Enhancing the Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of High-Speed Rail: A City Attractiveness Perspective

Numerous studies have delved into the socioeconomic impacts of High-Speed Rail (HSR) on urban development, examining dimensions, such as economics, environment, and tourism. However, a consistent evaluation framework to measure the overall influence of HSR on city attractiveness remains elusive. This study addresses this gap by utilizing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to identify pivotal factors driving city attractiveness and employing structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the mechanism through which HSR shapes city attractiveness. The analysis confirms that, despite economic performance, urban amenities such as housing, education, and technology play significant roles in improving city attractiveness. Further analysis demonstrates that HSR has different influential mechanisms on city attractiveness across two phases: introduction and operation. The major difference lies in if HSR can directly affect economic performance. Moreover, the analysis also shows the spatiotemporal variance in the impact of HSR on city attractiveness. These findings provide important insights for urban planners, enabling the formulation of more effective strategies for future infrastructure investment and city development.