Page 168 - Planning and Design of Airports

Airport Planning Studies 135

While increasingly dense residential development has resulted from
this economic stimulation, one must not overlook the effects of the
unprecedented suburban spread during the post-World War II era,
resulting from the backlog of housing needs and a period of economic
prosperity.
Radical developments in the nature of air transport have pro-
duced new problems. The phenomenal growth of air traffic has
increased the probability of unfavorable community reaction, but
developments in the aircraft themselves have had the most profound
effect on airport community relations. The greater size and speed of
aircraft have resulted in increases in approach and runway require-
ments, while increases in the output of power plants have brought
increases in noise. Faced with these problems the airport must cope
with the problems of securing sufficient airspace for access to the air-
port, sufficient land for ground operations, and, at the same time,
adequate access to the metropolitan area.

Types of Studies
Many different types of studies are performed in airport planning.
These include studies related to facility planning, financial planning,
traffic and markets, economics, and the environment. However, each
of these studies can usually be classified as being performed at one of
three levels: the system planning level, the master planning level, or
the project planning level.

The Airport System Plan
An airport system plan is a representation of the aviation facilities
required to meet the immediate and future needs of a metropolitan
area, region, state, or country. The National Plan of Integrated Airport
Systems (NPIAS) [11] is an example of a system plan representing the
airport development needs of the United States. The Michigan Avia-
tion System Plan [10] is an example of a system plan representing the
airport development needs of the state of Michigan, and the South-
east Michigan Regional Aviation System Plan [13] is a system plan
representing the airport development needs of a seven county region
comprising the Detroit Metropolitan area.
The system plan presents the recommendations for the general
location and characteristics of new airports and heliports and the
nature of expansion for existing ones to meet forecasts of aggregate
demand. It identifies the aviation role of existing and recommended
new airports and facilities. It includes the timing and estimated costs
of development and relates airport system planning to the policy and
objectives of the relevant jurisdiction. Its overall purpose is to deter-
mine the extent, type, nature, location, and timing of airport develop-
ment needed to establish a viable, balanced, and integrated system of