Frequently Asked Questions
The Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa (UDIA) is a new institute, established in 2024 as an Incorporated Society to provide professional accreditation to qualified and experienced urban designers practising in Aotearoa New Zealand. The UDIA aims to establish and promote consistency and transparency in urban design practice, which will benefit decision-makers, clients, other professionals, the public and ultimately other urban designers.
Why is the Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa being established?
Urban design as a professional discipline has increased in popularity over the past decades, with further impetus following the publication of the Urban Design Protocol and the formation of the Master of Urban Design programme at the University of Auckland. However, because there is no professional registration requirement, anyone who wants to can call themselves an urban designer. Following increasing challenges as to the reliability of urban design experts in Environment Court, a group of urban designers galvanised into action in late 2021 to consider how best to establish an accreditation process for urban designers.
The Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa (UDIA) has been established to recognise and support urban design as a profession in Aotearoa New Zealand by recognising urban designers with a combination of tertiary education, skills, and experience.
Why do we need registration for urban designers?
Urban designers possess specialist education, skills and experience that relates to but is distinct from other built environment professionals (e.g. Architects, Landscape Architects, Planners, Transport Engineers etc.). The UDIA purposefully highlights that distinction, providing a platform for recognition and registration for qualified and experienced urban designers practising within the statutory framework specific to Aotearoa New Zealand.
As the name suggests, the UDIA is focused on ‘urban designers’ (as a group of practitioners), not on ‘urban design’ (a topic). It focuses on ensuring consistency, robustness, and clarity amongst Registered Urban Designers, providing decision-makers and other users of urban design advice greater confidence in the level of expertise they are receiving.
How is the UDIA governed?
The UDIA is managed by a National Council. The National Council is responsible for overseeing the ongoing operation of the UDIA. This includes setting and maintaining membership requirements and continuing professional development, administering the membership application process, and producing and monitoring practice notes. The National Council will consist of a minimum of five members; with at least two based within Te-Ika-a-Māui North Island and one based within Te Waipounamu South Island. The initial National Council has eleven founding members across Aotearoa including Lisa Mein as chair, Josie Schröder as deputy chair, Nick Rae as Treasurer, and Anna Wood and Ian Munro as Membership and Standards Manager (joint role).
Other National Council members are Alistair Ray, Graeme McIndoe, Lauren White, Dr Lee Beattie, Tim Church, and Yu-Ning Liu.
For more information see About the UDIA.
Who can become a member of the Urban Design Institute Aotearoa?
Prerequisites for membership to the UDIA, in other words becoming a Registered Urban Designer, include both a master’s degree in urban design and a minimum of six years’ professional experience. A minimum of two of those years needs to be working as an urban designer in Aotearoa New Zealand to demonstrate practical knowledge of the legal and statutory context within which urban designers operate and an understanding of Te Ao Māori values and concepts in design processes. See Membership.
Will there be different tiers of membership e.g. student, affiliate etc?
No. See the prerequisites set out above. The UDIA has set an intentionally high bar for membership at its inception to build a strong base and considers the requirement for a master's degree establishing a clear and robust measure. In the future alternate membership options may be explored.
How do I become a member or “Registered Urban Designer”?
To become a Registered Urban Designer, applicants with the requisite qualification and experience, and sponsorship from an UDIA member, can apply by submitting a curriculum vitae and portfolio which demonstrates the attainment of necessary core competencies and practice areas. This would be followed by a UDIA panel interview.
As the institute is new, for the first two years of its establishment applicants with the requisite qualification and more than fifteen years’ experience are invited to apply without needing sponsorship and may not be required to attend a formal interview.
I don’t have an urban design qualification but have lots of experience in urban design, can I become a member?
A formal qualification in urban design is a prerequisite for membership. This is because the purpose of the UDIA is to recognise practitioners for whom urban design is their profession and to provide certainty and consistency for urban designers engaged within our statutory context; in particular for those providing expert evidence to Environment Court.
I have a bachelor’s degree that includes urban design gained from overseas, will that be recognised by the UDIA?
It is acknowledged that there are many varied urban design qualifications from tertiary institutes around the world. In Aotearoa New Zealand the only urban design qualification available is the Master of Urban Design from the University of Auckland. However, many practising urban designers have qualifications gained from other countries including Australia, the UK, Canada and many other places, including Masters and Post Graduate Diplomas in Urban Design. It is up to the individual to demonstrate their qualification is equivalent to a Master of Urban Design degree in Aotearoa New Zealand, and they have the necessary skills and practical experience when they apply to become a member.
I’m already a member of another institute, is it necessary to be a member of both?
It is not the UDIA’s intention to compete with other institutes. Importantly the UDIA does not seek to take ownership of general or wider built environment debate amongst and between members of the industry. The UDIA is based on recognising qualified and practising urban designers, particularly those who provide or wish to provide expert evidence to Aotearoa New Zealand’s statutory processes. Maintaining membership in other institutes is encouraged, where it is practicable to do so.
What benefits, responsibilities and commitments do members have?
Members will be entitled to refer to themselves using the trade-marked term “Registered Urban Designer”. Registered Urban Designers can also use the post-nominal “UDIA” acronym to indicate your professional affiliation. Membership provides peer recognition such that other professionals, clients and stakeholders, in both the public and private sectors and within the statutory system, can consider a Registered Urban Designer as an expert practitioner.
The UDIA has established benchmark proficiency expectations for Registered Urban Designers, will promote consistency and transparency in urban design practice, and will establish a set of requirements for continuing professional development that Registered Urban Designers must meet.
Registered Urban Designers are required to adhere to the UDIA Code of Ethics and Code of Practice. These codes set ethical standards and principles that all members should follow in their practice, particularly within the relevant legal and statutory frameworks within which they work.
Will there be CPD requirements? And are these separate to the requirements of the other institute I have membership to?
Yes, there will be requirements for ongoing professional development that are specific to members of the UDIA. It is acknowledged that members will have existing professional development requirements if they belong to another institute. The UDIA accepts there will be some degree of overlap between these.
Will there be mentoring for less experienced urban designers?
The intention is to establish a mentoring programme in the first few years following the incorporation of the UDIA. Mentorship programmes depend heavily on the willingness and availability of senior practitioners to coach and guide candidates. At incorporation, the focus of UDIA membership will be on registering qualified and experienced urban designers, to ensure there are enough UDIA members to deliver a mentorship programme.
What will be different if I become a Registered Urban Designer?
The formation of the UDIA establishes a Code of Ethics and Code of Practice that all members must agree to abide by. This includes requirements relating to the provision of urban design services in the workplace, upholding a high standard of professionalism and maintaining a level of collegiality, tolerance, and fairness to other members.
In addition, through mandatory CPD events, practice notes, and other potential initiatives over time, the UDIA will promote methodologies, definitions, and other shared tools that members can use unless a specific project context justifies not doing so.
If I don’t become a member, can I still call myself an urban designer?
The UDIA acknowledges that urban designers come from many varied backgrounds and not all interface with the statutory context nor have post-graduate training. The UDIA cannot prevent someone from calling themselves an urban designer. However, only members of the UDIA may use the term “Registered Urban Designer”.