Popular in Engineering

Electronic Engineering

Control of a Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm System

University of South Florida Redwan Alqasemi

Engineering

Spatiotemporal evaporating droplet dynamics on fomites enhances long term bacterial pathogenesis

Indian Institute of Science Saptarshi Basu

Civil Engineering

Suitability of excavated London clay as a supplementary cementitious material

ARUP Fragkoulis Kanavaris

Chemistry

Polyfluorene-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Photocleavable Side-Chains

McMaster University Alex Adronov

Electronic Engineering

A Trusted and Privacy-Preserving Internet of Mobile Energy

Queensland University of Technology

Engineering

Water Security: Why We Need Global Solutions

Cardiff University

Engineering

Decision-Making Principles for Better Software Design Decisions

Swinburne University of Technology

Subjective vs. objective assessment of the economic impacts of light rail transit

View more insights in Professional - Engineering - Civil Engineering

View more figures from Monash University

View the page of Liton Kamruzzaman

Read the Study

Next in Civil Engineering

Optimum numbering and sizing of infiltration-based water sensitive urban design technologies in South Australia

Faisal Ahammed | University of South Australia

Prediction of Impending Drought Scenarios Based on Surface and Subsurface Parameters in a Selected Region of Tropical Queensland, Australia

Bithin Datta | James Cook University

While the current discourse surrounding the economic impacts of light rail transit (LRT) predominantly leans on objective metrics, emerging signs point to a possible disparity between subjective perceptions and these objective evaluations. Liton Kamruzzaman endeavours to fill this void by scrutinizing the impacts of the G:Link in Gold Coast, Australia on local businesses, prompted by anecdotal commentary of adverse effects.

Image courtesy of interviewee. September 24, 2024

Log-in or Sign-up to Faculti
Currently viewing this subject insight as a guest. You have insight(s) remaining for this month. Login to view 8000+ figures on the platform.

Generating Workspace...

Export as PDF

This video video discusses the economic impact and challenges surrounding the Gold Coast light rail project, particularly the "Jail Link" project. While infrastructure investments like these are typically justified by projected economic benefits, the Gold Coast project faced complaints from local businesses in Surfers Paradise, which claimed their operations suffered due to the construction.

An investigation was prompted to assess the situation, leading to the development of a unique methodology that combined both qualitative (through interviews with business owners) and quantitative analysis to better understand the economic impacts. While existing literature generally reports positive economic impacts from light rail projects, the local businesses predominantly voiced concerns about economic hardship, attributing their struggles to the light rail construction.

The investigation found that while businesses in Surfers Paradise were indeed experiencing difficulties, the issues were not exclusive to them; economic downturns affected businesses citywide. Furthermore, a decrease in tourist numbers specific to Surfers Paradise was linked to the construction and subsequent changes in visitor behavior, leading tourists to other areas in Gold Coast.

Contrarily, the analysis indicated that the light rail had some positive effects, such as encouraging a shift from cars to public transport. The conclusion emphasized the need for accurate communication and realistic expectations regarding the impacts of such projects on local businesses, as well as the importance of including key stakeholders in decision-making processes.

Key recommendations included the importance of informing and educating businesses about the economic landscape, developing recovery packages for affected businesses, and understanding the broader economic shifts resulting from the light rail project to foster informed decision-making and bolster community support for future infrastructure investments.

Language:

Export as PDF

Export as PDF
Here are five key points from the video regarding the investigation into the economic impacts of the Gold Coast light rail project:

1. **Economic Justification**: Infrastructure investments, like the Gold Coast light rail, are typically justified through economic benefits such as savings in travel time and increased productivity. Cost-benefit analyses are often used to assess these investments.

2. **Business Complaints**: Despite the positive predictions of economic impact, businesses in areas affected by the light rail project, particularly in Surfers Paradise, reported negative effects on their operations. Complaints centered around reduced customer traffic and business closures during construction.

3. **Research Methodology**: The investigation included a review of global literature on light rail economic impacts, as well as qualitative interviews with local businesses to understand their subjective experiences. This dual approach aimed to identify discrepancies between perceived and actual economic impacts.

4. **Tourism Trends**: The analysis revealed a decline in tourist numbers specifically in Surfers Paradise, which businesses attributed to the light rail project. However, the study indicated that this decline was part of a broader economic downturn affecting businesses across the Gold Coast, not solely linked to the light rail.

5. **Stakeholder Engagement and Communication**: Effective communication and engagement with businesses and stakeholders are crucial for addressing misconceptions about the impacts of infrastructure projects. Policymakers should provide transparent information about potential disruptions, and consider providing recovery support to affected businesses to alleviate their concerns.

