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Dr Simon Opit, BA (hons), MA, PhD

Simon is a Research Officer at SHORE & Whariki Research Centre. He is a human geographer who specialises in the intersections of housing, transport, and urban design. His research focuses on how these elements impact social and health outcomes, with the goal of fostering individual and community resilience and wellbeing.

Simon has been a member of several multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research programs, including the ACTIVATION project, National Science Challenge: ‘Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities,’ the URBAN project, ‘Kids in the City,’ and Resilient Urban Futures. He collaborates with central and local government agencies, as well as third-sector organisations, and has received research funding from BRANZ, MBIE, NZTA/Waka Kotahi, Auckland Council, and National Science Challenges: Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities, Healthier Lives, and Ageing Well.

His recent research has investigated:

  • Affordable Alternative Housing Tenure Pathways

  • Inter-agency collaboration in the design and delivery of active travel infrastructure

  • Incentivising ebike use in lower-income communities

  • Local government solutions to housing unaffordability

Simon completed his PhD at the University of Auckland, where he explored how young adults’ previous housing experiences influenced their preferences and attitudes toward compact urban designs.

Email: s.opit@massey.ac.nz

Journal Articles

Witten, K., Opit, S., Mackie, H., & Raja, A. (2024). Challenging the inequities of ebike access: An investigation of a community-led intervention in a lower-income neighbourhood in Aotearoa - New Zealand. Journal of Transport & Health, 39, 101891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2024.101891 A636

Opit, S. (2022) Review of The Private Rental Sector in Australia: Living with Uncertainty by A. Morris, K. Hulse & H. Pawson. Urban Policy and Research, 40(2), p. 165-166. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2022.2051238

Opit, S., Kearns, R., Witten, K., & Fergusson, E. (2021). Density in the suburbs: families with children Adapting to living in a medium density social housing development. Urban Policy and Research, 39(4), 397-413. doi: 10.1080/08111146.2021.1974830 A544

Witten, K., Kearns, R., Opit, S., & Fergusson, E. (2021). Facebook as soft infrastructure: producing and performing community in a mixed tenure housing development. Housing Studies, 36(9), 1345-1363. doi: 110.1080/02673037.2020.1769035 A505

Opit, S., Witten, K., & Kearns, R.A. (2020) Housing pathways, aspirations and preferences of young adults within increasing urban density. Housing Studies, 35(1): 123-42. doi: 10.1080/02673037.2019.1584662 A506

Opit, S. & Kearns, R.A. (2014) Selling a natural community: exploring the role of representations in promoting a new urban development, New Zealand Geographer, 70(2): 91-102. doi: 10.1111/nzg.12030

Oliver, M., Witten, K., Opit, S. et al (2011) Kids in the city study: research design and methodology, BMC Public Health, 11: 587. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-587

Badland, H.M, Opit, S., Witten, K., Kearns, R.A. & Mavoa, S. (2010) Can virtual streetscape audits reliably replace physical streetscape audits?, Journal of Urban Health, 87(6): 1007-1016. doi: 10.1007/s11524-010-9505-x

Reports

Opit, S. & Witten, K. (2024) Inter-agency Collaboration for Active Mode Shift Te Ararata, Māngere, National Science Challenge 11: Ageing Well & Healthier Lives.

Opit, S.,  Mackie, H., & Witten, K., & Raja, A. (2024)  Hoe Ki Angitū – Innovation Fund: Incentivising Ebike Use In Lower Income Communities, National Science Challenge 11: Ageing Well & Healthier Lives.

Raja, A., Opit, S., Mackie, H., & Witten, K. (2023)  Māngere E-bike Trial - Stage 2: Integrating an e-bike in daily life, National Science Challenge 11: Ageing Well & Healthier Lives.

Witten, K., Carroll, P., Opit, S., Parker, K., Grayson-Guy, T. & Huckle, T. (2022) The New Zealand rental sector, ER78, Wellington: BRANZ.

Opit, S. & James, B. (2022) Innovating housing futures: the Nelson Housing Reserve Fund, National Science Challenge 11: Building Better Homes Towns and Cities.

Opit, S., Carroll, P. & Witten, K. (2020) Community acceptance of medium density housing development, ER57, Wellington: BRANZ.

Opit, S., & Murphy, L. (2019) New Zealand macroprudential policy and the housing market: decision-making, justifications and evaluation, National Science Challenge 11: Building Better Homes Towns and Cities. Wellington: BBHTC.

Witten, K., Opit, S., Ferguson, E., & Kearns, R. (2018) Developing community: following the Waimahia Inlet affordable housing initiative, National Science Challenge 11: Building Better Homes Towns and Cities.

Opit, S. & Witten, K. (2018) Unlocking transport innovation: a sociotechnical perspective of the logics of transport planning decision-making within the trial of a new type of pedestrian crossing, National Science Challenge 11: Building Better Homes Towns and Cities.

Scott, K., Opit, S., Dolan, D. et al (2015) Community formation: literature review of factors that enhance place-based social relations in compact cities, New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities: Resilient Urban Futures.