The Ministry of Transport and Transport Economics Knowledge Hub invite you to:

The costs and benefits of urban development: Theory and evidence by Peter Nunns

Transport that serves urban and economic development by Chris Parker

Time and date: 10:00am to 11:30am, Friday 19 May 2017

Venue: Grant Thornton Building, Level 13, 215 Lambton Quay, Wellington

RSVP: knowledgehub@transport.govt.nz (by Monday 15 May 2017)

Abstracts

The costs and benefits of urban development: Theory and evidence

An important question for urban planning is where and when there is a case to limit development to manage the potential for market failure. However, there have been relatively few attempts to comprehensively compare the costs of restricting development with the various positive and negative externalities that are managed by doing so. This paper attempts to fill that gap. In doing so, it identifies how it would be possible to raise wellbeing by enabling more competitive, responsive urban development markets. To close, it asks whether alternative policy mechanisms are needed to efficiently enable urban development while appropriately addressing market failure.

Transport that serves urban and economic development

Chris will briefly cover his earlier research on how to generalise transport economic appraisals to capture their effects on land use through urban and economic development. He’ll first frame this up with Coase’s critique against the marginalist approach to economics. Finally he’ll explain how and why the transport sector should broaden its horizons and deeply engage with any reforms associated with the Productivity Commission’s Better Urban Planning inquiry.

About the speakers

Peter is Principal Economist at MRCagney, a transport and urban planning consultancy with offices in Auckland, Brisbane, and Melbourne. His current work includes development of business cases for several major transport projects in Auckland, including the Northwestern Busway and the 2018-2028 cycling programme, and the implementation of the National Policy Statement on Urban Development Capacity.

Chris is Principal Advisor at Treasury covering housing and building environments. He was Chief Economist at Auckland Council, and before then specialised in transport economics and appraisal when at NZIER and Hyder Consulting.

The Ministry of Transport, MBIE and Transport Economics Knowledge Hub

invite you to attend a seminar that will present on two topics:

Implementing the Transport Domain Plan and Transport Research Strategy by Joanne Leung, Principal Economist, Ministry of Transport

New Zealand’s productivity growth: prescriptions for lifting performance from the NZ productivity commission by Paul Conway, Director Economics & Research, NZ Productivity Commission

Time and date:       11:30am to 1:00pm, Wednesday 31 August 2016

Venue:                    Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) , 15 Stout Street, Wellington

RSVP:                    knowledgehub@transport.govt.nz (by Monday 29 August 2016)

The Ministry of Transport and Transport Economics Knowledge Hub invite you to:

Transport infrastructure: decision-making under uncertainty:

The real options approach

Abstract

Many transport investments face uncertainty, especially on the demand side. Traditional analysis is inadequate and can result in either severe congestion or white elephants like “The Bridge to Nowhere”. Better techniques have emerged, exploiting the value of flexibility and strategic decision making – the real options approach.

This presentation follows the shorter presentation provided by David Greig in March 2016. An expert in real options, David Campbell from the Australian economic consulting firm ACIL Allen, will share his experience from applying the approach in the transport (road, rail and ports), research, health, defence, water, drought, and climate change contexts.

Time and date:                  12pm to 1pm, Thursday, 12 May 2016

Venue:                               Ministry of Transport, Level 6, 89 The Terrace, Wellington

RSVP:                               Helen Huang,  h.huang@transport.govt.nz (by Wednesday, 11 May, 2016)

David Campbell is a Sydney-based Senior Associate of ACIL Allen, and was one of the founders of ACIL Tasman Pty Ltd, one of the two predecessor companies to ACIL Allen. David has many years of experience advising clients in relation to policy and investment strategy in areas involving high levels of uncertainty.

This has included pioneering applications of real options methods – that focus on dealing appropriately with the value of strategy flexibility and the value of information in guiding the development of adaptive investment strategies that offer greater value by limiting downside risk and securing access to upside possibilities.

The Ministry of Transport and Transport Economics Knowledge Hub invite you to attend a seminar that will present on three topics:

 Treasury’s new Cost Benefit Analysis guide by Dieter Katz, The Treasury

The Economic Evaluation Manual by Graeme Belliss, New Zealand Transport Agency

The role of regulatory impact analysis (RIA) in policy analysis, advice, and political decision-making by Ben Temple, The Treasury

Time and date:                  12:00pm to 1:30pm, Tuesday 03 May 2016

Venue:                                 Ministry of Transport, Level 6, 89 The Terrace, Wellington

RSVP:                                    knowledgehub@transport.govt.nz (by Friday 29 April 2016)

Transport Economics Knowledge Hub invite you to:

• Economic development and transport by Ian Duncan (Principal Economist at Ministry of Transport)

• Analytical framework and real options by David Greig (Strategy Director at Ministry of Transport) and Joanne Leung (Principal Economist at Ministry of Transport)

Time and date:  12 pm to 1 pm, Monday, 14 March 2016

Venue:   Ministry of Transport, Level 6, SAS Tower, 89 The Terrace, Wellington

RSVP:   KnowledgeHub@transport.govt.nz