Sydney Research Articles

Reptiles and Amphibians on a University Campus in a Peri-urban Area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Building upon a previous species inventory published in 2004 and based on observations between 2008 and 2011, I herein describe the reptile and amphibian assemblage on a university campus in the northwestern corner of the Sydney metropolitan area, Australia, recording 26 species of reptiles in nine families (Chelidae, Agamidae, Carphodactylidae, Scincidae, Varanidae, Typhlopidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Pythonidae) and 13 species of amphibians in three families (Pelodryadidae, Limnodynastidae, Myobatrachidae). Included are records of the Macquarie Turtle (Emydura macquarii) and Eastern Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii), neither of which were considered indigenous to the campus in the previous inventory, and one observation of two Ornate Burrowing Frogs (Platyplectrum ornatum), which previously were thought to be only historically present at the site. Seven species predicted to be present on the campus by the previous inventory were confirmed by observations in this study. These observations demonstrate how green spaces on the periphery of one of the world’s largest cities can harbor a diverse assemblage of reptiles and amphibians.

Rest break policy comparison for heavy vehicle drivers in Australia

Carriers and postal companies are under increasing pressure to reduce their operating costs and increase efficiency. One way to reduce costs is to improve the utilisation of drivers’ working hours by employing more efficient rest break policies. A rest break policy is a restrictive set of rules consistent with national regulations for hours of service. We develop and validate a novel framework to model and analyse a class of these policies that concern the location of the rest breaks. In particular, we compare two representative rest break policies using data from a major Australian postal carrier. The first policy imposes no restriction on the location of a rest break. The second policy requires the driver to return to a depot for rest taking allowing time for socialising and making use of full amenities. Using postal transport data from Sydney metropolitan area, we find that the difference between the two policies in terms of tour length is only over 1%. We further apply the proposed framework to assess the impact of increasing the minimum break time on the two representative policies.

Pericardiocentesis over 3 years at a tertiary referral Australian hospital

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Pericardiocentesis is a lifesaving intervention performed both percutaneously or surgically. We analysed 3 years of experience in a major tertiary hospital in Sydney Australia. Purpose To examine the indications, safety and delivery of a pericardiocentesis service at a major teaching hospital. Methods We retrospectively audited consecutive patients who underwent pericardiocentesis for pericardial effusion[PE] at a major teaching hospital from February 2018 to December 2020. Eligible patients were identified from the electronic medical records with this coding diagnosis. Results 89 patients identified with mean age 60.8 ± 18.9years and 58.4%(51/89) male. Follow-up to August 2021 showed 41.5% had died, with an index hospitalisation mortality of 19%(17/89). Malignancy was the most common aetiology 30.3%(27/89) and attributable cause of hospitalisation death in 29.4%. Alternate causes included pericarditis 14.6%, idiopathic 13.4%, percutaneous-coronary-intervention(PCI) 5.6%(6/89) and electrophysiology 4.5%(4/89) complications. Three patients had aortic dissection (3.3%) and two were fatal. Clinical tamponade was present in 66.2%(55/89), PE identification occurred via echocardiography(TTE) in 55% cases (49/89) and incidental CT-diagnosis in 20.2%. TTE findings: right atrial collapse 54%(47/87), right ventricular collapse 60.9%(53/87), fixed and dilated inferior vena cava 64.7%. Pericardiocentesis was performed by cardiology trainees in 90.5% cases, 64.5% with consultant supervision and during working hours in 57.3% of cases. Percutaneous drainage was successful in 96%(72/75) of cases and was performed in the coronary care unit (30.3%), catheterisation laboratory (23.5%), emergency department (19.1%) and ICU (11.2%). Subxiphoid approach in 70%(62/89) was the most common then trans-apical 15%(13/89), parasternal 3%(3/89) and surgical 16%(14/89). TTE confirmed drain position in 76%(54/71), fluoroscopy in 28.5%(6/21) and agitated saline in 38.9%(30/77). Haemo-serous fluid noted in 77%(67/87) with average initial fluid drainage 480 ± 326mls and mean drain removal time 54 ± 33hrs. 17%(15/89) required re-drainage with adenocarcinoma found in 33.3%(5/15). Background antiplatelet treatment in 30.6%(27/88) and of these 67%(18/27) were on dual antiplatelets. 33%(29/89) patients were anticoagulated and 31.3%(9/29) required reversal prior to drainage. Complications were rare, 4%(3/75) had right heart chamber perforation needing emergency surgery. Two were post complex PCI (one died during admission from multiorgan failure) and one with pericarditis . Conclusions Pericardiocentesis is a safe and effective procedure for tamponade treatment and largely guided by echocardiography in our experience. Complications are rare and prognosis depends on aetiology with malignancy the most common. Drainage is often successfully performed emergently where the patient is located. Tamponade resulting from procedural complications are rare in our cohort.