Export as PDF
Here are some key quotes extracted from the video regarding the Gold Coast light rail investment and its economic impacts:

1. **On infrastructure investment justification**:
- "Most of the cases, these type of investments are justified based on the economic benefits that they bring."

2. **About the positive economic aspects of the Gold Coast project**:
- "The project, um, was having a positive aspects economically, and it was approved and everything was going well."

3. **Community response**:
- "Suddenly the city of Gold Coast, uh, started receiving complaints from the businesses located in a particular area called Surfers Paradise... they are affected negatively because of the light rail projects."

4. **Study methodology and findings**:
- "We looked at a range of indicators, for example, property value uplift, land value uplift, commercial rent... and we found that most of the literature on this topic, they have reported a positive economic impact."

5. **On the disconnect between qualitative and quantitative findings**:
- "When everywhere is showing positive, and then why were we seeing some negative complaint about this project."

6. **Conclusion about business suffering**:
- "The sufferings that the businesses are located within Surfers Paradise, and the putting the blame on light rail is not true. It is the economic downturn that mainly causing these sufferings."

7. **Tourism impact**:
- "We found that businesses were saying that their tourist number reduced significantly in that area... particularly the tourist that used to spend a lot more in Surf Paradise. They're not coming."

8. **On the communication gap**:
- "The key conclusion that we have drawn from here is that probably the businesses that are operating there, they are not well informed."

9. **Importance of stakeholder involvement**:
- "It is very important that we involve key stakeholders at every stage of the decision-making process."

10. **Expectation management**:
- "Setting realistic expectation to the businesses about... the impact and the recovery period would be important."

11. **Recognition of suffering businesses**:
- "We also found that many businesses actually were suffering a lot, and there are no kind of... support from the government to them."

These quotes reflect the overall assessment of the economic impacts, the challenges faced by local businesses in the convideo of the Gold Coast light rail project, and the insights gained from stakeholder feedback and literature review.

Export as PDF
Here are some potential similar articles based on the themes and topics discussed in the video about the economic impact of infrastructure projects, particularly light rail systems:

1. **"Economic Impacts of Urban Light Rail Transit"** - This article explores the broader economic implications of urban light rail systems. It analyzes case studies from various cities that have implemented light rail projects, examining how they have affected local businesses, tourism, and traffic patterns.

2. **"Light Rail Construction: Balancing Economic Development and Local Business Challenges"** - This piece discusses the dual nature of light rail construction, which often brings both economic development and challenges for existing businesses. It includes interviews with business owners affected by construction projects and offers recommendations for mitigating negative impacts.

3. **"The Transformative Potential of Public Transit: Lessons from the Gold Coast"** - Focusing on the Gold Coast light rail project, this article reflects on the long-term benefits of public transit investments, while critically analyzing the short-term disruptions faced by local businesses during construction.

4. **"The Role of Community Engagement in Infrastructure Projects"** - This article discusses the importance of stakeholder engagement in infrastructure development. It argues that including local businesses in the planning process can help mitigate adverse effects during construction and foster community support.

5. **"Tourism and Transportation Infrastructure: Assessing the Economic Trade-offs"** - An exploration of how tourism dynamics can shift during major transportation infrastructure projects. This article specifically addresses case studies involving light rail systems and their impact on local tourist attractions and businesses.

6. **"Understanding Local Economic Impacts: A Methodology for Assessing Infrastructure Projects"** - This article presents a framework for assessing the economic impacts of various infrastructure projects, including a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. It discusses best practices for engaging with affected communities.

7. **"Jumping Tracks: Business Resilience Amidst Transit Upgrades"** - This article looks at how businesses adapt to disruptions caused by transit upgrades, with a focus on strategies that have successfully supported resilience during construction periods.

8. **"Infrastructure Investment and the Local Economy: A Double-Edged Sword"** - Analyzing the complexities of infra project impacts, this article discusses how the promise of economic benefits can sometimes clash with the immediate struggles of existing businesses.

These suggested articles share similar themes around infrastructure investment, economic impact analysis, stakeholder engagement, and the effects on local economies, particularly focusing on the light rail projects and their implications for surrounding businesses.

X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=LOCAL:00:00:00.000,MPEGTS:90000

1
00:00:00.205 --> 00:00:01.885
A Gold Coast light rail investment.

2
00:00:02.185 --> 00:00:03.725
You know, in any type of transport,

3
00:00:03.725 --> 00:00:07.245
infrastructure investment is a huge, costly thing, right?

4
00:00:08.265 --> 00:00:11.525
And, most of the cases, these type

5
00:00:11.525 --> 00:00:14.005
of investments are justified based on the

6
00:00:14.125 --> 00:00:15.645
economic benefits that they bring.

