IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/anresc/v54y2015i1p197-214.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Up in the air: the role of airports for regional economic development

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Florida
  • Charlotta Mellander
  • Thomas Holgersson

Abstract

Our research examines the role of airports in regional development. Specifically, we examine two things: (1) the factors associated with whether or not a metro will have an airport, and (2) the effect of airport activities on regional economic development. Based on multiple regression analysis for U.S. metros, our research generates four key findings. First, airports are more likely to be located in larger metros with higher shares of cultural workers and warmer winters. Second, airports add significantly to regional development measured as economic output per capita. Third, the effect of airports on regional development occurs through two channels—their capacity to move both people and cargo, with the former being somewhat more important. Fourth, the impact of airports on regional development varies with their size and scale. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Florida & Charlotta Mellander & Thomas Holgersson, 2015. "Up in the air: the role of airports for regional economic development," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 54(1), pages 197-214, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:54:y:2015:i:1:p:197-214
    DOI: 10.1007/s00168-014-0651-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00168-014-0651-z
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00168-014-0651-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Edward L. Glaeser, Jed Kolko, and Albert Saiz, 2001. "Consumer city," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 1(1), pages 27-50, January.
    3. Berry, Christopher R. & Glaeser, Edward L., 2005. "Divergence of Human Capital Levels across Cities," Working Paper Series rwp05-057, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    4. Button, Kenneth & Taylor, Samantha, 2000. "International air transportation and economic development," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 209-222.
    5. Todd M. Gabe & Richard Florida, 2013. "Effects of the Housing Boom and Bust on U.S. Metro Employment," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 391-414, September.
    6. Richard K. Green, 2007. "Airports and Economic Development," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 35(1), pages 91-112, March.
    7. Jan K. Brueckner, 2003. "Airline Traffic and Urban Economic Development," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(8), pages 1455-1469, July.
    8. Zachary Neal, 2010. "Refining the Air Traffic Approach to City Networks," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(10), pages 2195-2215, September.
    9. Gaspar, Jess & Glaeser, Edward L., 1998. "Information Technology and the Future of Cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 136-156, January.
    10. Ron Martin, 2011. "The local geographies of the financial crisis: from the housing bubble to economic recession and beyond," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(4), pages 587-618, July.
    11. Rosenthal, Stuart S. & Strange, William C., 2004. "Evidence on the nature and sources of agglomeration economies," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: J. V. Henderson & J. F. Thisse (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 49, pages 2119-2171, Elsevier.
    12. Edward L. Glaeser, 1998. "Are Cities Dying?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 139-160, Spring.
    13. Christopher R. Berry & Edward L. Glaeser, 2005. "The divergence of human capital levels across cities," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 84(3), pages 407-444, August.
    14. Sheard, Nicholas, 2014. "Airports and urban sectoral employment," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 133-152.
    15. Christopher R. Berry & Edward L. Glaeser, 2005. "The Divergence of Human Capital Levels Across Cities," NBER Working Papers 11617, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Mary E. Lovely & Stuart S. Rosenthal & Shalini Sharma, 2017. "Information, agglomeration, and the headquarters of U.S. Exporters," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Mary E Lovely (ed.), International Economic Integration and Domestic Performance, chapter 6, pages 93-117, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    17. Phang, Sock-Yong, 2003. "Strategic development of airport and rail infrastructure: the case of Singapore," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 27-33, January.
    18. Jingjing Chai & Raimond Maurer & Olivia S. Mitchell & Ralph Rogalla, 2011. "Lifecycle Impacts of the Financial and Economic Crisis on Household Optimal Consumption, Portfolio Choice, and Labor Supply," Working Papers wp246, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    19. Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda, 2008. "Getting there fast: globalization, intercontinental flights and location of headquarters," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(4), pages 471-495, July.
    20. Audretsch, David B & Feldman, Maryann P, 1996. "R&D Spillovers and the Geography of Innovation and Production," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(3), pages 630-640, June.
    21. Richard Florida & Charlotta Mellander & Kevin Stolarick, 2008. "Inside the black box of regional development: human capital, the creative class and tolerance," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(5), pages 615-649, September.
