Today’s increasingly turbulent, fast-paced, globally networked economy has made speed, agility, and connectivity the competitive mantra for the world’s most successful brands. Cities are increasingly becoming brands, battling for talent and investment in a highly competitive and sophisticated global market, where ideas and liquidity are no longer restricted by geographic location.
As a result it’s not enough for Sydney to simply be stronger than other cities in its region. Sydney is competing with global power houses like Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and New York for growth drivers like talent, innovation, jobs and investment.
Sydney’s somewhat remote location places even more importance on the second airport and its ability to enable trade and exchange with the rest of the global economy. The real challenge now is how we start to think of the airport as an integral part of the city and not just an infrastructure hub.
Aerotropolis theory is the understanding that an airport and city is one singular economic unit and they work together. No longer is the airport a remote auxiliary service for the city, it’s at the core of the city’s economic engine. More and more we are seeing cities using airports more effectively as a broader economic lever to drive investment and urban development.
AECOM has applied the aerotropolis theory successfully on projects in Cairo, Sao Paulo, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and Istanbul.
New South Wales is already home to a high growth advanced digital economy, supported by a highly skilled workforce. According to New South Wales Trade and Investment, the state dominates the ICT sector nationally, accounting for 40 per cent of all Australian ICT businesses and more than half of ICT-related export revenue in 2012–13.
These specialised companies rely on speedy manufacturing and distribution networks and should be clustered near the Western Sydney airport and outward along connecting transport corridors.
Over the next 20 years, Western Sydney’s population is expected to grow from two to three million people. Western Sydney is already Australia’s third largest economy and Australia’s fourth largest city.
For Sydney to continue to grow in a productive way it needs to have efficient access to other key markets to facilitate trade and exchange. The Western Sydney airport is the key to unlocking that opportunity and helping Sydney to realise its potential.
Building an airport in a greenfield site such as Badgery’s Creek and hoping for the best is not the answer. The airport has the potential to be the catalyst for the redevelopment of the entire region and community but this won’t happen by accident.
The Australian Government has dismissed calls for high-speed rail to connect the second Sydney airport to the city. However, unless the transport is quick and easy with seamless onward connections, the airport simply won’t work and Sydney will suffer as a result.
As the economic centre of the world continues to shift from West to East, Western Sydney aerotropolis is essential if Sydney wants to make the most of the opportunity that offers.
Christopher Choa spoke at last month’s Western Sydney Airport Conference.
Click here to listen to an interview with Christopher on Sydney’s 2GB.
Click here to view Christopher’s comments in Design for Badgerys Creek Airport in works in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Follow Christopher Choa on LinkedIn
Christopher Choa – Urban Development Practice Lead, AECOM London