MANIFESTO ON AIRPORTS AND CITIES IN EUROPE

APPROVED BY THE ECTP-CEU

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

MADRID, MAY 2019

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CONTEXT

The European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU) initiated the debate on the challenge of cities and airports during the 12th European Urban and Regional Planning Award Jury in Madrid and during the Young Planners Workshop in Paris in June 2018.

Based on the principles of the Charter of European Planning, approved in Barcelona by the ECTP-CEU in 2013, the increasing importance of the spatial integration of cities, airports and their hinterlands for Euro-pean territories was put high on the agenda. The Manifesto on Airports and Cities addresses the challenge of the growth in air travel from the perspective of spatial planning which includes policies to achieve sustainable mobility and the efficient use of resources including land and energy.

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1. INTRODUCTION

• Theglobalisationandliberalisationofoureconomieshasboostedthetransportvolumesofgoodsandpeoplearoundtheplanet.Along-termprospectiveapproachregardingairportdevelopmenttodayissetinacontextofconsiderablegrowth:by2030-2035,airtrafficisexpectedtodouble,from3.5billionnowto7billionpassengersaroundtheworld.• Thequestionofgrowth,togetherwiththeeffectsithasontheterritorieswheretheairportsarelocated,hasbecomeacentralchallengeforplanning.Startingfromtherighttolive,workandtravelinahealthyandsafeenvironment,newdevelopmentsneedtobeevaluated,includingthelimitstheywishtoestablishforthebenefitofall.• Theneedforspatialintegrationisveryhigh.InmanyEuropeanterritories,thelocationofairportsisfragmentedintheopenspacearoundoneormoremajorcities,leadingtoaseriesofproblemsandnuisancesforbothlocalresidentsandusers.• Differenttransportmodesystemsarebecomingmoreandmoreintegrated,especiallyrelatedtoairports.Urbanmetro,tramandbussystemsareconnectingeconomic,business,residentialandleisurecentreswithairportgateways.• TheclimatechangeandCo2-reductiondebatestouchtheissueofafairandbalancedtaxationsystemwithalevelplayingfieldforallmodesofcarbontransport.• Airports,likerailwaystationsandports,arenolongermerelyonlyfunctionalareasfortravellers.Theydeveloptheirinterfacewithnewpossibilitiesforinternationalbusinesses,culture,leisure,services,bothfortravellersandforthepeoplelivingandworkingaroundtheairport.Beyonditsbasictechnicaltransferroleforairtraffic,theairporttodaybecomesarealcityinthecity,takingitsplaceintheprocessofmetropolitanisation.Theybecamedynamicperipheralurbanpoleswithaconsiderableeconomicvaluewithinalargermultipolarsetting.• Withintheglobalisationprocess,manyairportsofferstandardisedsolutions,oftenwithoutanyreferencetothespecificcontextand/orculturalidentityoftheplace.• Airportauthorities,whetherstate,regional,city,orprivatelyownedormanagedincreasinglyhavemarket-orientedstrategies.Tomeettheneedsofusersandattractthem,butalsotodiversifytheirrevenuesandbelessdependentontheevolutionofairtraffic,theyengageadiversificationofactivitiesontheirplatform.Employingtensofthousandsofworkers,manyofthemaroundtheclock,theyattractotherusersandactivitiesthanthosedirectlyrelatedtoairtraffic.Previouslyaplaceofpassage,theairportbecomesadestinationinitself.• Withtheongoingdiversificationoftheiractivities,airportcitiesarebecomingmoreandmoreinward-oriented.This,however,doesnotnecessarilymeanabetterintegrationwithusesinthesurroundingenvironmentthanthatofaconventionalfunctionalairport.

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2. MANIFESTO ThemanifestoonairportsandcitiesinEuropefocussesonthreeaspects:theenvironment,theintegratedplanningatthecity/metropolitanscaleandtheEuropeanapproach.Thismanifestoaddressesspatialplanningpoliciesforairportsandairportcities.Itisacknowledgedthatmanyotherareasofpolicyarerelevantalso.Thedemocratisationofaviationhasacceleratedthefreemovementofpeople,bringingthe500Europeancitiesclosertogetherwithanincreasingcompetitionbetweenthem.Relatedtoairports,anewreflectiononthescalesofplanningbetweenregions,metropolitanareas,citiesandtheirhinterlandsmustbeinitiated.Clearobjectives,thepurposeandthelocationofintra-Europeanandinter-continentalnodesneedtobeestablished.Thiscannotbeseenapartfromthelargerfunctionsintermsofemployment,tourismandmobilityandthedifferentscalesofurbannodeswithinthepolycentricstructureofEurope.Differencesbetweenglobal,regionalandlocalairports,connectionswithhighspeedandnationaltrainstations,androadandwaterwaynetworkscanbringstrongerandmoresustainabledevelopmentobjectives.TheplanningobjectivesandpartnershipsinitiatedbytheEuropeanSpatialDevelopmentPerspective(ESDP,1999)havetobere-initialisedandupdated.

