We examine effects of urban passenger rail upgrades to Auckland's Western Line, including double tracking, station development, and related urban renewal projects. The results are used to assess anticipated net benefits of the developments. The rail-related upgrades are expected to be completed...

Does an individual's housing situation affect community social capital and influence regional development through this channel? A body of literature which followed the seminal work of DiPasquale and Glaeser suggests that homeownership is positively related to social capital formation due to both...

We analyse the impacts that infrastructure provision has on long run urban development. The topic is of major importance to policy-makers when deciding whether or not to invest in major infrastructure projects. The analysis helps policy-makers to understand the intended, and potentially...

Does homeownership affect individual social capital and thereby influence local outcomes? Following DiPasquale and Glaeser, a body of literature suggests that homeownership is positively related to social capital formation. Homeowners have an incentive to engage in the local community in order...

In this paper we estimate the impact of local authority infrastructure spending in New Zealand using spatial econometric modelling, with the infrastructure spending itself endogenously determined. Utilizing data from the New Zealand Census and Local Authorities Finance data (1991-2008),...

We examine effects of urban passenger rail upgrades to Auckland's Western Line. The upgrades, and associated urban renewal projects, were announced in mid-2005. International experience indicates that the anticipated benefits of the upgrades should be factored into people's location and pricing...

This non-technical ‘think-piece' examines aspects of infrastructure project evaluation, concentrating on circumstances that may render a standard cost benefit analysis (CBA) inappropriate. It is designed to make infrastructure investors and planners think deeply about their assumptions and to...

We estimate benefits that have resulted from extensions to Auckland's Northern Motorway since 1991. Population and employment rose substantially in locations near the new exits and to the north of the motorway extension, relative to developments elsewhere on the North Shore and in the broader...

We estimate the impact of ultra-fast broadband on schools' academic performance using a difference-in-difference study of a new fibre broadband network. We show that fibre broadband increases primary schools' passing rates in standardised assessments by roughly one percentage point. Estimates...

We analyse impacts that infrastructure provision and other factors have on long run urban growth. Reflecting spatial equilibrium insights, growing cities have preferred attributes relative to other cities. These attributes may include natural characteristics, social amenities and transport...