Boffa Miskell celebrates UDIA registrations and leadership

Recognising professional excellence in our urban design discipline

Three of our urban design practitioners – Jane Rennie, Stuart Houghton and Miriam Moore – are now Registered Urban Designers with the Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa (UDIA). Their registration marks an important milestone, both personally and professionally, and reflects the growing maturity of urban design as a distinct and recognised discipline in Aotearoa New Zealand.

They join Tim Church, a founding member of the UDIA and current National Council member, whose long-standing contribution to urban design practice helped shape the development of the Institute.

Based in Auckland, Stuart Houghton’s work exemplifies the integrative nature of contemporary urban design practice. Also a registered landscape architect, Stuart bridges professional and disciplinary divides between planning and design, and strategy and implementation to help deliver higher-quality, more liveable urban environments. In recent years, his focus has increasingly turned towards transport and land use integration and the need to unlock faster, more effective solutions that can respond to climate change and support a just transition for cities.

Jane Rennie has extensive experience in integrated spatial planning, master planning and public transport and land use integration. Based in the Christchurch office, and a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute, Jane has a strong specialist interest in crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), providing advice and undertaking assessments across health, education and transport projects and demonstrating how urban design can proactively contribute to safer, healthier and more inclusive environments.

For Wellington-based Miriam Moore, urban design is a powerful tool for helping communities reimagine streets and public spaces with people at their heart. Through her work, she is committed to designing equitable and climate-resilient urban places. Miriam’s projects span spatial planning, master planning, design guides, design reviews and streetscape design. Her tertiary qualifications in law, human geography, planning and design, give her a deep appreciation of the multidisciplinary nature of urban design and the statutory and social contexts in which it operates.

Tim Church brings deep expertise in spatial planning and master planning, combining technical leadership with engagement and facilitation skills to help manage long‑term urban change. He has led complex projects that integrate land use, built form and transport outcomes, working collaboratively with stakeholders to translate strategic vision into deliverable place-based solutions. A registered landscaper architect, Tim's practice reflects a commitment to achieving high‑quality urban outcomes that balance growth, place, and community aspirations.

The Urban Designers Institute Aotearoa was established in 2024. Urban design has grown significantly in prominence over the past two decades, supported by initiatives such as the Urban Design Protocol and the establishment of postgraduate urban design programmes. However, unlike architecture, planning or landscape architecture, urban design in New Zealand did not have a formal registration or accreditation system.

To become a Registered Urban Designer, applicants must hold a master’s degree in urban design and have a minimum of six years’ professional experience, atleast two of those years practising as an urban designer in Aotearoa New Zealand, demonstrating familiarity with the statutory environment and an understanding of Te Ao Māori values and concepts in design processes.

By establishing clear prerequisites and a shared standard of practice, the UDIA provides greater confidence for decision-makers, project partners and communities engaging with urban design advice. It highlights that urban designers possess specialist education and skills that are distinct from, but complementary to, those of architects, planners, landscape architects and engineers.