Every year, governments invest billions of pounds in transport, housing, regeneration, infrastructure and environmental programmes. The quality of those decisions has a profound influence on economic growth, public services, community wellbeing and the environment.
Appraisal sits at the heart of those decisions. It provides the evidence, analysis and judgement that helps decision-makers understand options, weigh competing objectives and invest public money wisely.
The transport appraisal sector is undergoing its biggest shift in over 20 years as it moves towards supporting programme-based investment over stand-alone transport schemes.
As these changes gather pace, there is an increasing need for practitioners, policymakers and consultants to come together to understand the new landscape.
Appraisal World has been created to meet that need.
Launching in London on 25 November 2026 at The Marble Arch Hotel, Appraisal World will become the UK's dedicated conference focused exclusively on transport and development scheme appraisal.
Organised by Landor LINKS, the team behind Modelling World and a portfolio of respected transport and planning events, Appraisal World will provide a national forum for those shaping the future of appraisal across the United Kingdom.
New directions in appraisal
In England, the Department for Transport's emerging Appraisal, Modelling and Evaluation Strategy (AMES) signals a new direction for transport appraisal, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are each evolving their own approaches to ensure appraisal better reflects national priorities around decarbonisation, health, place, accessibility, social value and inclusive economic growth.
While conventional cost-benefit analysis (CBA), value for money (VfM) and the Department for Transport's Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG) remain the foundation, the emphasis is moving towards appraisal as a tool for delivering wider public policy outcomes, rather than simply identifying the scheme with the highest benefit-cost ratio. The 2026 revision of HM Treasury's Green Book reinforces this direction, particularly through its stronger emphasis on place-based and distributional analysis.
Appraisal World 2026 will feature presentations, case studies, panel discussions, demonstrations and workshops on the following themes:
-
Shifting place-based appraisal to the mainstream
-
Strategic alignment gaining priority over Benefit-Cost Ratio
-
Greater emphasis on distributional impacts
-
Integration across sectors
-
Measuring wider social value
-
Better appraisal of active travel and public transport
-
Embedding decarbonisation in the appraisal process
-
More realistic treatment of uncertainty
-
Stronger emphasis on evaluation
-
Better integration with the Five Case Model
Appraisal World 2026 is dedicated to one fundamental question:
How do we make better public investment decisions with the evidence we have?
Complementing Modelling World
Appraisal World is not a replacement for Modelling World, it is its natural companion.
Where Modelling World explores the development and application of transport modelling, Appraisal World focuses on how modelling outputs, economic evidence and wider societal impacts are brought together to inform investment decisions.
Together, the two conferences will provide comprehensive coverage of the transport business case process, from forecasting demand and understanding transport impacts through to demonstrating value, benefits and strategic outcomes.
Many organisations already active within the Modelling World community will recognise Appraisal World as the next logical forum in which to engage with clients, policymakers and practitioners working at the forefront of appraisal.
#appraisalworld
Better decisions, better outcomes
Organised by
Landor LINKS,
creators of:
Sponsored by:
