Summer Issue 2021 - 48

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BECAUSE THE TRADITIONAL PRIMARY ROLE OF AIRPORTS IS TO
MOVE PASSENGERS AND CARGO, MOST AIRPORTS HAVE NOT BEEN
EXPERTS IN DEVELOPING LAND. AIRPORT LAND DEVELOPMENT IS
FURTHER CHALLENGED BY FEDERAL AVIATION RESTRICTIONS AND
THE FACT THAT AIRPORT LANDS ARE TYPICALLY DEVELOPED BY
WAY OF LAND LEASE TENURE. AS RESULT, PROGRESSIVE AIRPORTS
ARE ENGAGING DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS AND INVESTMENT/
OPERATING PARTNERS TO OPTIMIZE AND POSITION THEIR
PROPERTIES FOR COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
-CHRIS LETOURNEUR, MXD DEVELOPMENT STRATEGISTS
Pittsburgh International
Airport.
contrary, those costs went up. Airports will need to
figure out how to fund capital programs, and many of
them are turning to public/private partnerships.
How is the design of aviation facilities
evolving to address the needs of 21stcentury
travelers?
SMITH: We are incorporating technology like selfcheck-in
kiosks, facial recognition, and innovative
signage to help make arrival and check-in and
boarding faster and less stressful, but we also rely
on our people to help guide people and facilitate
the process for passengers. As soon as you park in
the parking lot or get dropped off at the curb, we
have greeters to welcome you. Some airports are
making flying more attractive by adding experiential
entertainment, such as museums, art displays, and
music. I am in constant communication with Pieter
van der Horst, project director of Schiphol Area
Development Company and managing director of
Airport City Academy in Amsterdam, who pointed
out that a lot of airports outside the United States
are adding different kinds of quiet rooms. In Munich
and London, there are beer gardens and open courtyard
concerts. In Amsterdam, the airport has shopping
malls and theaters and groceries, so it feels
more like an airport city. You can get what you need.
The airport doesn't have to be a place just for those
who are traveling. These additional offerings enable
us to increase traffic in the airport.
LETOURNEUR: Food/beverage and retail concessions
generate substantial non-aeronautical revenues
for airports. We've seen significant creativity
48
URBAN LAND
SUMMER 20 21
in the food/beverage area, emulating the food hall
trend we see in urban areas. Increasingly, airport
food/beverage vendors are offering fresh and
organic foods of the local region, including microbrewed
beer. Airports are pioneering digitized justin-time
food delivery, allowing passengers to order
food on their smartphones and have it delivered at
the gate. In response to COVID-19, touchless technology
is being employed for everything from checkin
and baggage drop to e-commerce purchases and
food delivery, including the use of robots. Technological
advances in artificial intelligence, robotics,
and big data are helping to expedite this process by
tracking people's movements and spending patterns
using their smartphones. This technology allows
real-time monitoring of spending behaviors to adjust
hours of operation and food menus.
TERRELL: Instituting health-related measures and
creating facilities for COVID-19 testing at airports
have gotten a lot of attention. As the vaccines roll
out, however, many of these measures may be
unnecessary. But I'm pretty sure that to fly internationally
you will have to prove that you've been
vaccinated. That will require additional checks at
security on the operational side. But airports can do
more than just transport people and goods. They
can become true destinations, like some of the
airports around the world that have entertainment
venues, libraries, shopping centers, and grocery
stores. Also, airports in the United States can look
to some of the international airports to consider how
they draw people not only from air traffic, but also
from the surrounding region. Becoming a mixed-use
"
SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Summer Issue 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Summer Issue 2021
