The Durban Aerotropolis strategy for sustainable socio-economic development

Background There has been a growing emphasis on airport development strategies as these strategies contribute towards economic growth and development. An aerotropolis as one of the initiatives is a strategy that facilitates the realignment of airports into economic hubs by increasing their scope of activities.Aim To describe the Durban Aerotropolis strategy and contextualise its socio-economic impacts to the city and region of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The socio-economic factors utilised are limited to the environment, people (community) and the economy.Methods A qualitative research approach was adopted and used sequentially, concurrently and iteratively. The findings and recommendations are based on 12 in-depth interviews and five focus group sessions with participants from the target population.Results The Durban Aerotropolis development is in its initial stages of adoption, and there is evidence of early positive socio-economic impacts including employment creation, growth in imports and exports and the creation of a competitive environment.Conclusion The success of the strategy has been attributed to the adoption of novel strategies and concepts that enable improved logistics and mobility planning, connectivity and responsiveness, amongst other critical success factors. This has seen several strategies being considered, including roadway expansions, network designs, mobility platforms and many other infrastructural developments. This will enable purposeful planning to ensure that the region and South Africa are economically viable and competitive.