As cities across the world look to convert aging and obsolete airfields to new uses, a growing body of repurposing success stories show "how problematic properties can be successfully converted," reports Christine Negroni.
The conversion of Denver's Stapleton Airport is perhaps the best known (and likely the first) example of the successful transformation of an urban airport into a mixed-use community. But over the past decades, similar projects in Austin, Hong Kong, and Malmo, Sweden demonstrate the potential for such projects to the urban airports across the world that are contemplating their futures.
“Airport repurposing is a rare event driven by unique local circumstances,” said Chris Oswald, vice president for safety and regulatory affairs for Airports Council International. "The common thread for all these projects is the availability of an alternative airport with greater capability."
“The availability of such sites is very rare, and the combined political and financial will to make use of them is even rarer,” he said.
"The land developers behind the Denver and Austin projects agree, says Negroni. "For all the unique problems with turning highly specialized industrial property into a place people can call home, they could not have succeeded without cooperation from a multitude of entities, including politicians, bureaucrats and residents."
FULL STORY: Idled City Airports Are Finding a Second Life as Housing
Denver Voters Approve Downtown Revitalization Bonds
The city wants to bring new projects and residents to the downtown core, where 13 million feet of vacant office and retail space await new tenants.
Austin Scores Highest on Pandemic Recovery; Bay Area and Baltimore Lowest
The Bay Area Council and CBRE created an economic tracker to measure how well the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas have recovered from the public health restrictions imposed on their regions at the onset of the pandemic.
Austin School District Properties Could Host Affordable Housing
The District is weighing early proposals to include housing units for teachers and staff in the redevelopment of a group of six ‘underutilized’ district properties.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal
The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.
Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification
The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.
Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation
Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service