    22. M. Thea Sinclair, 1998. "Tourism and economic development: A survey," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(5), pages 1-51.
    23. Coile Courtney C & Levine Phillip B, 2011. "The Market Crash and Mass Layoffs: How the Current Economic Crisis May Affect Retirement," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-42, April.
    24. Kenneth Button & Roger R. Stough, 2000. "Air Transport Networks," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2148.
    25. Christopher R. Berry & Edward L. Glaeser, 2005. "The Divergence of Human Capital Levels across Cities," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 2091, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    26. Halpern, Nigel & Bråthen, Svein, 2011. "Impact of airports on regional accessibility and social development," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1145-1154.
    27. John Bowen, 2002. "Network Change, Deregulation, and Access in the Global Airline Industry," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 78(4), pages 425-439, October.
    28. J. V. Henderson & J. F. Thisse (ed.), 2004. "Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 4, number 4.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Hanjun & Hong Tsui, Kan Wai & Ngo, Thanh & Lin, Yi-Hsin, 2020. "Impacts of aviation subsidies on regional wellbeing: Systematic review, meta-analysis and future research directions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 215-239.
    2. Serafeim Polyzos & Dimitrios Tsiotas, 2020. "Regional airports in Greece, their characteristics and their importance for the local economic development," Papers 2001.09666, arXiv.org.
    3. Lenaerts, Bert & Allroggen, Florian & Malina, Robert, 2021. "The economic impact of aviation: A review on the role of market access," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Tu Anh Trinh & Ducksu Seo & Unchong Kim & Thi Nhu Quynh Phan & Thi Hai Hang Nguyen, 2022. "Air Transport Centrality as a Driver of Sustainable Regional Growth: A Case of Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-14, August.
    5. Hubbard, John R. & Mitra, Subhro & Miller, Chad R., 2019. "Analyzing human capital as a component of the aerotropolis model," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 63-70.
    6. Chen, Xin & Xuan, Chao & Qiu, Rui, 2021. "Understanding spatial spillover effects of airports on economic development: New evidence from China’s hub airports," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 48-60.
    7. Nuri Baltaci & Ozlem Sekmen & Gizem Akbulut, 2015. "The Relationship between Air Transport and Economic Growth in Turkey: Cross-Regional Panel Data Analysis Approach," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 7(1), pages 89-100.
    8. Cattaneo, Mattia & Malighetti, Paolo & Paleari, Stefano & Redondi, Renato, 2016. "The role of the air transport service in interregional long-distance students’ mobility in Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 66-82.
    9. Wu, Hanjun & Hong Tsui, Kan Wai & Ngo, Thanh & Lin, Yi-Hsin, 2023. "Airport subsidies impact on wellbeing of smaller regions: A systemic examination in New Zealand," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 26-36.
    10. Pot, Felix Johan & Koster, Sierdjan, 2022. "Small airports: Runways to regional economic growth?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    11. Carr, Amelia & Biswas, Tania & Wheeler, Jane V., 2020. "Airport operations and security screening: An examination of social justice," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    12. Cheung, Tommy K.Y. & Wong, Collin W.H. & Zhang, Anming, 2020. "The evolution of aviation network: Global airport connectivity index 2006–2016," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    13. Breidenbach, Philipp, 2020. "Ready for take-off? The economic effects of regional airport expansions in Germany," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 54(8), pages 1084-1097.
    14. Pi, Jianhua & Li, Dong & Liu, Xingjian & Freestone, Robert, 2021. "The spatial distribution of employment around major Chinese airports," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Zeigler, Patrick & Pagliari, Romano & Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Malighetti, Paolo & Redondi, Renato, 2017. "Low-cost carrier entry at small European airports: Low-cost carrier effects on network connectivity and self-transfer potential," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 68-79.
    16. Xinxiang Chen & Guanghua Chi & Guangqing Chi, 2018. "Do Airports Boost Economic Development by Attracting Talent? An Empirical Investigation at the Subcounty Level," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 99(1), pages 313-329, March.
    17. Tveter, Eivind, 2017. "The effect of airports on regional development: Evidence from the construction of regional airports in Norway," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 50-58.
