Chapter 1 - The Way Forward  
By John D Kasarda

"Airports, like many major transportation interchanges, have long attracted commercial development.  This attraction has grown as air passenger and cargo traffic has increased and as cities have continued to expand outward towards, and sometimes around, airports. 

Airport area growth is being shaped by (1) firms providing air transportation services, (2) firms which are frequent consumers of air transportation, (3) businesses which cater to the ancillary needs of air travellers and employees of the previous two types of firms, and (4) companies which may simply be searching for accommodating sites with good regional highway access.  These various types of business activities create a ratcheting effect, accelerating airport area growth in a largely organic manner.

Now however, a new land use and business model is emerging providing structure to and distilling value from the earlier organic development experience at and surrounding many airports. 

The business case underlying the airport city model recognises that: (1) passengers, service-sector businesses, and shippers have unmet needs, (2) those needs can be systematically addressed as these three primary airport area growth drivers continue to increase in size and economic importance, and (3) critically, that airport operators and their enterprise partners can benefit financially by addressing those needs."


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