METHODOLOGY FOR THE INTEGRAL SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT OF AN AIRPORT IN AN AIRPORT-CENTRIC URBAN AGGLOMERATION MODEL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35546/kntu2078-4481.2026.2.15Keywords:
airport, urban agglomeration, airport-centric model, airport-adjacent territories, sustainable development, integral indexAbstract
Leading airports are gradually transforming from traditional infrastructure facilities into key centers of spatial and economic development of urbanized territories, characterized by a high level of accessibility, multimodal integration, and concentration of business activity. The expansion of airport complexes and the placement of production and logistics facilities within their boundaries contribute to increasing environmental pressures and generating ecological imbalances. At the same time, the concentration of environmentally intensive regional infrastructure within airport zones, combined with the implementation of environmentally friendly and resource-efficient technologies, creates preconditions for the formation of a sustainable urban system in which assessment, monitoring, and environmental impact management are carried out within an integrated framework. Given the system-forming role of the airport within an airport-centric development model, the level of its integral sustainability determines the overall balance of the agglomeration environment. This study proposes a methodology for assessing the integral sustainability of an airport within an airport-centric model of urban agglomeration. The approach enables both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of integral indicators reflecting the economic, environmental, and social components of airport sustainability and serves as an analytical tool for identifying potential negative impacts of the aviation core on the urban system. The proposed methodology provides a methodological basis for substantiating effective directions for the development of environmentally oriented airport infrastructure and the rational use of adjacent territories as centers of business, industrial, and transport-logistics activity, thereby contributing to balanced urban development.
Experimental calculations conducted using case studies of European airports Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Kaunas – confirmed the universality of the methodology and its applicability for diagnosing the sustainability level of airports of various scales, from regional facilities to those operating within large metropolitan agglomerations. Further research should focus on developing optimal functional and spatial organization models for airport-adjacent territories, taking into account the selected airport-centric development concept and strategic priorities of territorial planning.
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