    18. Mathias Heidinger & Fabian Wenner & Sebastian Sager & Paul Sussmann & Alain Thierstein, 2023. "Where do knowledge-intensive firms locate in Germany?—An explanatory framework using exponential random graph modeling [Welche Standorte wählen wissensintensive Unternehmen in Deutschland? – Ein Er," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 43(1), pages 101-124, April.
    19. Murakami, Jin & Matsui, Yurika & Kato, Hironori, 2016. "Airport rail links and economic productivity: Evidence from 82 cities with the world’s 100 busiest airports," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 89-99.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aurélie LALANNE & Guillaume POUYANNE, 2012. "Ten years of metropolization in economics: a bibliometric approach (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2012-11, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    2. Lewis Dijkstra & Enrique Garcilazo & Philip McCann, 2013. "The Economic Performance of European Cities and City Regions: Myths and Realities," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 334-354, March.
    3. Mikaela Backman, 2014. "Human capital in firms and regions: Impact on firm productivity," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(3), pages 557-575, August.
    4. Blonigen, Bruce A. & Cristea, Anca D., 2015. "Air service and urban growth: Evidence from a quasi-natural policy experiment," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 128-146.
    5. Haifeng Qian & Zoltán J. Ács & Roger R. Stough, 2015. "Regional systems of entrepreneurship: the nexus of human capital, knowledge and new firm formation," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 14, pages 257-285, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Edward L. Glaeser & Joshua D. Gottlieb, 2008. "The Economics of Place-Making Policies," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 39(1 (Spring), pages 155-253.
    7. Jos� Lobo & Charlotta Mellander & Kevin Stolarick & Deborah Strumsky, 2014. "The Inventive, the Educated and the Creative: How Do They Affect Metropolitan Productivity?," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 155-177, February.
    8. Stefano Magrini & Alessandro Spiganti, 2024. "A tale of two cities: Communication, innovation, and divergence," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(1), pages 390-413, January.
    9. Florida, Richard & Mellander, Charlotta & Qian, Haifeng, 2008. "Creative China? The University, Tolerance and Talent in Chinese Regional Development," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 145, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    10. Bruce A. Blonigen & Anca D. Cristea, 2012. "Airports and Urban Growth: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Policy Experiment," NBER Working Papers 18278, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Xinxiang Chen & Guanghua Chi & Guangqing Chi, 2018. "Do Airports Boost Economic Development by Attracting Talent? An Empirical Investigation at the Subcounty Level," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 99(1), pages 313-329, March.
    12. Diego Puga, 2017. "The changing distribution of firms and workers across cities," Development Working Papers 418, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano, University of Milano.
    13. Kristian Behrens & Frédéric Robert-Nicoud, 2009. "Survival of the Fittest in Cities: Agglomeration, Polarization, and Income Inequality," Cahiers de recherche 0919, CIRPEE.
    14. Haifeng Qian, 2010. "Talent, creativity and regional economic performance: the case of China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 45(1), pages 133-156, August.
    15. Haifeng Qian, 2013. "Diversity Versus Tolerance: The Social Drivers of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in US Cities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(13), pages 2718-2735, October.
    16. Richard Florida & Charlotta Mellander & Kevin Stolarick, 2016. "Human capital in cities and suburbs," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 57(1), pages 91-123, July.
    17. Pere Suau-Sanchez & Guillaume Burghouwt & Xavier Fageda, 2016. "Reinterpreting EU Air Transport Deregulation: A Disaggregated Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Traffic in Europe, 1990–2009," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 107(1), pages 48-65, February.
    18. Pierre-Alexandre Balland & Cristian Jara-Figueroa & Sergio G. Petralia & Mathieu P. A. Steijn & David L. Rigby & César A. Hidalgo, 2020. "Complex economic activities concentrate in large cities," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(3), pages 248-254, March.
    19. Südekum, Jens, 2008. "Convergence of the skill composition across German regions," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 148-159, March.
    20. Winters, John V., 2011. "Human capital, higher education institutions, and quality of life," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 446-454, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    O2; R00; R4;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • R40 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:54:y:2015:i:1:p:197-214. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.