“We’ve worn out the use of that word”: Australian New Youth on Multiculturalism,And the Politics of Identity, Difference and Belonging

ABSTRACT Internationally a plethora of narratives within, beside and in opposition to multiculturalism has necessitated the rethinking of some key questions. Is multiculturalism apt for equitable representation? Can multiculturalism remain the hegemonic discourse and policy of diversity or is it destined to be supplanted? In this essay, we reconsider multiculturalism’s changing currency and pedagogical potential, contextualized in the global multicultural city of Sydney, Australia. Our qualitative research is grounded in the voices and knowledge of “new youth,” who self-identify as immigrant, multiracial, and/or queer – (post)multicultural signifiers that are non-Indigenous and yet significantly differing from the previously taken for granted Eurocentric white heterosexual representations of the Australian nation. Through our in-depth interviews with these new youth – who are also activist community workers – we learned how they affectively make sense of multiculturalism and community. They are emotionally divested from multiculturalism that tinkers with ethnoracial categories/differences yet leave the structures of whiteness both opaque and intact. On the other hand, they see some value in but are ambivalent about multiculturalism’s potential to make a difference to community work, struggles for justice, and their own identities and senses of belonging. Our findings, which have implications for diversity and social justice education, indicate the emergence of post-multicultural and/or alternative, complex articulations of diversity and belonging that unsettle fixed identity categories and conceptions of the nation and belonging and indeed multiculturalism itself.

Big Data: The Engine to Future Cities—A Reflective Case Study in Urban Transport

In an era of smart cities, artificial intelligence and machine learning, data is purported to be the ‘new oil’, fuelling increasingly complex analytics and assisting us to craft and invent future cities. This paper outlines the role of what we know today as big data in understanding the city and includes a summary of its evolution. Through a critical reflective case study approach, the research examines the application of urban transport big data for informing planning of the city of Sydney. Specifically, transport smart card data, with its diverse constraints, was used to understand mobility patterns through the lens of the 30 min city concept. The paper concludes by offering reflections on the opportunities and challenges of big data and the promise it holds in supporting data-driven approaches to planning future cities.

Urban meteorology and air quality in a rapidly growing city: Inter-parameter associations and intra-urban heterogeneity

Urban air quality is highly dynamic and influenced by macro-, meso- and micro-meteorological conditions as well as urban growth patterns. This study investigates the inter-correlation between meteorological variables and pollutant concentrations in the city of Sydney (Australia) through a below-canopy, mid-priced, and citizen-centred urban network. Year-round observations of 12 different parameters are conducted at 12 different urban sites on account of intra-urban variability, revealing that coastal, but highly urbanized areas tend to accumulate heat and pollutants, reaching the highest median levels. Mutual information analysis is performed to identify linear, non-linear and conditioned correlations, disclosing that: i) seasonal cycles are critical in shaping the inter-correlations between meteorological and air quality parameters, yet anthropogenic mechanisms may take over in the local presence of extensive and compact built features, ii) strong associations exist between temperature and NO2, relative humidity and PM2.5, and wind speed and CO, iii) these interactions are not static as their nature and strength varies in time and space, modulated by the urban metabolism. This study further demonstrates the need for standardized metadata which not only describes the instrument and site main characteristics, but provides details and routine updates on changes and urban developments, critical to decipher otherwise unexplainable correlations.