7
00:00:15.945 --> 00:00:19.005
Um, these benefits may be, for example,

8
00:00:19.125 --> 00:00:20.845
savings in travel time

9
00:00:21.025 --> 00:00:24.165
and how people can use those travel time savings

10
00:00:24.985 --> 00:00:26.805
to do some productive activities.

11
00:00:27.105 --> 00:00:30.205
And, what are the revenues generated from those

12
00:00:30.205 --> 00:00:31.325
productive activities?

13
00:00:31.325 --> 00:00:35.005
Those are put in into a model cost called cost

14
00:00:35.005 --> 00:00:36.045
benefit analysis.

15
00:00:36.785 --> 00:00:38.445
And usually most of the cases,

16
00:00:38.495 --> 00:00:40.765
those cost benefit analysis is very familiar

17
00:00:40.985 --> 00:00:43.725
to the politicians, to researchers, to practitioners,

18
00:00:43.745 --> 00:00:45.445
and they are all happy with that.

19
00:00:46.665 --> 00:00:50.405
Uh, the same thing applies to the Gold Coast project.

20
00:00:50.785 --> 00:00:54.685
The project, was having a positive aspects economically,

21
00:00:54.825 --> 00:00:57.445
and it was approved and everything was going well.

22
00:00:58.225 --> 00:01:01.965
But suddenly the, the city of Gold Coast,

23
00:01:02.035 --> 00:01:06.405
started receiving complaints from the businesses located in

24
00:01:06.405 --> 00:01:08.805
a particular area called Surfers Paradise.

25
00:01:09.905 --> 00:01:14.525
Uh, hearing that their businesses are affected negatively

26
00:01:14.525 --> 00:01:18.005
because of the, light rail projects that they're having,

27
00:01:18.225 --> 00:01:21.805
and the project name is Jail Link, they call it

28
00:01:22.745 --> 00:01:24.805
The Jail Link Project is affecting

29
00:01:24.805 --> 00:01:26.165
their businesses negatively.

30
00:01:26.385 --> 00:01:30.485
The city invited our project team to investigate this issue,

31
00:01:30.825 --> 00:01:33.485
and, I think this is a

32
00:01:33.995 --> 00:01:36.165
good move from the perspective of Gold Coast

33
00:01:36.165 --> 00:01:39.405
because they wanted to have a neutral views on

34
00:01:39.595 --> 00:01:41.125
what is really happening there,

35
00:01:41.435 --> 00:01:44.285
what the literature said about the light rail project.

36
00:01:44.665 --> 00:01:49.445
Um, so we started our investigation by looking at widely

37
00:01:49.465 --> 00:01:52.445
around the world about, looking at

38
00:01:52.715 --> 00:01:55.365
what are the economic effects of light rail.

39
00:01:56.225 --> 00:02:00.885
We looked at a range of indicators, for example, prop value

40
00:02:01.705 --> 00:02:06.125
uplift, land value uplift, commercial rent, rental PAs,

41
00:02:06.385 --> 00:02:10.725
all, all sort of economic indicators that,

42
00:02:10.845 --> 00:02:13.405
quantitative indicators that have been used in the past

43
00:02:13.545 --> 00:02:15.405
and what the literature says about it.

44
00:02:15.425 --> 00:02:18.485
And we found that most of the literature on this topic,

45
00:02:18.595 --> 00:02:22.205
they have reported a positive economic impact.

46
00:02:23.095 --> 00:02:25.955
So that actually triggers, triggered us saying

47
00:02:25.955 --> 00:02:28.955
that when everywhere is, is showing positive,

48
00:02:29.175 --> 00:02:30.515
and then why were,

49
00:02:30.895 --> 00:02:33.715
we are seeing some negative complaint about this project.

50
00:02:34.055 --> 00:02:37.115
We did the review of the literature, we looked at,

51
00:02:37.265 --> 00:02:38.315
what are the, the kind

52
00:02:38.315 --> 00:02:41.435
of methodology they have been applying around the world.

53
00:02:41.815 --> 00:02:45.515
Um, and we identified that some of the methods,

54
00:02:46.175 --> 00:02:47.755
are not some of the, I would say most

55
00:02:47.755 --> 00:02:50.195
of the methods have been applying.

56
00:02:50.225 --> 00:02:53.595
They are quantitative in, in nature,

57
00:02:53.895 --> 00:02:55.715
and they're aggregated in nature.

58
00:02:56.075 --> 00:03:00.565
Aggregated means they are measured, for some areas,

59
00:03:00.825 --> 00:03:02.485
not like individual ones.

60
00:03:02.505 --> 00:03:05.965
So I thought maybe this could be a reason that, that some

61
00:03:05.965 --> 00:03:07.205
of the negative things that we're,

62
00:03:07.205 --> 00:03:10.885
we're hearing are not captured in, in the well known methods

63
00:03:10.995 --> 00:03:13.005
that have been applied around the world.

