Literature Review

32 January/February 2014 Civil Engineering

Africa’s fi rst aerotropolis in Ekurhuleni

WHAT IS AN AEROTROPOLIS? Air travel is ubiquitous in modern life, not only for passenger

travel, but to satisfy our growing need for the just-in-time provi-

sion of goods and services. Th e consequences of this is a dra-

matic increase in the number and scale of airports, their growth

as sources of employment and increase in the consumer base,

together with the growth of the airport as a destination.

In modern cities, airports have therefore become major

drivers of urban form, economic activity and city competitive-

ness. Th e aerotropolis aims to take advantage of these changes

and optimise the positive eff ects the airport can have on the

economy and on communities.

Essentially, the aerotropolis is an economic development

strategy designed to increase competitiveness in global markets,

leveraging the access that air travel and air freight provide to

global clients.

Critically, an aerotropolis does not involve simply building

additional retail stores in an airport terminal or more light-

industry parks on the land surrounding an airport. It is about

taking advantage of all the economic opportunities an airport

off ers, refl ected at times by new physical infrastructure, but also

by alternative retail, entertainment, employment and commercial

land uses – and these can stretch out in a radius of 30 km or

more from the airport itself.

THE AEROTROPOLIS IN EMERGING ECONOMIES With aviation only starting to boom, and routes, passenger num-

bers and business investment still comparatively low in many

emerging countries, is it too early to consider the aerotropolis

approach for growing economies?

Airports traditionally develop in a piece-meal fashion. Many of

the world’s current major airports started as small landing strips

Danie Wium

Aurecon Government Industry Leader

[email protected]

Matt Coetzee

Aurecon Urbanisation Competency Leader

[email protected]

– will it foster economic growth?– will it foster economic growth?

In September 2013 it was announced that an

Aurecon-led consortium had won the contract to

develop the Ekurhuleni OR Tambo Aerotropolis in

Gauteng. The aerotropolis concept is now mainstream

in aviation planning, and there is little doubt that it

has brought substantial economic and social benefi ts

to airport owners, as well as local businesses and

communities. However, this experience has largely

been gained in the airports of Europe and North

America. The Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis offers a unique

opportunity to apply the lessons learnt at these other

airports to develop a truly African solution.

Central terminal at the OR Tambo International Airport in Gauteng

Civil Engineering January/February 2014 33

in the 1920s and have grown incrementally over time, although

not always in a perfectly logical manner. Th ere is extensive evi-

dence to show that a large portion of the cost and development

ineffi ciencies inherent in further developing existing airport cities

come from a lack of strategic planning at an early stage. Emerging

economies tend to have an advantage here, as many of the new

airports are greenfi eld developments, with relatively modest cur-

rent infrastructure. Where the opportunity for economic growth

exists, early planning will therefore enable that growth to be stra-

tegically developed, made more attractive and maximised.

THE AEROTROPOLIS PLANNING PROCESS Aerotropolis development embraces urban and regional plan-

ning, but with a strong focus on how these can be used to enable

strategic economic development. Th e ultimate goal is to max-

imise the economic competitiveness, attractiveness and growth

of the city and its surrounding region through the identifi cation

of the optimal mix of land uses and infrastructure investments.

Th e nature of these investments, how they are fi nanced, where

they are made, their timing, how they relate to the broader

economy and their alignment with economic and social sustain-

ability, are all key outcomes of the planning process.

Th e planning process for the aerotropolis in Ekurhuleni will

follow a process of information gathering, analysis, scenario

planning, evaluation and selection. What matters most is the

who, what and how included in this process.

WHO? An aerotropolis development plan requires an integrated breadth

of input across urban and transport planners, economists, fi -

nancial and logistics experts, environmental managers, market

researchers and strategists.

Aurecon, a global consulting engineering fi rm, will lead the

multi-disciplinary consortium with the added advantage of ex-

tensive experience working on planning and infrastructure pro-

jects in the Ekurhuleni locality. Th is local knowledge is blended

with international aerotropolis specialist expertise in research

and strategic planning from MXD, and urban planning and

branding from RTKL. Two of Imperial Logistics’ subsidiaries are

also involved and will lead the integration of logistics and freight

studies into the project. Turner and Townsend will contribute

specialist PPP and fi nancial advice, and South Africa’s Council

for Scientifi c and Industrial Research(CSIR) will provide addi-

tional traffi c modelling experts.

What makes this consortium a strong candidate to success-

fully collaborate on this project beyond the extensive technical

expertise, is the collaborative culture and absolute focus on

excellence. Aurecon’s proprietary tool to be used on this project,

HUB-id, is all about recognising the inter-relationship between

transport, land-use and economics. When examined together,

there is potential to deliver social, economic and environmental

benefi ts. Th is is at the heart of the aerotropolis solution.

