Making Of An Aerotropolis

In the wake of transit-oriented development in contemporary times, airports are increasingly becoming the focal point around which urban development is planned. architectureRED’s Salalah Airport City Project reiterates this phenomenon, pointing at the emergence of the aerotropolis as the future of cities.

- Sharmila Chakravorty

Traditionally, airports have always been relegated to the outskirts of the city, at a comfortable distance from urban settlements – close enough to not be a tedious commute, but far enough to mitigate any related inconvenience. However, in recent times, airports have become intrinsic nodes, linking travel and an increasingly mobile population. But it doesn’t end at that. Airports are now becoming anchors for cities to bloom around.

The paradigm has shifted, the aerotropolis has taken root.

An aerotropolis is a new urban format where an airport lies at the heart of the city, with infrastructure, land use, and economy, planned around this central airport. Essentially, an aerotropolis is an airportcentric development, where planning principles are laid down in accordance to the airport.

The new airport at Salalah, the second largest city in Oman, has triggered the creation of one such aerotropolis. The vision is to transform the landscape around the airport with mixed-use zones, bustling with life and all the trappings of urbanity. Driving this vision are Biju Kuriakose and his team from ArchitectureRED, entrusted with the massive responsibility of bringing to life the master plan they’ve designed for the Salalah Airport City.

The geography and context

Oman’s dry landscape is spread over three landforms – a coastal plain, a plateau, and a mountain range. The coastal plains, a dry extent of land, form the southern edge of Oman. It extends north towards a dry, rocky plateau. This ‘empty quarter’ is subsequently flanked by the mountain range that occupies the northern part of Oman.