64
00:03:13.145 --> 00:03:15.725
We actually followed, followed a three step process

65
00:03:16.265 --> 00:03:17.565
to design our methodologies.

66
00:03:17.815 --> 00:03:20.805
First we know what is in the literature, then we,

67
00:03:21.945 --> 00:03:25.205
an initial concept meeting with the city of Gold Coast

68
00:03:25.205 --> 00:03:28.645
and their experts inviting some of the business leaders

69
00:03:28.945 --> 00:03:32.605
and some community groups asking what, what are the problems

70
00:03:32.605 --> 00:03:35.565
that they are seeing in that particular case?

71
00:03:36.565 --> 00:03:37.685
So we documented that

72
00:03:37.745 --> 00:03:40.965
and based on that, we design an interview guide

73
00:03:41.225 --> 00:03:45.325
and we kind of invited all the businesses located in, in

74
00:03:46.245 --> 00:03:49.325
Paradise in Gold Coast to participate in this survey.

75
00:03:49.625 --> 00:03:52.725
We have like 30 wards in around 30 interviews.

76
00:03:53.705 --> 00:03:56.765
Um, we hear what they're saying.

77
00:03:56.825 --> 00:04:00.045
So, and we identified their opinion, we classified them.

78
00:04:00.225 --> 00:04:03.485
So we, we identified like 17 different issues

79
00:04:03.515 --> 00:04:07.335
that they have raised based on that interview findings.

80
00:04:07.595 --> 00:04:09.135
We thought, okay, now that we know

81
00:04:09.135 --> 00:04:11.855
what is happening in a subjective manner from individual

82
00:04:12.255 --> 00:04:17.055
businesses, case to case, now we look at, quantitatively

83
00:04:17.365 --> 00:04:19.335
with, with the issues that they have raised.

84
00:04:19.555 --> 00:04:23.415
So we did a traditional method, it's a robust method,

85
00:04:23.955 --> 00:04:25.895
but we analyzed those issues

86
00:04:25.895 --> 00:04:30.255
that have identified in a quantitative manner to compare

87
00:04:30.255 --> 00:04:32.415
and contrast or validate the findings

88
00:04:32.445 --> 00:04:35.175
between the subjective views of the businesses

89
00:04:35.315 --> 00:04:39.695
and what the quantitative method are telling us about that.

90
00:04:40.195 --> 00:04:41.775
Uh, economic impacts there.

91
00:04:42.335 --> 00:04:45.455
I would answer that question, intertwining.

92
00:04:45.755 --> 00:04:49.055
For example, most of the businesses when we are talking

93
00:04:49.075 --> 00:04:53.335
to them, they said that their businesses are suffering

94
00:04:54.015 --> 00:04:55.095
strongly economically.

95
00:04:57.255 --> 00:05:02.035
So, and they blame that light rail is one of the reasons

96
00:05:02.185 --> 00:05:04.395
that their businesses are suffering.

97
00:05:04.535 --> 00:05:05.955
Um, and this could be

98
00:05:05.955 --> 00:05:08.995
because the, when the light trail were being constructed,

99
00:05:09.385 --> 00:05:12.495
many of the business were closed, some

100
00:05:12.495 --> 00:05:15.615
of the excess part were closed and so on.

101
00:05:15.715 --> 00:05:18.375
So they started blaming that this is main reason

102
00:05:18.475 --> 00:05:20.735
for their businesses suffering,

103
00:05:20.755 --> 00:05:22.535
and they haven't recovered from that.

104
00:05:23.235 --> 00:05:26.935
So this is the subjective views of the businesses.

105
00:05:27.315 --> 00:05:30.095
Uh, we look at the economic performance

106
00:05:30.095 --> 00:05:33.015
of the businesses located within Surf Paradise

107
00:05:33.035 --> 00:05:35.895
and across the Gold Coast City areas outside

108
00:05:35.895 --> 00:05:37.015
of the Light Trail Project.

109
00:05:37.995 --> 00:05:40.295
And we found that indeed businesses are,

110
00:05:40.355 --> 00:05:41.615
are suffering at that time.

111
00:05:41.675 --> 00:05:44.415
But it's not only the businesses located within Surf

112
00:05:44.975 --> 00:05:47.015
Paradise, it is the business all over

113
00:05:47.195 --> 00:05:48.415
the places they are suffering.

114
00:05:49.275 --> 00:05:51.735
So we came to the conclusion that the sufferings

115
00:05:51.735 --> 00:05:53.535
that the businesses are locate

116
00:05:54.045 --> 00:05:56.135
located within suffer paradise,

117
00:05:56.395 --> 00:06:00.725
and the putting the blame on light rail is not true.