Developing Participatory Analytics Techniques to Inform the Prioritisation of Cycling Infrastructure

The planning of bicycle infrastructure across our cities remains a complex task involving many key stakeholders, including the community, who traditionally have had limited involvement in the planning process. This research develops an interactive bicycle prioritisation index tool which includes participatory spatial and textual citizen feedback. The research involves three components. Firstly, results of a survey of current cyclists in Sydney (n = 280), their current level of participation, priorities in investment in cycling and preferred locations for cycling infrastructure. This survey was undertaken between May and June 2020. Secondly, it documents the development of an interactive, digital bicycle planning tool which is informed through citizen feedback. Thirdly, it evaluates the approach in conversation with potential end-users, including government, planning practitioners, and advocacy group members. A clear preference for active participation mechanisms (86%) was articulated by current cyclists, as opposed to a reliance on the existing data available and passive data. The resulting tool was understood by interview participants and documented both existing utility and future work needed for practical implementation of similar systems. The research proposes the combination of multiple passive and active data traces with end-user evaluation to legitimise the citizen co-design of bicycle investment prioritisation initiatives. A case study approach was taken, focusing on the city of Sydney, Australia. The bicycle planning support system can be used by cities when engaging in cycle prioritisation initiatives, particularly with a focus on integrating citizen feedback and navigating the new and complex data landscapes introduced through recent, passively collected big data sets.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital-treated self-harm in Sydney (Australia).

This study investigated trends in hospital-treated self-harm and hospital presenting suicidal ideation in the period before and after COVID-19 public health responses by key socio-demographic groups among those presenting to hospitals in the Western Sydney (Australia) population catchment. Emergency department presentations for the period January 2016 to June 2021 were used to specify a series of interrupted time-series models to compare the observed and expected event rates of (1) hospital-treated self-harm and (2) hospital presenting suicidal ideation in the period following the onset of COVID-19 public health measures in March 2020. Rate differences between observed and expected rates in the post-implementation period were also estimated in models stratified by sex, age group, country of birth and socio-economic status. There was no significant increase in hospital-treated self-harm in the period post-implementation of public health orders (March 2020) compared to the previous period, although there were lower than expected rates of emergency department presentations among non-Australian-born males, males aged 0-14 years and 25-44 years, and females aged 45-64 years. In contrast, there was a significant increase in hospital presenting suicidal ideation, particularly among women (rate difference per 100,000 = 3.91, 95% confidence interval = [1.35, 6.48]) and those aged 15-24 years (both males and females, rate differences ranging from 8.91 to 19.04), and among those residing in lower socio-economic status areas (both males and females, rate differences ranging from 0.90 to 2.33). There was no increase in hospital-treated self-harm rates in the 15 months post-implementation of COVID-19 public health orders in Western Sydney; however, there was a significant increase in hospital presenting suicidal ideation. The limited change in suicidal behaviour may reflect the success of social and economic supports during this period, the benefits of which may have been different for young people, and those of lower socio-economic status.

The Way of Becoming-Imperceptible: Daoism, Deleuze, and Inner Transformation

ABSTRACT This essay brings together the discourses of Daoism and Deleuze and Guattari to elucidate the convergence among them on a fundamental metaphysical level that can open, for the receptive mind, a deeper intuitive insight and understanding of what a person is capable of doing and becoming, and how such a person can enter into a different relation with spacetime beyond the conventional understanding of it. After examining how vital energy (qi 氣) is transformed in internal alchemy (neidan 内丹), the focus turns to a consideration of the possible relation between Daoist “immortality” and Deleuzo-Guattarian “becoming-imperceptible.”* * This essay is the result of decades of bodily practices beginning with gongfu 功夫 (Sanhedao 三和道 style) followed by taijiquan 太極拳 (Wu 吳 family style) and eventually qigong 氣功, which informed considerably my later philosophical reflections. Parts of this paper have been presented previously at the Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, March 25, 2016; the Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy, Western Sydney University, Australia, November 23, 2018, the Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle, University of Leiden, Netherlands, May 24, 2019; and the Pacific Association for the Continental Tradition, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, September 9, 2021. I am grateful for the opportunity to present my work at these societies and for the important critical feedback I received from their memberships. I also want to thank especially Meilin Chinn and Elisabet Yanagisawa for their many hours of conversation with me about my work on this topic.

