In the summer of 2018, the San Antonio International Airport invited Dr. Antonio Petrov, Founder of the Urban Future Lab in the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning, to join their Technical Advisory group as a stakeholder in their process of formulating a Strategic Development Plan. As a new team of strategy professionals joins the airport, they are convening thinkers, partners, and stakeholders to revamp its vision, mission, strategic themes, and objectives to begin the challenge of implementing change. The group is tasked with looking 50 years into the future to explore the possibilities for transportation systems and urban architecture while still addressing environmental and economic concerns. While a 20-year strategic plan is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, the San Antonio International Airport has taken the initiative to develop a 50-year plan to explore the feasibility of future scenarios.
As the airport is located in the heart of the seventh-largest and one of the fastest growing cities in the nation — population will increase by an estimated 1.4 million people in the next 25 years — how can we capture the unrealized potential of San Antonio as an “aerotropolis”? How can a data-driven, future-looking analysis of our air transport needs help tackle San Antonio’s air travel shortcomings? Can bundling the airport’s resources result in a better experience of the city? Unlike regional hotspots like Atlanta and Dallas which largely depend on multinational corporations like Delta and American Airlines, respectively, San Antonio International Airport relies heavily on human capital. The outlook is bright as tourism, local business, and international markets drive demand; new corporations and population growth will increase it.
In a series of public open house events that will be held on October 22, 23, 24, and 25, the community is invited to share thoughts about the airport and hear findings from Phase 1 of the Strategic Development Plan. Attendees will learn more about expected future air travel demand, future space needs for the airport components, “Will it fit?” in the current location, and next steps. All the open house events are identical come-and-go as you please formats, with a short presentation that will be repeated at 5:15, 6, and 6:45 p.m.
Locations and addresses for the open house events found here.
If you can’t make it to one of the open houses, please complete the “Rollout Survey” at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SATFutureRollout (available through November 9, 2018).
For more information about the San Antonio International Airport’s Strategic Development Plan, please visit www.sanantonio.gov/SATfuture or email SATfuture@sanantonio.gov .