118
00:06:01.785 --> 00:06:04.725
It is the economic downturn that, that,

119
00:06:04.795 --> 00:06:06.965
that mainly causing these sufferings.

120
00:06:07.225 --> 00:06:10.725
But because of the businesses in suffer paradise, something

121
00:06:11.735 --> 00:06:14.475
had to point and they are pointing to that.

122
00:06:15.665 --> 00:06:18.205
Um, other findings, for example,

123
00:06:18.235 --> 00:06:23.165
when we did the analysis about, it's little bit of,

124
00:06:23.185 --> 00:06:25.125
not a traditional economic indicator.

125
00:06:25.225 --> 00:06:26.645
For example, looking at the,

126
00:06:26.645 --> 00:06:28.805
because s Paradise is a bus,

127
00:06:29.225 --> 00:06:32.205
is a good tourist attraction place within Australia.

128
00:06:33.465 --> 00:06:36.765
Uh, usually the traditional literacy don't look at,

129
00:06:37.105 --> 00:06:38.125
the, the business.

130
00:06:38.475 --> 00:06:40.165
They look at business performances,

131
00:06:40.185 --> 00:06:41.445
but they don't look at

132
00:06:41.545 --> 00:06:43.805
how the tourist may affect businesses, right?

133
00:06:44.465 --> 00:06:45.965
So we looked at that kind

134
00:06:45.965 --> 00:06:48.565
of untraditional indicator you can say,

135
00:06:48.565 --> 00:06:52.165
and we found that businesses were saying that they're,

136
00:06:52.165 --> 00:06:55.805
they're tourist number reduced significantly in that area,

137
00:06:55.805 --> 00:06:58.125
particularly the tourist that used

138
00:06:58.125 --> 00:07:00.925
to spend a lot more in surf paradise.

139
00:07:00.925 --> 00:07:04.925
They're not coming. We also look at that quantitatively,

140
00:07:04.945 --> 00:07:06.165
and we found that that're true.

141
00:07:08.385 --> 00:07:11.085
And, while other parts in Gold Coast,

142
00:07:11.085 --> 00:07:12.925
their tourist number increased the, the,

143
00:07:13.145 --> 00:07:16.605
the tourist number in surf paradise actually declined.

144
00:07:17.665 --> 00:07:18.965
And that mainly

145
00:07:18.965 --> 00:07:20.885
because we found that when the,

146
00:07:20.945 --> 00:07:23.285
the light trail construction started operating,

147
00:07:23.335 --> 00:07:25.125
there are some closer in that area.

148
00:07:25.265 --> 00:07:28.525
And as a result, the tourist operator started taking the

149
00:07:28.525 --> 00:07:31.085
tourist area from Surf Paradise to other places

150
00:07:31.265 --> 00:07:34.045
and that have never returned the quantitative analysis

151
00:07:34.065 --> 00:07:35.405
and subjective analysis.

152
00:07:35.405 --> 00:07:36.925
Both are talking the same thing,

153
00:07:37.025 --> 00:07:40.565
but those sort of indicators are not taken into account,

154
00:07:40.745 --> 00:07:42.725
or these issues are not taken into account

155
00:07:43.435 --> 00:07:45.565
when the investment decisions were made.

156
00:07:46.375 --> 00:07:50.195
Um, so that was another key findings from our study.

157
00:07:50.895 --> 00:07:52.955
The other findings that we found that

158
00:07:53.555 --> 00:07:56.915
businesses are talking about, that light rail is not really

159
00:07:57.955 --> 00:08:01.155
contributing to a sustainable travel behavior changes in

160
00:08:01.155 --> 00:08:04.395
that area, but our quantitative

161
00:08:04.395 --> 00:08:05.875
findings shows other way around.

162
00:08:06.015 --> 00:08:10.835
It shows that the light rail really had strong,

163
00:08:10.905 --> 00:08:14.595
statistically significant positive impact of,

164
00:08:15.795 --> 00:08:19.115
shifting people from car to the public transport services.

165
00:08:19.295 --> 00:08:22.955
So, the, the, the key conclusion

166
00:08:22.955 --> 00:08:26.995
that we have drawn from here is that probably the businesses

167
00:08:26.995 --> 00:08:30.395
that are operating there, they are not well informed.

168
00:08:31.135 --> 00:08:33.835
Um, they're not well informed on certain aspects.

169
00:08:34.495 --> 00:08:37.195
For example, the,

170
00:08:37.495 --> 00:08:40.395
the sustainable travel behavior impact on that.

171
00:08:40.665 --> 00:08:43.155
They are not informed about the economic downturn

172
00:08:43.155 --> 00:08:47.755
that having all businesses at the same time they were right,

173
00:08:47.755 --> 00:08:51.875
saying that, the tourist number is declining

174
00:08:51.875 --> 00:08:53.395
because of the light rail project.

