Top urban planners will be gathering in Christchurch for three days next March to tackle the country's biggest challenges for the coming year.  

Housing affordability and climate change are key topics.  

NZ Planning Institute CEO David Curtis told Tim Dower in terms of housing affordability; they're looking beyond normal market forces.  

He says looking back 20 years, Auckland's Long-Term Plan offered good resolutions to housing and transport issues. 

“The problem was, again it’s still subject to political whim, and we’re looking now at how do we work more closely with government as planners around the current RM reform.” 

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