WHAT AND HOW?

Building the development pattern picture

By analysing the trends in demographics and economics, and

comparing those with land use, and air and surface transporta-

tion infrastructure in the project area, the team will need to

defi ne so-called economic clusters and distinguish between:

■ those clusters that are best served by the current systems (be

they infrastructure, economic or cultural),

■ those likely to improve with the already planned regional de-

velopments, and

■ those where new or substantial infrastructure is required to

make them viable for further development.

One of the challenges of an aerotropolis study is in gathering and

analysing a large amount of data, and then building a complete

picture of the aerotropolis and its current evolutionary path.

Th e team will make use of a number of high-level tools, such

as spatial data analysis systems, sophisticated economic analysis

tools, and transport modelling and planning systems, to deliver

the necessary innovation a project of this magnitude demands.

Th e breadth of information and the sophistication with which it

is analysed and integrated will be critical to ensuring that all op-

portunities are captured and optimised.

Catalytic drivers and optimising development

Inevitably some of the identifi ed economic clusters will have

the potential to grow faster than others, while some will further

have the potential to facilitate growth across the whole region.

Th ese are considered catalytic developments. By identifying the

supplying and supporting industries for economic clusters in the

region, and taking into account current realities from the informa-

tion-gathering stage, the team will identify such catalytic clusters.

Th e team will also need to consider how to maximise the

positive impacts of these clusters on the regional economy

through leveraging upstream, downstream and cross-over in-

dustry activities. By considering how other aerotropoli evolve

and how particular economic clusters are supported by those

developments, the team will determine which of the region’s

niche economic clusters could benefi t particularly from airport-

supported economic activities.

Further, by analysing the characteristics of recommended

target economic clusters and their supporting industries, the

team will then assess how to maximise the eff ect of these indus-

tries. Th ese industries will form the consideration of a Sector

Support Plan with investment prioritisations. Th e team will also

look for opportunities to enhance economic and social potential

through intensifi cation, adaptive re-use or re-development of

strategic land sites, as well as the potential for transit-orientated

development to create positive momentum for long-term com-

munity enhancement.

In examining these economic clusters, the specifi c nature

and structure of the Gauteng economy, including the informal

sector, will be taken into consideration.

Fitting the options to the objectives of Ekurhuleni

Ekurhuleni is confronted with certain realities that infl uence

how economic development can best benefi t its social objectives.

Th e municipality is home to three of South Africa’s seven poorest

townships and the hub of South Africa’s ailing manufacturing

sector. Equally, however, it also hosts the largest airport in

Africa, eff ectively forming the gateway to the continent.

As part of the planning process, a series of development

scenarios will be developed, and each evaluated to maximise

potential benefi ts, according to the following criteria:

■ Demographics: Will the planned development adequately

address the poverty, skills development and unemployment

objectives of the city?

34 January/February 2014 Civil Engineering

■ Proposed land-use: Will this be effi cient and create an attrac-

tive environment?

■ Forecasted demand transport facilities: Will this ensure the

maximum effi ciency of movement of people and freight in the

region, and within each facility?

■ Economic growth: Will this ensure the economic wellbeing of

Gauteng and Ekurhuleni’s businesses and community – from

the smallest informal trader to the largest multi-national cor-

poration?

■ Predicted CO2 emissions: How much of an impact on the envi-

ronment will it have?

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER Like most planning processes, the aerotropolis study is not

a completely linear process and a number of tasks run either

parallel or through an iterative cycle throughout the life of the

project. In addition, there are many other activities outside the

aerotropolis study, such as logistic and supply projects, fi nancing

arrangements and marketing of the development to various

stakeholders, that run alongside the very technical aspects of

analysis and planning. Th ese are in fact just as important to the

project’s overall success, and it is very much a case of not having

any weak links.

It is a challenging prospect, and a great responsibility, to

deliver a project as comprehensive as this, but the team is con-

fi dent that they can deliver the innovative yet implementable

aerotropolis project that Ekurhuleni deserves.

URBAN PLANNING TERMS

Intensifi cation Similar to densifi cation, but refers more broadly to an increasing level of activity and uses

Adaptive re-use New usage of land or a building after discontinuing current use

Re-development Actions that lead to renewal and improve- ment of existing areas; can be fi nanced through public and/or private investment

It is a challenging prospect, and a great

responsibility, to deliver a project as

comprehensive as this, but the team

is confi dent that they can deliver the

innovative yet implementable aerotropolis

project that Ekurhuleni deserves.

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