Image from the January 1985 Newsletter Manic Depressive Self Help Group, Sydney Australia

Image from the January 1985 Newsletter Manic Depressive Self Help Group, Sydney Australia Meg Smith Click for larger view View full resolution Meg Smith, image from the January 1985 Newsletter of the Manic Depressive Self Help Group, Sydney Australia [End Page 173] Copyright © 2022 Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine

Decolonising design practices and research in unceded Australia: reframing design-led research methods

Much of design teaching, learning and research in Australia is determined by Eurocentric traditions and the ongoing colonial project. In this context Indigenous Peoples continue to experience erasure, silencing and appropriation of practices and knowledges. The Visual Communication Design Program, situated in the School of Design at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), is committed to disrupting this trajectory. In this article we describe an immersive model that seeks to challenge the role of the design educator, creative practitioner and researcher on unceded Gadigal Lands in the city of Sydney, Australia. We reflect on the challenges of facilitating Visual Communication Design and Emergent Practices, for a third iteration as an online studio experience, during COVID-19 in the context of the climate crisis, bushfires and Black Lives Matter. This iteration is the result of four years of deep collaboration with local First Nation Elders, Indigenous scholars and practitioners. The research-focused studio for 180 final-year visual communication design students is led by Local Elders, cultural and research advisers with the support of studio leaders. The consideration of design-led research methods through a process that infuses Indigenous research principles builds on the longitudinal research into the role of the emplaced designer in Indigenous-led projects on Country. Our studio, titled ‘In Our Own Backyard’, provides students with strength-based design capabilities and understandings of the principles of the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights (UNDRIP), Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights (ICIP) and the Australian Indigenous Design Charter. As a studio experience, the aim is to create conditions which spark possibilities for re-orientation towards relational and respectful negotiation of difference, and the capacity to action Indigenous self-determination in complex practitioner scenarios.

Human resource management practices and organisational performance: Evidence from small and medium-sized enterprises in Australia

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the drivers of economic activities in Australia. The present study provides empirical evidence on the connexion between the four key dimensions of human resource management (HRM) practices and organisational performance, in response to the call by earlier researchers that the influence of specific HRM practices on organisational performance needs to be further investigated across different countries and organisational contexts. A survey among SMEs in the South-Western region of Sydney in Australia was conducted and self-reported measures were applied to attain data on HRM practice aspects and businesses’ performance. Regression analyses were employed to assess the proposed relationships, and it was found that all dimensions except training and development exhibited positive relationships to organisational performance, as hypothesised. Discussion on the findings is underlined, so as are the implications of this study, limitations, and avenues for future researchers.

The pedagogical and social value of public history and work integrated learning: a case study from Australia

ABSTRACT This essay presents research undertaken in Sydney Australia on the pedagogical and social impact of a public history undergraduate course on students between 2016 and 2019 using surveys, interviews and focus groups. It argues that historians working within universities need to recognise the value of public history teaching and learning, framed by a commitment to the politics of social and cultural history, to help combat the forces of neo-liberalism working to devalue history within the tertiary sector and the decline in numbers of students opting to study history at university.

City deals and health equity in Sydney, Australia

'City Deals' are new governance instruments for urban development. Vast evidence exists on the relationship between urban factors and health equity, but little research applies a health equity lens to urban policy-making. This paper does precisely that for the Western Sydney City Deal (WSCD) in Australia. We conducted a critical discourse analysis of publicly available documents and interviews with the WSCD's main architects, applying insights from relevant theories. We find 'pro-growth' discourse to encourage economic investment dominates any references to disadvantage. Interviewees maintained the WSCDs fundamental purpose is to rebalance urban investment toward the historically disadvantaged West. However, the WSCD makes limited reference to health and none to equity. Institutionalised governance practices that favour private investments in infrastructure remain the dominant force behind the WSCD. We document how a shift to 'place-based' infrastructure has promise for equity but struggles to overcome institutionalised approaches to urban investments.