• Currentandfutureairportdevelopmentswillbecutting-edgeintermsofsustainabilityandenvironmentalquality.Energyefficiency,neutralcarbonimpact,airqualityandnoiseprotectionaresetprioritiesinallcurrentandfutureairportsdevelopments,situatedwithinanintegratedmetropolitansustainabilitystrategy.

• Logistically,sustainabilitymanagementplansonrenewableenergy,watermanagement,constructionandrenovationwillbedeveloped.Airportsmustbelinkedtocitiesandnotthreatenorreducethecentralityofcities.Thiscanbeachievedthroughproperspatialplanningpoliciesintheareasofurbanform(e.g.polycentricdevelopmentorothersustainableforms),integrationofalltransportmodes(e.g.urbanmetrosystems,busnetworks)andhigh-qualitydesign(e.g.goodqualitypublicrealm).

• While(international)airtravelislikelytoincreasefurtherinthefuture,policiesforcapacityallocationofairtransportininternationalairportsmusttakeintoaccountabalancedapproachbetweenhighspeedrailandairtravelmodes.Transportmodeadvantages,jointnetworknodesandregionalbalancesdeterminewhichintra-Europeanrailandairconnectionswillbemostsuitable.

• Highspeedrailnetworksmustbedesignedtooptimiseconnectivitywithinternationalairtransport,particularlong-haulairtransport.Thiscanbedonebythedesignofairportmulti-modalinterchangesminimisingtimelossandmaximisingopportunitiestousetimeefficiently.

• Itisrecognisedthatairportsaremajorattractorsofurbanlanduse,inparticularhotelsandofficeaccommodation,andthismustbeachievedatalltimesinbalancewithdowntownurbandevelopmenttoachievecomplementarityinfavourofcompetition.

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• Carbasedmobilitygeneratedbyinternationalairportsmustbeminimisedasmuchaspossible.Thiscanbestbedonebyprovidingoptimalconnectivitywithpublictransport.

• Continuoushealthmonitoringistobeintroducedaroundairports,bothonnoiseissuesandonairqualityissues.Regulationsonnightflights,landingapproachproceduresandtake-offarealllikelytoreducenoiseandotherenvironmentalimpacts.Effortswillbeuninterruptedlytaken,developingnewtechnologiesgeneratinglessnoisyaircrafts,lesskeroseneconsumers,electricpower-drivenaircrafts,andsoon.

• Airportscannotbedevelopedwithoutanintegratedandstrategicspatialdevelopmentandmobilityplanoftheentireurban/metropolitanareaaffectedbytheiractivities.

• Strongpartnershipofallauthoritiesandstakeholdersinvolvedinthelargerurban/metropolitanairportareamustleadtoacommonstrategicspatialdevelopment.Spatialplannersmanagethedesignprocess,takingthefollowingaspectsonboard:governancebasedonsubsidiarity,sustainablelanduseandlandscapequality,growingbiodiversity,efficiencyofenergyandinfrastructures,mobilityshifttowardspublictransport,pedestrianandtwo-wheeltransport,neutralcarbonstrategy,culturaldiversity,inclusionandpovertyreduction.

• Airportsandotherlongdistancetransportsystemsneedtobere-organisedtowardsaspatialefficientnetwork,basedonthepolycentriccitystructureinEuropeandarticulatedwiththedifferentscalesofinterconnectedurbanandmetropolitansystems.Smallandregionalairports,importantfortheterritorialintegrationofremoteregions,islandsandtheoutermostregions,deservespecificattentionintermsofnationalandEuropeanspatialplanningstrategies.

MANIFESTO ON AIRPORTS AND CITIES IN EUROPE

ThisManifestoonAirportsandCitiesinEuropewasapprovedbythe2019GeneralAssemblyoftheECTP-CEUatitsSpringmeetinginMadrid.

ItwaspreparedafterresearchbytheECTP-CEUWorkingGroupmembersDominiqueLancrenonandJorisScheers,theEuropeanUrbanandRegionalPlanningAwardsjurymembersandtheECTP-CEUExecutiveCommittee.

ThisManifestoiselaboratedwiththekindsupportofGroupeADP.

ECTP-CEU May 2019

illustrations  YvesFAUVEL