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DALLAS
— This spring, airports from around the world converged at DFW International Airport for the fifth annual Airport Cities World Conference & Exhibition to share their experiences of integrated, regional planning that is today central to their development efforts. In the U.S., airports leading this charge include DFW, Memphis International, and Detroit Metropolitan. Globally, airports in China and the Middle East are taking large-scale integrated approaches to airport-associated development. Here's a recap of several of these initiatives.
DFW INTERNATIONAL
John Terrell, VP of commercial development, relates that DFW has a string of new developments underway, including what he calls the largest infrastructure project in Texas history. On the north side, the "connector project" involves recreating the entire highway infrastructure network, affecting up to eight neighboring cities. That is in concert with a metro rail link on DFW's east side, which will connect the Metroplex to the airport, and subsequently the airport terminals. The station site lies within 2,300 acres that will feature office and retail development.
Other initiatives:
- Bear Creek Office Park (1,800 acres) on the southwest side, featuring a corporate campus, 36-hole golf course, and a wellness center for airport employees.
- Passport Park (300 acres), a mixed-use office/retail complex.
- South Gate Plaza, built adjacent to DFW's new consolidated rental car facility featuring hotels and restaurants and a skywalk to the rental center.
MEMPHIS INTERNATIONAL
Larry Cox, CEO of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, says the goal is to make the region around MEM a world model Aerotropolis. "The airport drives the economy," he says, driven by FedEx and Northwest Airlines and accounting for one in four jobs in the region.
Cox says there is a "culture of collaboration" to create the Aerotropolis, from Beale Street to Graceland to the Convention & Visitors Bureau to St. Jude's Hospital. Some specifics:
- Memphis ED — an economic development initiative involving 2,500 business and community leaders, with an investment of $60 million in project management alone.
- Memphis Airport Area Development Corporation, which is focusing on improving the quality of life for those around the airport and to lure new investment.
- An 'airport city' just south of the airport, integrating the efforts of three states and five counties.
DETROIT METRO
With the auto manufacturing industry in decline in Detroit, civic leaders are moving to make DTW a world gateway via the Detroit Region Aerotropolis, explains county executive Robert Ficano. The initiative is being coordinated with nearby Willow Run Airport.
"It takes a region," says Ficano, defining the concept. The airport authority and eight cities, counties, and townships have entered a memorandum of understanding as the region embarks on $670 million in economic development that's been committed over the next two years.
CHINA
According to Ping Wang, partner with Garfinkle & Wang Associates, China has 149 commercial airports and he projects that number to grow to 244 by 2010. Prior to 2002, he says, all airports in China were owned by the national government, after which they were transferred to local ownership. That move, he says, "opened a very important door."
Beijing Capital Airport pioneered the airport city concept in China, he explains, adding that most of the top 15 airports in China are undergoing airport city development projects. China is the second largest aviation market after the U.S., and has experienced double-digit cargo growth for the past ten years. Some key projects:
- Guangzhou Baiyun Inter-national Airport has been tagged to become the Asian-Pacific hub for FedEx. The airport has 88 square kilometers of land available for development with rail/highway infrastructure already in place.
- Yunnan Province Airport Group is developing the nation's fourth largest gateway airport with an investment of some $3.3 billion in Phase 1. It is one of 11 new airports planned for the province.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Dubai Airports, home of Emirates Airlines, is in the midst of transforming its airport into an Aerotropolis — Dubai World Central — that connects to several airport cities, explains Anita Mehra Homayoun, VP of marketing. Rail will connect the airport to all of Dubai, and an adjacent port will become a 'maritime city' that features a bonded corridor for trade.
Emirates takes delivery of its first Airbus A-380 jumbo jet this summer, and has 57 on order, making it the largest A-380 customer. It will occupy the newest of three terminals. The airport has six parallel runways.
author: By John F. Infanger, Editorial Director - Airport Business