The waterways of the Gold Coast, Queensland, are vital to the region’s economic and socio-cultural value. As the city grows, effective management is crucial to maintaining these assets. The Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) was developing the Waterways Place Strategy to guide future planning and decision-making.

As part of this Strategy, NCC was engaged to conduct an economic analysis to estimate the Total Economic Value (TEV) of the waterways. A range of approaches was utilised to estimate welfare and economic contribution-based values, including detailed research of existing valuation approaches, engagement with representatives of key sectors, detailed geo-spatial analysis and economic modelling to consolidate the information into quantification of values. The results demonstrated significant values, particularly for non-market benefits, with forecasts for increases in these values due to projected urban and economic growth.

Barriers to growth, such as infrastructure limitations, were identified as part of this project, and recommendations were developed to address them through adaptive management and integrated planning to unlock future potential. A range of investment priorities and performace indicators were also proposed to track usage of the waterways and guide investments based on capacity needs.