Your Home’s Check-In Gate

Abstract

This graduation thesis tackles the issue of airport-driven urban development in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area context. Initially planned outside of cities for security and pollution reasons airports are now attracting urban development in their proximity. This development consisting of hotels, office spaces or congress centres is driven by the benefits of a location providing a fast connection to an airport with a large variety of flight destinations. This phenomena is linked to a time based competition business model in which the speed with which companies reach their world spread customer base is vital for their performance (Kasarda, 2000). Through the large flows of people and goods that they attract airports are becoming regional nodes of activity in their city regions. Multiple authors indicate the need for the development of new conceptual frameworks that would help better understand the complex urban interactions triggered by airports on a regional scale (Freestone and Baker, 2011, Salewski et al., 2012, Schaafsma, 2009, Schlaak, 2009, Knippenberger, 2010). Through this thesis I am proposing an alternative spatial development strategy for the area between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam. The strategy aims to integrate the airport related urban networks in a regional vision which takes into consideration spatial, demographic and economic trends specific to the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Moreover the strategy aims to provide solutions for the local urban integration of airport related business parks. My vision for the area is to develop Amsterdamse Bos as a metropolitan park with an urban edge providing a living and working environment in an international context. Existing spatial planning models of airport-driven urban development are not yet sufficiently developed. I therefore chose to use network urbanism theories in order to explain and propose future development strategies on a regional and local scale. The thesis ends with an evaluation of the proposed strategy and of the suitability of a network urbanism approach within this context.