175
00:08:53.605 --> 00:08:55.445
There are a few things actually to discuss.

176
00:08:55.445 --> 00:09:00.055
Number one is, this perception is very important

177
00:09:00.245 --> 00:09:04.535
because if we don't see the benefit of having a light rail,

178
00:09:04.715 --> 00:09:06.375
the government

179
00:09:06.435 --> 00:09:08.975
or policymaker will lose support from the people

180
00:09:11.355 --> 00:09:13.055
for their next investment decision.

181
00:09:13.235 --> 00:09:15.055
And as a result, it is very important

182
00:09:15.435 --> 00:09:20.135
to inform the true findings of, of what is the real impact.

183
00:09:20.165 --> 00:09:22.935
Some impacts may be real negative, we need

184
00:09:22.935 --> 00:09:23.935
to take this into account.

185
00:09:24.005 --> 00:09:25.895
Some impacts may be perceived negative,

186
00:09:25.915 --> 00:09:27.855
but not in reality they're negative.

187
00:09:28.315 --> 00:09:31.215
So it is important that we tell the story properly

188
00:09:31.555 --> 00:09:34.415
and we, we, we inform them.

189
00:09:34.415 --> 00:09:36.135
We educate them. That is one thing.

190
00:09:36.135 --> 00:09:41.095
Second thing, what I, our study findings, indicating is

191
00:09:41.095 --> 00:09:43.415
that we need to make this sort of decision.

192
00:09:43.475 --> 00:09:45.815
It is very important that we involve

193
00:09:46.675 --> 00:09:48.295
key stakeholders at every stage

194
00:09:48.295 --> 00:09:49.615
of the decision making process.

195
00:09:49.955 --> 00:09:54.495
For example, the, the findings about, the tourist,

196
00:09:54.835 --> 00:09:57.175
what would be the mechanism

197
00:09:57.315 --> 00:09:59.815
to keep the tourist while we do the, the, the investment,

198
00:10:00.355 --> 00:10:02.255
that is important.

199
00:10:03.195 --> 00:10:06.695
And the third, important findings

200
00:10:06.835 --> 00:10:07.895
and based on the findings that

201
00:10:08.175 --> 00:10:12.495
although the tourist are going not really spending within S

202
00:10:12.655 --> 00:10:14.455
Paradise, but our study show that

203
00:10:15.255 --> 00:10:17.775
tourists are going away within the city of Gold Coast.

204
00:10:18.195 --> 00:10:20.495
So maybe they're not spending in a particular place,

205
00:10:20.515 --> 00:10:22.535
but they're spending other places now.

206
00:10:23.435 --> 00:10:27.845
Uh, and what is the impact of those like

207
00:10:28.445 --> 00:10:31.685
distribution of the tourist number to other places?

208
00:10:31.775 --> 00:10:34.045
Maybe other places are thriving because of that.

209
00:10:34.825 --> 00:10:37.045
Uh, those are not taken into account in

210
00:10:37.045 --> 00:10:38.125
the economic evaluation.

211
00:10:38.145 --> 00:10:41.405
So that could be another things that, the policymaker

212
00:10:41.585 --> 00:10:44.325
and researcher and practitioners should take into account.

213
00:10:44.325 --> 00:10:45.805
Those are overlooked usually.

214
00:10:46.945 --> 00:10:51.405
Um, now there was a, a kind of,

215
00:10:51.405 --> 00:10:54.645
understanding within the businesses that they were told

216
00:10:54.675 --> 00:10:59.285
that this initial disruption will be easily go away within

217
00:10:59.285 --> 00:11:01.465
couple of years time, but

218
00:11:01.465 --> 00:11:03.425
because of so many different things happening,

219
00:11:03.425 --> 00:11:04.625
like economic downturn

220
00:11:04.625 --> 00:11:07.265
and so on, there is there, they are frustrated

221
00:11:07.265 --> 00:11:08.785
that it's been like four years,

222
00:11:08.815 --> 00:11:10.785
five years since the construction completed.

223
00:11:10.805 --> 00:11:12.105
But we are still suffering.

224
00:11:12.105 --> 00:11:16.705
Setting realistic expectation to the businesses about,

225
00:11:16.915 --> 00:11:20.145
about the impact and the recovery period would be important.

226
00:11:20.285 --> 00:11:24.545
We also found that many businesses actually were suffering a

227
00:11:24.545 --> 00:11:28.465
lot, and there are no kind of,

228
00:11:29.175 --> 00:11:31.625
support provided from the government to them.

229
00:11:31.855 --> 00:11:34.225
Like, what are the recovery packages that

230
00:11:34.225 --> 00:11:36.905
that can design for different businesses like these small

231
00:11:37.145 --> 00:11:39.185
businesses, medium businesses and large businesses,

232
00:11:39.185 --> 00:11:40.305
and the impact of different,

233
00:11:40.305 --> 00:11:42.345
for different types of businesses.

