What is an Aerotropolis?
2013-05-06
Dube Trade Port as a developing airport city
According to Dr John D Kasarda, who first coined the term ‘aerotropolis’: “Airports will shape business location and urban development in the 21st century as much as highways did in the 20th century, railroads in the 19th and seaports in the 18th†*http://www.aerotropolis.com/
The concept
Simply put, an ‘aerotropolis’ is a new form of urban planning which places airports and aviation hubs at the very heart of the cities developing and expanding around them. The aerotropolis concept aims to more easily connect workers, suppliers, executives, and goods to the global marketplace.
How it works
As key transportation hubs, major airports have always been key nodes in global production and enterprise systems. Air freight and travel offers businesses and people speed, agility and connectivity.
In addition, airports have also proven themselves to be powerful generators of local economic development by attracting aviation-linked businesses of many kinds to the area. These range from manufacturing and distribution facilities to tourism, entertainment, retail, and convention complexes; as well as corporate offices and professional business services.
The rapid expansion of ‘airport cities’ are enabling global and local travellers and businesses to connect in new and exciting ways. As more business and development is drawn to airport-based cities and along the transport corridors that radiate outwards from them, a new form of urban settlement is emerging – the notion of the aerotopolis – stretching up to 30km away from the nearest runway.
As with traditional cities, these aerotroplis developments are made up of clusters of commercial activity, surrounded by more suburban and lifestyle-orientated areas, with transport corridors extending outward towards key trade regions. A number of these clusters – Amsterdam Zuidas; Las Colinas, Texas and South Korea's Songdo International Business District have become globally significant airport edge-cities. The best representation of modern, airport-based planning and development.
From Durban to the world
Along with its links to the emerging North-South corridor, Durban is currently undergoing its own aerotropolis transformation. Dubbed the ‘Dube Trade Port’ and centred around the newly constructed King Shaka International Airport, this aerotropolis is well on its way to being a successful connection hub for Southern Africa and beyond.
Although some aerotropolis developments have emerged organically, over time, Durban’s Dube Trade Port project was a considered and pre-planned development, spearheaded by both commercial and government interests.
King Shaka International Airport opened in May 2010, in time for the Fifa World Cup in South Africa. As a key piece of infrastructure, it is uniquely positioned for success as an aerotropolis with access to sea, road and rail linkages, and positioned as it is within one of Southern Africa's strongest regional economies.
Only 30km from Durban city centre, with a complete supply chain in place and improved trade capacity, King Shaka Airport has already secured enhanced connectivity and commerce for the region. Along with First World communications and technology (high speed optic fibre cables installed for super connectivity) and highly efficient inter-modal logistics links, Dube Trade Port's Development Strategy will guide the development of the entire Airport City and create significant opportunities for all businesses.
The future Durban aerotropolis is uniquely positioned between Africa's busiest port (Durban) and the world's largest bulk coal terminal in Richard’s Bay, on the busiest trade corridor on the African continent, with excellent access to national and regional road and rail networks. These links make KwaZulu-Natal, Durban and the Dube Trade Port, a crucial gateway to South Africa, the SADC region and the rest of the continent.
A new era in connectivity and development
As well as the creation of a new generation airport city, on the outskirts of Durban, Dube Trade Port represents a unique opportunity to plan and develop an integrated, multi-modal hub from scratch, with each component designed for synergy and growth.
While the objective of the development is the facilitation of trade and economic development in the province as well as helping the airport to become the centre of an economic node, it will not only focus on profit. Dube Trade Port aims to address longer term environmental issues and ensure sustainability and viability of all the communities and areas involved in the development.
Initiatives such as the rehabilitation of approximately 4 000ha of forests and wetlands within the Aerotropolis region have already begun.
And, with key international carriers such as Lufthansa Cargo, British Airways World Cargo, Cargolux and MK Airlines choosing to use South Africa as a transport hub, and Emirates Airlines choosing King Shaka International as a destination for their A380 passenger planes, Durban’s aerotropolis is well on its way to connecting KwaZulu-Natal to the world.
This notion was recently underpinned by the announcement of a R2-billion agreement between Dube Trade Port Corporation and the Indian-based conglomerate Action Group, at the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Durban. The deal is aimed at creating a “mega industrial integrated township†near King Shaka International Airport.
The agreement marks the first significant direct foreign investment into the Dube Trade Port zone and reinforces the government’s commitment to focus investment on the region as one of South Africa’s new special economic zones for industrial development.
Dube Trade Port officials said the landmark agreement could see a further R20 billion in foreign direct investments attracted into the hi-tech industrial park to house manufacturing, logistics and export-related companies.
The 240 hectare site earmarked for the development is adjacent to the Dube Trade Port precinct, and is the first step towards building a future ‘aerotropolis’ in the area.
“We regard this as a critically important milestone in the development of the aerotropolis. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is indicative not only of the business potential of this region, but also the confidence investors are showing in Dube Trade Port and its environs,†said Dube Trade Port chief executive Saxen van Coller.
“Both Dube Trade Port and Action Group believe implicitly that (an) industrial township will greatly complement the current trade port and King Shaka International Airport, further boosting development and investment into the precinct,†she said.
The new industrial township, to be developed in several phases, will help provide easy access and a one-stop shop for international investors, manufacturers and industrialists to spread their business interests throughout Southern Africa. XX