The health and well-being of a significant proportion of (New Zealand) population is reliant on developing environments that take into account the connections between transport, design, energy, health and governance and other issues.

Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman of the University of Otago is the director[2] and states:[3]The centre builds on a strong existing network of expertise.

It is a partnership, led by the University of Otago, of six universities—Otago, Canterbury, Victoria, Massey, Waikato and Auckland—two Crown Research Institutes, Landcare and NIWA and BRANZ.

It is positioned to work with regional councils, territorial local authorities and national agencies, with national frameworks that can accelerate urban sustainability.Professor Howden-Chapman has been quoted as expressing concern in 2012 at the clear absence of a central government agency in New Zealand that sees urban development and sustainable cities as a priority part of its brief.

[4] The centre has been instrumental in researching the application of indigenous knowledge to sustainable urban design.