Raise the Hammer

Ryan and readers,
When CATCH was researching and writing about aerotropolis (aerofraudolis in my parlance) in Spring and Summer of 2005, I came across this interview with John Kasarda that may be of interest here. (See e.g. CATCH article of June 6, 2005, Aerotropolis seen as economic saviour for Hamilton--http://www.hamiltoncatch.org/archives/articles/art_0506/art_050606aerotropolis.htm)

DIA touted as development anchor
Professor foresees vast 'aerotropolis' springing up around airfield

[NOTE: The link to this article no longer works.
The Rocky Mountain News ceased publication as of Feb. 27, 2009. See their lament still available at http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/27/goodbye-colorado/
"To have reached this day, the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News, just 55 days shy of its 150th birthday is painful."

Alev b'sholom. And sorry for any copyright problems, Rocky Mtn News & RTH.]
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By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News
July 16, 2005
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EXCERPT: News: Do people really want to work, live and shop near the roar of airplanes?
Kasarda: Yes. Airport areas are seeing the fastest growth nationwide. They are seeing very rapid urban development in population and jobs. The DIA area is growing at twice the rate of the metro area. People are moving there because airports themselves employ a lot of people. Jobs are developing all around them, and then residential development is occurring to house those people, which is further driving population growth.
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Move over, downtown Denver.
Your neighbor to the east just might outgrow you.

Denver International Airport [DIA] is poised to become the anchor of a thriving business and residential hub that one day could rival downtown in population and employment.
At least according to John D. Kasarda, a director and management professor at the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's business school.

Kasarda thinks some airports will become as important to city development as highways, railroads and seaports were in the past.
With its open tracts of land providing ample room for development, DIA could serve as the poster child for the concept of an "aerotropolis," said Kasarda, who has researched and written about airport-centered development for years.

The DIA Partnership, an organization that promotes economic development for the area surrounding the airport, has jumped behind the notion, dubbing the area "aeropolitan."
The region - which includes the Lowry and Fitzsimons redevelopment sites - generates $15 billion a year, a number the partnership expects to grow to $44 billion annually by 2015. More than $17 billion in public and private projects are under development, and roughly 30 percent of the metro area's job growth will occur in the region, the partnership estimates.

Kasarda, who will speak at a DIA Partnership meeting Tuesday morning, talked to the Rocky Mountain News about the emerging trend of airport development and how DIA could lead the way.

News: What will you talk about Tuesday?
Kasarda: I'm going to give the big picture of the way in which airports are driving business competitiveness and urban development. Then I'll discuss how airports themselves are no longer airports, how they've really changed to become complex multifunctional enterprises attracting all types of business and industry. I'll talk about what's going on with development outside the airport fence, and then I'll show specific examples of what it looks like in other parts of the world and draw conclusions.

News: What exactly is an aerotropolis?
Kasarda: It is the immediate airport area and the integrated zones that radiate out 25 to 30 miles from it. You have an airport that is the core, and just like the suburban rings around a major city, you have strings and clusters and various types of connected businesses ranging from time-sensitive manufacturing and distribution to hotel and entertainment.

News: What benefits does it create?
Kasarda: If you have an airport and you have developed the property adjacent to it, you have major cross-subsidies and revenue flows. That can help keep expenses for airlines down. It not only generates more passengers and cargo but also more revenues for airlines to meet future operational and infrastructure expansion needs.

News: Airports have been around for decades. Why is the idea of an airport-centric city a new idea?
Kasarda: In the past this industry was not nearly as dependent on speed and agility. The types of businesses and industry located around an airport mostly had nothing to do with an airport. Before, highways and trucks drove urban development. Now, airports are helping to shape it, too.
News: Where is this concept taking off?

Kasarda: Amsterdam is a very good case in point, as you see various types of development 10, 15, 20 kilometers from the airport. Hong Kong is developing a major aerotropolis . . . as is Bangkok. In the U.S., Dallas-Fort Worth is a very good example of an emerging aerotropolis, as is Las Vegas, Detroit and O'Hare in Chicago.

News: Why is DIA a good candidate for this type of development?
Kasarda: It was criticized as being too far removed from everything, but that turns out to be an asset. There's a tremendous amount of space outside the airport that puts Denver in a very unique position to be the first truly planned aerotropolis in the nation.

News: Do people really want to work, live and shop near the roar of airplanes?
Kasarda: Yes. Airport areas are seeing the fastest growth nationwide. They are seeing very rapid urban development in population and jobs. The DIA area is growing at twice the rate of the metro area. People are moving there because airports themselves employ a lot of people. Jobs are developing all around them, and then residential development is occurring to house those people, which is further driving population growth.

News: What are the challenges involved?
Kasarda: These areas are made up of many different jurisdictions that tend to plan independently of each other. That's probably the biggest challenge.
News: What does this mean for the traditional downtown areas?
Kasarda: A healthy airport helps the downtown. Many corporations want to locate downtown but won't unless the airport is strong.

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2744
Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved. //