value of adjoining properties are not a matter for consideration under the planning scheme ... The development contributes to Brisbane's housing in that it is diverse in type and form, offering choice to different household types and income levels ..." www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
- Pleased to confirm that we have absolutely, positively arrived in Wellington, New Zealand. And it was "on a good day", as they say. In a few weeks, I'll get busy trying to help make this place into a shining city on a hill. But for now, bring on the summer holidays.
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by Stu Donovan[Not loaded yet]
- I really don't think it's a good idea for local councils to impose their own noise standards. This should be something that is set / managed nationally via building codes.
