The Gauteng provincial government and the municipality of Ekurhuleni aim to harness and direct the natural dynamism that airports offer with the creation of a so-called aerotropolis in Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport.
US academic and transport infrastructure consultant John Kasarda, who coined the term 'aerotropolis', says that, while airports tend to build up regardless of whether cities or governments plan to stimulate their growth, cities that plan and guide the development are the most likely to reap the benefits. Prof Kasarda visited Gauteng last year to gather information for a R15m preliminary study to be handed to Ekurhuleni later this month. The city's chief operations officer Margaret Diedericks said last month that there is national interest in this development.
According to Business Day, Ms Diedericks said that study will provide initial information necessary for land development within a 15km-20km radius of the airport, as well as guidelines on the node's development over the next four decades. Prof Kasarda emphasised that a long-term framework is vital to guide the investments needed to attract the desired initiatives. The land near an airport is valuable because of its potential to create rapid links between a product manufacturing point and its destination market, he said.
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