Our team’s capabilities include:
- Economic and fiscal impact analysis
- Benefit-cost analysis
- Project prioritization and decision tools
- Studies of wider economic benefits, including enhanced real estate value from transportation investments
- Economic simulation and forecasting, including socioeconomic and demographic, cost escalation and tax revenue forecasting
- Econometric modeling, including elasticity analyses for tolling or fare-supported projects
- Real estate impact analysis and market studies
- Economic development strategies support
- Risk analysis/economics of climate change
- Behavioral and economic geography and impact on infrastructure demand and supply
- Economic, social and spatial equity analyses
Economic impact analysis
Incorporating state-of-the-practice research and modeling tools, WSP helps clients quantify likely job and productivity impacts of infrastructure development projects; improved mobility/accessibility and lower transport costs; enhanced productivity and efficiency; increased export activity; and improved reliability and resiliency. We have worked with the Washington State Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Transportation, Northeast Maglev and the California High-Speed Rail Authority to name several.
Benefit-cost analysis
WSP calculates the economic benefits and costs of investment alternatives, enabling clients to enhance their decision-making processes, gain stakeholder approval and buy-in to proposed projects and support competitive federal discretionary grant applications.
Economic forecasting
WSP forecasts construction costs, tolling and tax revenues, demographic shifts and other drivers of regional growth. We offer econometric analysis; evaluation of global, national and local economic drivers; interviews with regional subject matter experts; and cooperative work with regional planning agencies to incorporate local economic, demographic, planning and land use data. Services include:
- Construction cost indices
- Producer price indices
- Assessed value
- Right-of-way
- Traffic/transit ridership and revenue
- Energy price production and use forecasting
Clients include Sound Transit, Metropolitan Council, Amtrak, Washington State Department of Transportation, Nevada Gold Mines and Microsoft.
Real estate market/value capture analysis
WSP provides agencies with a complete suite of real estate analytics, presenting a clear path to maximizing value capture and asset monetization opportunities related to transit-oriented development, public infrastructure funding, surplus land disposition joint developments with the private sector. Our capabilities include:
- Real estate market analysis
- Highest-and-best use analysis
- Supply-demand market forecasting
- Developer market surveys
- Site plan financial modeling
- Value capture
- Tax-increment forecasts
- Go-to-market planning
- Developer solicitation
- Competitive analysis
- Retail programming analysis
Clients include Capital Regional Council of Governments, WMATA, Forward Pinellas, CapMetro, Houston Metro, CTFastrak, City of Philadelphia, City of Sacramento, and City of St. Petersburg.
National studies and market research
WSP has conducted numerous studies for public and industry research institutes and centers. We offer thought leadership on a wide range of economics-related topics to help support healthy, equitable, sustainable and resilient communities.