234
00:11:42.415 --> 00:11:44.185
What could be the recovery packages

235
00:11:44.205 --> 00:11:45.905
for those businesses who are suffering?

236
00:11:46.455 --> 00:11:49.265
That could be another policy issues to take into account.

237
00:11:50.485 --> 00:11:52.545
Um, so these are the key,

238
00:11:52.725 --> 00:11:56.045
Key things that I, I think are, are important to,

239
00:11:56.825 --> 00:12:00.285
to address, this sort of negativity about,

240
00:12:00.285 --> 00:12:02.845
because some negativity are not real negative,

241
00:12:03.435 --> 00:12:04.725
some negativity are real.

242
00:12:05.025 --> 00:12:07.725
So we need to communicate that clearly.

243
00:12:08.025 --> 00:12:10.085
We need to educate the businesses properly,

244
00:12:10.305 --> 00:12:12.445
and we need to take them into account

245
00:12:12.465 --> 00:12:14.205
and make the decision collaboratively

246
00:12:14.205 --> 00:12:15.205
that these are important.

"Economic Impacts and Business Perspectives on the Gold Coast Light Rail Investment"**

00:00:00 - A Gold Coast light rail investment. You know, in any type of transport, infrastructure investment is a huge, costly thing, right? And, most of the cases, these type of investments are justified based on the economic benefits that they bring. these benefits may be, for example, savings in travel time and how people can use those travel time savings to do some productive activities. And, what are the revenues generated from those productive activities? Those are put in into a model cost called cost benefit analysis. And usually most of the cases, those cost benefit analysis is very familiar
00:00:43 - and they are all happy with that. the same thing applies to the Gold Coast project. The project, was having a positive aspects economically, and it was approved and everything was going well. But suddenly the, the city of Gold Coast, started receiving complaints from the businesses located in a particular area called Surfers Paradise. hearing that their businesses are affected negatively because of the, light rail projects that they're having, and the project name is Jail Link, they call it
00:01:24 - their businesses negatively. The city invited our project team to investigate this issue, and, I think this is a good move from the perspective of Gold Coast because they wanted to have a neutral views on what is really happening there, what the literature said about the light rail project. so we started our investigation by looking at widely around the world about, looking at what are the economic effects of light rail. We looked at a range of indicators, for example, prop value uplift, land value uplift, commercial rent, rental PAs,
00:02:10 - quantitative indicators that have been used in the past and what the literature says about it. And we found that most of the literature on this topic, they have reported a positive economic impact. So that actually triggers, triggered us saying that when everywhere is, is showing positive, and then why were, we are seeing some negative complaint about this project. We did the review of the literature, we looked at, what are the, the kind of methodology they have been applying around the world. and we identified that some of the methods, are not some of the, I would say most
00:02:50 - They are quantitative in, in nature, and they're aggregated in nature. Aggregated means they are measured, for some areas, not like individual ones. So I thought maybe this could be a reason that, that some of the negative things that we're, we're hearing are not captured in, in the well known methods that have been applied around the world. We actually followed, followed a three step process to design our methodologies. First we know what is in the literature, then we, an initial concept meeting with the city of Gold Coast and their experts inviting some of the business leaders
00:03:32 - that they are seeing in that particular case? So we documented that and based on that, we design an interview guide and we kind of invited all the businesses located in, in Paradise in Gold Coast to participate in this survey. We have like 30 wards in around 30 interviews. we hear what they're saying. So, and we identified their opinion, we classified them. So we, we identified like 17 different issues that they have raised based on that interview findings. We thought, okay, now that we know

Analyzing the Economic Impact of Light Rail Construction on Local Businesses: A Dual Perspective Approach**

