European Airport Regions Development
Airports have a central function for regional development. Regions with major airports have strong development potentials but they are also confronted with the effects of unguided investments, increasing traffic and environmental problems often leading to conflicts with local populations, particularly from neighbouring municipalities. The operation “EARD- European Airport Regions Development” focuses on these development problems and opportunities associated with major airports, exchanging experiences and good practices in promoting harmonious and more sustainable development of airport regions. The objective of EARD is to exchange experiences, identify good practices and test new approaches to strengthen the attractiveness of the airport regions involved as an economic area and living space. More concretely, this means that the project aims to promote the regional potentials for economic development but at the same time balances the interests between residents and airport and improve the environmental situation for residents. Based on an exchange of experience and good practices among the network partners, joint solutions to common problems are being developed. This results in increased capacities of the partners and other key regional actors to promote the development benefits of airports while counterbalancing negative impacts, which should also lead to an improvement of the quality of life for residents living close to major airports. Activities include workshops, reports and the elaboration of profiles for each of the participating airport regions, including the specific economic, cultural and social conditions affecting development in these areas. Partners also develop targeted tools for airport marketing and public participation and test these on the ground.