Meteorological influence on forecasting urban pollutants: Long-term predictability versus extreme events in a spatially heterogeneous urban ecosystem

With the escalation of heat- and pollution-related threats in cities across the globe, timely counteractions and emergency procedures are vital, which calls for accurate co-prediction of urban heat and air quality under both standard conditions and under extreme events. In this study, we used historical hourly data recorded at 9 sites across the Sydney metropolitan area to test the performance of long short-term memory (LSTM) forecasting architectures in predicting 5 urban pollutants based on different combinations of meteorological inputs and considering standard, bushfire, and pandemic lockdown conditions. We demonstrate that, in most cases and even in a fast-growing city, there is no significant benefit achieved by including extra predictors to temperature and humidity, when adequate forecasting techniques capable of learning long-term dependencies are used. Further, in agreement with previous studies, we provide evidence of ozone's higher responsiveness to all weather parameters and thus enhanced predictability and PM10's lower predictability as compared to all other considered urban pollutants. The prediction accuracy tends to be comparable between standard conditions and bushfire events. However, the predictability significantly declines under anomalies in anthropogenic patterns and urban metabolic rates as those recorded during the pandemic. The inclusion of local emission sources and anthropogenic factors in the input dataset is considered necessary for NO and PM10 to properly predict urban air quality, especially under human-related extreme conditions.

Environmental Drivers of Fine-Scale Predator and Prey Spatial Dynamics in Sydney Harbour, Australia, and Adjacent Coastal Waters

Greater Sydney is the largest coastal city in Australia and is where bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are present every summer and autumn. A decade of acoustic telemetry data was used to identify drivers of space use for bull sharks and their potential prey, according to standardised 6-h intervals using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models. Influences of environmental, physical, and biological variables on the areas of space use, location, and predator–prey co-occurrence were investigated with generalised additive mixed models. Rainfall in the catchment affected space use for all animals (i.e. teleost species and both sexes of sharks), with varying temporal responses. Male sharks responded most promptly to high rainfall moving upstream in < 1 day, followed by teleosts (2 to 7 days), and female bull sharks after 4 days. Environmental luminosity affected male shark dispersal and space use, possibly indicating use of visual cues for foraging. Physical characteristics of habitat were important factors driving spatial overlaps between predator and prey in estuarine areas. In sandy embayments < 10-m deep, males and female bull sharks overlapped with different species, whereas males and silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus) co-occurred in deep holes (> 30 m). Shark size influenced overlap between sexes, with smaller females less likely to co-occur with larger males (~ 50 cm). Variability in space use suggests spatial segregation by sex and size in bull sharks, with individuals targeting similar prey, yet either in different areas or at different times, ultimately enabling them to exploit different resources when in the same habitats.

Affiliative Emplacement: Festival Foodwork Among (Im)migrant Kodavathee Mothers

ABSTRACT Within transnational contexts, ethnic minority Coorg festivals are conducted via the prominence of festival foodwork by Kodavathee immigrant mothers. In the absence of geographical proximity to the homeland of rural Kodagu due to (im)migration, festival food becomes a means to enculturate ‘good’ Coorg diasporic children with appropriate affiliative culinary identification to this ‘vanishing’ community. (Intra)domestic efforts to create emotional emplacement for transnational Coorg children are strategically positioned viz-a-viz other pan-‘Hindu’, Brahmanical religious festivals. Qualitative interviews with 43 Kodavathee (im)migrant mothers from urban, multicultural Sydney (Australia), multiracial Singapore and multi-ethnic Mysore (India), yielded how festival food took on a significant role in firstly: vicarious performances of emplacing Kodagu within the (im)migrant Coorg family context; and secondly in nesting children within an insider food culture which is celebrated in-group yet underplayed in more pan-Hindu contexts. While more publicly lauded performances of enacting ‘appropriate Hinduness’ for pan-Hindu (Diwali) celebrations was conducted, there was an umbilical sustenance sought in Coorg festival foods where in-group intimacies were privately nurtured through the culinary distancing from other non-Coorg Hindus.

