The current concern for an assessment and understanding of the
environmental, ecological, and sociological consequences of develop-
ment actions has resulted in the emergence of a holistic approach to
planning. This approach views all actions as being undertaking in a
single system and examines the consequences of these actions in
terms of the entire system. Traditionally, proposals for transportation
facilities have been evaluated in terms of sound engineering and
technological principles, economic criteria, and benefits to the users
and community. However, policy decisions today are being made
with a more complete awareness of the impacts of these decisions on
both users and nonusers from economic, social, environmental, and
ecological viewpoints.
Airports must be planned in a manner which ensures their
compatibility with the environs in which they exist. There are many
serious compatibility problems which presently exist in the vicinity
of airports which represent a serious confrontation between two
important characteristics of urban economics, the need for airports
to meet transportation needs and the continuing demand for com-
munity expansion. Airport planning must be conducted within
the context of a comprehensive regional plan. The location, size,
and configuration of an airport must be coordinated with the exist-
ing and planned patterns of development in a community, consid-
ering the effect of airport operations on people, ecological systems,
water resources, air quality, and the other areas of community
concern [9].
This chapter presents an overview of the factors which must be
considered to assess and evaluate the impact of airport development
decisions in the context of a system’s approach to planning.