00:04:12 - businesses, case to case, now we look at, quantitatively with, with the issues that they have raised. So we did a traditional method, it's a robust method, but we analyzed those issues that have identified in a quantitative manner to compare and contrast or validate the findings between the subjective views of the businesses and what the quantitative method are telling us about that. economic impacts there. I would answer that question, intertwining. For example, most of the businesses when we are talking to them, they said that their businesses are suffering
00:04:57 - So, and they blame that light rail is one of the reasons that their businesses are suffering. and this could be because the, when the light trail were being constructed, many of the business were closed, some of the excess part were closed and so on. So they started blaming that this is main reason for their businesses suffering, and they haven't recovered from that. So this is the subjective views of the businesses. we look at the economic performance of the businesses located within Surf Paradise and across the Gold Coast City areas outside
00:05:37 - And we found that indeed businesses are, are suffering at that time. But it's not only the businesses located within Surf Paradise, it is the business all over the places they are suffering. So we came to the conclusion that the sufferings that the businesses are locate located within suffer paradise, and the putting the blame on light rail is not true. It is the economic downturn that, that, that mainly causing these sufferings. But because of the businesses in suffer paradise, something had to point and they are pointing to that. other findings, for example,
00:06:23 - not a traditional economic indicator. For example, looking at the, because s Paradise is a bus, is a good tourist attraction place within Australia. usually the traditional literacy don't look at, the, the business. They look at business performances, but they don't look at how the tourist may affect businesses, right? So we looked at that kind of untraditional indicator you can say, and we found that businesses were saying that they're, they're tourist number reduced significantly in that area, particularly the tourist that used to spend a lot more in surf paradise.
00:07:04 - and we found that that're true. And, while other parts in Gold Coast, their tourist number increased the, the, the tourist number in surf paradise actually declined. And that mainly because we found that when the, the light trail construction started operating, there are some closer in that area. And as a result, the tourist operator started taking the tourist area from Surf Paradise to other places and that have never returned the quantitative analysis and subjective analysis. Both are talking the same thing, but those sort of indicators are not taken into account, or these issues are not taken into account
00:07:46 - so that was another key findings from our study. The other findings that we found that businesses are talking about, that light rail is not really contributing to a sustainable travel behavior changes in that area, but our quantitative findings shows other way around. It shows that the light rail really had strong, statistically significant positive impact of, shifting people from car to the public transport services. So, the, the, the key conclusion that we have drawn from here is that probably the businesses

Navigating Perceptions and Realities in Light Rail Project Impacts: A Call for Informed Decision-Making and Stakeholder Engagement**

00:08:31 - they're not well informed on certain aspects. For example, the, the sustainable travel behavior impact on that. They are not informed about the economic downturn that having all businesses at the same time they were right, saying that, the tourist number is declining because of the light rail project. There are a few things actually to discuss. Number one is, this perception is very important because if we don't see the benefit of having a light rail, the government or policymaker will lose support from the people
00:09:13 - And as a result, it is very important to inform the true findings of, of what is the real impact. Some impacts may be real negative, we need to take this into account. Some impacts may be perceived negative, but not in reality they're negative. So it is important that we tell the story properly and we, we, we inform them. We educate them. That is one thing. Second thing, what I, our study findings, indicating is that we need to make this sort of decision. It is very important that we involve key stakeholders at every stage of the decision making process. For example, the, the findings about, the tourist,
00:09:57 - to keep the tourist while we do the, the, the investment, that is important. And the third, important findings and based on the findings that although the tourist are going not really spending within S Paradise, but our study show that tourists are going away within the city of Gold Coast. So maybe they're not spending in a particular place, but they're spending other places now. and what is the impact of those like distribution of the tourist number to other places? Maybe other places are thriving because of that. those are not taken into account in
00:10:38 - So that could be another things that, the policymaker and researcher and practitioners should take into account. Those are overlooked usually. now there was a, a kind of, understanding within the businesses that they were told that this initial disruption will be easily go away within couple of years time, but because of so many different things happening, like economic downturn and so on, there is there, they are frustrated that it's been like four years, five years since the construction completed. But we are still suffering. Setting realistic expectation to the businesses about, about the impact and the recovery period would be important.
00:11:24 - lot, and there are no kind of, support provided from the government to them. Like, what are the recovery packages that that can design for different businesses like these small businesses, medium businesses and large businesses, and the impact of different, for different types of businesses. What could be the recovery packages for those businesses who are suffering? That could be another policy issues to take into account. so these are the key, Key things that I, I think are, are important to, to address, this sort of negativity about,
00:12:14 - some negativity are real. So we need to communicate that clearly. We need to educate the businesses properly, and we need to take them into account and make the decision collaboratively that these are important.

Faculti AI can make mistakes

Faculti

Popular in Engineering

Control of a Wheelchair-Mounted Robotic Arm System

Spatiotemporal evaporating droplet dynamics on fomites enhances long term bacterial pathogenesis

Suitability of excavated London clay as a supplementary cementitious material

Polyfluorene-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes Decorated with Photocleavable Side-Chains

A Trusted and Privacy-Preserving Internet of Mobile Energy

Water Security: Why We Need Global Solutions

Decision-Making Principles for Better Software Design Decisions

Subjective vs. objective assessment of the economic impacts of light rail transit

Next in Civil Engineering

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Page Structure

Popular in Engineering

Guide

Platform and Category Pages

Contact Us

FAQs

What is Faculti?

How do you select interviews?

Interview Process

Accessibility Options

Contrast Adjustment

Text Size Adjustment

Text Spacing Adjustment

Line Height Adjustment

Cursor Size Adjustment

Page Structure Options

Page Structure