Outcomes for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Secondary AML Are Inferior to De Novo AML and Are Independent of the Disease Risk Index

BackgroundPatients with secondary acute myeloid leukaemia (sAML), defined as AML that follows a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome or myeloproliferative neoplasm, are known to have a poor prognosis with conventional chemotherapy alone, when compared to de novo AML (dnAML). Allogeneic stem cell transplant offers the best chance of cure due to the often chemo-resistant nature of sAML, although there are limited studies assessing the outcome of allografting in this patient population. The Disease Risk Index (DRI) is a clinical decision tool which assists in determining the balance of transplant risk versus benefit, however validation studies to date have not evaluated the DRI in patients with sAML.MethodsA retrospective analysis of 211 patients with dnAML or sAML who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant between 1 st January 1998 and 31 st July 2015 at St Vincent's Hospital or Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney Australia, was undertaken. Cases were identified from the Australasian Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient Registry, with additional data collected by medical record review.Overall survival (OS) probability was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) and relapse incidence (RI) were estimated by cumulative incidence with “death without relapse” and “relapse” as competing risks. A Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate regression, with results expressed as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsOf the 211 eligible patients, 63 (30%) had a diagnosis of sAML, compared to 148 with dnAML. Of those with sAML, 74% had antecedent MDS and 26% an MPN. Patients with sAML had an older median age (55 vs 44 years, p<0.001), more often had HCT-CI >3 (p=0.003), and more commonly had at least one cytogenetic abnormality (p=0.026). A myeloablative conditioning regimen was used in 35.3% and 66.0% of s- and dn- AML respectively. Grade II or greater acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 39.7% of sAML and 29% of dnAML, with chronic GVHD reported in 60.3% and 64.5% respectively. OS at 1 year was 48.5% in sAML and 71.6% in dnAML (HR 1.93 [95%CI 1.32-2.97, p=0.0001]). Multivariate analysis accounting for disease risk index (DRI) as a co-factor identified sAML as an independent adverse risk factor for OS (HR 2.13 [95%CI 1.31-3.45], p=0.002). Compared to dnAML, sAML was associated with higher rates of disease relapse (HR 2.21 [95%CI 1.20-4.05], p=-0.011).Figure 1: Transplant outcomes (A) Overall survival dnAML vs sAML (B) Cumulative incidence of relapse at 1 year dnAML vs sAMLConclusionsPatients with sAML experience poorer outcomes following allogeneic stem cell transplant than those with dnAML. Whilst the DRI stratifies AML based on cytogenetic risk and stage, our study identifies sAML as a prognostic marker independent of risk ascribed by the DRI. This has not been reported previously and if replicated, suggests the need for development of an independent prognostic model to capture the adverse risk in the sAML patient cohort. Importantly, despite poor outcomes, the lack of alternate management strategies still makes allogeneic stem cell transplant the only potential curative therapy. [Display omitted] DisclosuresHamad: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Greenwood: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Servier: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.

The languishing bike: depleting capacities of cycling-bodies

ABSTRACT This article focuses on what may be depleting people’s capacity to ride a bike in cities. ‘Capacity to cycle’ is here understood not as a behavioural trait or in terms of infrastructure provision, but, taking our lead from Deleuze and Guattari, as a desiring cycling-machine. We argue this offers a way to envisage depleting, or enhancing, capacities to cycle as a working socio-material arrangement that make, remake, and unmake cycling-bodies and spaces. The article draws upon mixed-qualitative research conducted with 18 adults who own bikes in 2019, but no longer ride in the City of Sydney, Australia. Three vignettes draw attention to the opposing forces that support and dissolve cycling bodily capacities over the course of repeated, routine city bike journeys. We illustrate those depleting bodily capacities to cycle for transport involve sensations of the self, pedalling through space. It follows that a shift towards cycling mobilities demands related incorporation into planning of the transformative impacts of the near-at-hand and social norms.

What does the quantum of working from home do to the value of commuting time used in transport appraisal?

The need to recognise and account for the influence of working from home on commuting activity has never been so real as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given a recognition that WFH activity during the pandemic has reduced the amount of commuting activity compared to pre-COVID-19, the inevitable question is raised as to what this might mean for some of the crucial inputs in the appraisal of transport initiatives. One critical value used in benefit-cost analysis is the value of time which converts time into monetary units in the calculation of user benefits. We are interested in whether reduced commuting activity is associated with higher or lower willing to pay to save time. We investigate this possibility with data from the Greater Sydney Metropolitan Area in late 2020 when working from home was at a high level. The findings of a higher average commuter VoT have major implications for the VoT used in transport appraisal given that time savings are the largest user benefit. We suggest a percentage adjustment required to align with the ‘new normal’ as currently known.