Ivy is an economist within AMION’s transport team, with a particular interest in collective infrastructure. She has worked across sectors including transport, energy and green space. She has extensive experience in business case development, economic impact analysis and policy development, with a particular strength in assessing the wider environmental, health and social impacts of transport schemes across modes.
What attracted you to transport economics and appraisal?
I was attracted to transport economics and appraisal because transport sits at the point where economics, collective infrastructure and every day life meet. Economics can sometimes feel abstract but transport is something people experience every day. It shapes how we move through the world and has a direct impact on our wellbeing, opportunity and quality of life. When transport works well, it expands choice and independence. When it is absent, inaccessible or poorly designed, it can significantly limit people’s lives. I am an environmental economist and transport is also one of the most powerful levers we have for responding to the climate crisis.
My interest in transport is closely tied to questions of justice and dignity. Growing up, I was aware of the “Piss on Pity” protests across the UK calling for the rejection of sympathy in favour of inclusion, agency and real decision-making power. Seeing people who have mobility- related disabilities excluded from public transport made it clear to me that transport decisions are far from neutral. When systems are inaccessible or poorly designed, they deny people independence and opportunity. Every person wants a transport system that includes them and works for their community. It is that understanding has stayed with me and continues to shape how I think about transport investment and appraisal today.
At its core, my interest lies in the relationship between humans, agency and infrastructure. Transport systems determine who has real choices, who is constrained and who bears the costs – socially and environmentally. Few areas of economics are so immediately connected to both how people live now and how we safeguard the future. I see transport as social infrastructure, with a responsibility to support justice, inclusion and opportunity while operating within planetary boundaries. I believe we have a collective responsibility to one another to think carefully about the systems we design and the impacts they have. Transport economics gives me a way to engage seriously with that responsibility. It allows me to test assumptions, make all impacts visible, zoom out when needed and help shape decisions that support equity, opportunity and sustainability.
What does your role at AMION involve day to day?
My role at AMION focuses on transport modelling, appraisal and integrated assessment. On a day-to-day basis, I support clients to quantify the impacts of transport interventions and build clear, robust evidence to inform investment decisions and business cases.
A significant part of my work involves setting out the case for change before any economic valuation begins. I focus on understanding the problem a transport intervention is trying to address and who it will impact. This requires a clear picture of local socioeconomic characteristics and existing transport infrastructure. I work with interventions from early concept and feasibility testing through development and stakeholder engagement stages to the development of the economic case and post-intervention evaluation. Throughout, I build an integrated evidence base that goes beyond connectivity alone. This includes impacts on place, accessibility, health, employment, education and the wider environment. The aim is to produce appraisals that are comprehensive and grounded in real-world experience, giving decision-makers a robust basis for delivering effective and inclusive transport schemes.
What skills are most important for someone looking to work in transport economics?
Transport economics requires strong technical capability and a clear understanding of how people, places, policy and systems interact. Transport appraisal, economic modelling and data analysis are essential to assessing impacts and supporting sound investment decisions. A strong grounding in DfT’s TAG frameworks ensures that analysis is transparent and trusted.
Technical expertise must also be matched by the ability to communicate clearly and work across disciplines. As an economist, we often need to explain complex analysis, collaborate effectively with planners, local stakeholders and policymakers and provide well evidenced advice that supports decision-making.
Personally, I think the ability to see the bigger picture is just as important as technical expertise. The appreciation of how transport investment can support regeneration and can strengthen economic resilience is increasingly important, particularly in the context of the climate emergency.
What do you enjoy most about working on transport schemes?
I enjoy seeing my analysis turn into something tangible. There is something incredibly motivating about knowing that your work can shape decisions that people will feel every day, whether through the creation of a more coherent public transport system or a safer cycle route.
I like learning about different places and working on innovative transport and city-planning schemes, particularly at the research stage. Taking a deep dive into a place by examining different modes of transport, how regional networks function together, and how these interact with skills, employment and land use helps build a clear picture of how transport shapes access to jobs, services and opportunity.
I also enjoy working with local authorities and communities who are developing more innovative and low-carbon transport offers. For example, my work with the Lake District National Park Authority to reduce emissions across all sectors and evaluate a range of low carbon transport options across the national park.
What do you like to do outside work?
I spend a lot of time exploring Edinburgh where I live. The city has an extraordinary concentration of great art and I am back at university in the evenings studying History of Art. I enjoy cinema, anthropology, literature and languages. Whenever I can, I love getting out of the capital to explore Scotland. I love learning about the history of the country and visiting the Highlands and its native plants and wildlife. For now, I am trying to survive another Scottish winter, which is considerably colder than last year’s!