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Dear
friends,
The
Aerotropolis
is an
innovation
of Dr
John D
Kasarda,
director
of the
Kenan
Private
Enterpise
Institute
at
North
Carolina
University.
The
concept
is that
a 21st
century
airport
transforms
the
characteristics
of
business
and city
development
in much
the same
way as
the
capital
city
affected
20th
century
life;
railway,
that of
the 19th
century;
and
ports in
the 18th
century.
This
concept
attempts
the
drawing
together
of
airport-related
activities,
whether
air
travel,
rural-urban
business
connections,
tourism,
and
other
related
activities.
The city
development
of an
Aerotropolis
is
centred
around
an
airport
that is
surrounded
by light
industry,
offices,
department
stores,
hotels,
restaurants,
places
of
recreation
and
entertainment,
golf
courses
and
residential
areas.
In
principle,
the
establishment
of
“Suvanabhumi
Metropolis”
is based
on the
concept
of the
Aerotropolis,
following
the
trend of
property
development
surrounding
many
airports
worldwide.
However,
the
government’s
haste to
push the
Suvanabhumi
Metropolis
Act
through,
is
inappropriate
for
certain
reasons.
Inappropriate
in
Principle
Firstly,
the name,
“Suvarnabhumi
Metropolis”
reflects
the
government’s
hidden
desire
to
develop
land
surrounding
Suvarnabhumi
airport,
so as to
create a
large-scale
city.
However,
this is
a plan
in
conflict
with the
principle
underlying
Aerotropolis
development,
that is,
its
emphasis
on
airport
access,
namely,
its
emphasis
on
sufficient
transportation
infrastructure
to
accommodate
passengers
and in-out
production
rapidly.
It is
not
conceived
as a
built-up
area
overcrowded
with
residential
accommodation
or
places
of
employment.
When it
comes to
considering
the
conceptual
development
of
Suvarnabhumi
as an
air
transportation
centre
for the
region,
each
aspect
of
development
must be
studied
carefully
according
to a
suitable
time
frame.
Owing to
the
tendency
for
continual
oil
price
increase,
the long-term
cost of
air
transportation
will
remain
very
high
compared
to other
kinds of
transportation.
The
reason
for this,
is that
air
transportation
consumes
ten
times
more
energy
per
loaded
weight
per
distance
than
does
heavy
vehicle
transportation,
and one
hundred
times
more
than
transportation
by ship
or
train.
Thus,
air
transportation
may not
have
such a
longterm
future.
Moreover,
the need
for the
air
transportation
of goods
is still
less,
due to
the
industrial
structure
of
Thailand
and its
neighbouring
countries,
which
focus
mostly
on
industrial
production
that is
not
light-weight
nor
specializing
in high
value-added
production.
Though
there is
some
light
industry,
its
transportation
costs
are
rather
low due
to its
high
value-addedness
and
lightweight
qualification.
Thus, it
would be
unnecessary
to
locate
such a
factory
nearby
an
airport.
If air
transportation
should
become
more
necessary
in the
future,
the need
for huge
investment
in a
number
of co-requisite
infrastructural
construction
projects
may be
reviewed
and
operated
step by
step.
There
may,
therefore,
be more
value in
developing
other
kinds of
transportation,
for
example,
railways
and
other
transportation
systems
connecting
countries.
Inappropriate
in
Procedure
The
government
is
skipping
steps
when it
hastens
to push
law into
effect
for the
establishment
of the
77th
province.
There is
still
much
conflict
over
establishing
Suvarnabhumi
as a
metropolis,
whether
considering
the
inappropriateness
of city
construction
surrounding
the
airport
area,
the poor
choice
of low-lying,
flood-prone
land for
such a
project,
the
problem
of land
subsidence
or the
effect
of
airport
noise.
According
to a
study
made by
the
Environment
Engineering
Association
of
Thailand,
the
Suvarnabhumi
airport
case is
a
mistake
looking
fifty
years
down the
road
owing to
a total
lack of
area
suitability
and
effects
assessment.
If the
government
expands
development
around
Suvarnabhumi
to
support
a
population
of more
than one
million,
the land
absorption
area
will be
reduced
by half,
thus
resulting
in a
flood
drainage
problem
in
Bangkok’s
outskirts.
Another
important
point is
the
government’s
failure
to
acceptably
monitor
public
hearings
to
listen
to the
opinions
of
people
on
airport
area
development,
to
consider
the
effects
of the
project
and the
form and
structure
of
administration.
Instead,
the
government
chose to
conduct
a public
hearing
via
Internet,
although
this is
an
unacceptable
method,
and non-transparent.
Thus,
pushing
law
through
hurriedly
in order
to set
up a
city
administration
structure,
has been
a wrong
procedure
to
follow.
Inappropriate
Government
Role
The
hurried
proposal
of the
Suvarnabhumi
Metropolis
draft
bill is
also
very
inappropriate
because
Thailand
is
currently
being
governed
by a
caretaker
government
that
should
not be
approving
a new
project
at this
time,
especially
one that
is so
huge and
will
consume
a great
deal of
investment.
If the
new
incoming
government
disagrees
with the
idea of
establishing
a new
province,
this
draft
bill
will
forthwith
be
cancelled.
Moreover,
as this
is a
draft
bill, it
must
still
wait for
Parliament
to exist
so that
the bill
can be
passed.
Cabinet
approval
of this
draft
bill
casts
suspicion
on it as
a trend
only to
drive
property
values
up
around
the new
airport
for the
benefit
of those
who are
property
owners
in the
area.
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