Other cities have learned that the closure of downtown airfields can help to revitalize and beautify entire areas of cities and can help to stimulate the economy. This is what is happening in some cities that have downtown airports.

Chicago: Mayor Richard Daley was so disturbed with the destructive impact Meig’s Field had on Chicago’s waterfront that he had city workers bulldoze a cross into the runways in the middle of the night. Today Meig’s is incorporated into the spectacular waterfront park system that is enjoyed by all Chicago residents and visitors.

Denver: One of the largest urban development schemes in North America (parks, housing, commercial space) is taking place on Denver’s now closed Stapleton International Airport

Oslo, Norway: Oslo’s in-town airport, Fornebu, has been closed and is slated to become the site of Norway’s silicon valley. A large new airport has been built far outside the city.

San Francisco: Crissy Field, the downtown San Francisco airport, has been converted into a spectacular urban national park.

Fort Collins, Colorado: The downtown airport will close in 2008. The land is slated to be turned into commercial, residential and industrial development.

Edmonton: The downtown Edmonton airport remains open for small aircraft but an intense debate about it continues. Those who want the airport closed argue that it is unsafe because flight paths are over densely populated parts of the city. “It serves no purpose except to very small planes and a tiny bit of cargo. It’s a hazard,” one resident said.

There is a similar pattern with all of these airports. They were built years ago when the airport land was on the outskirts of the city. Over time the city grew and the airport was not compatible with the surrounding community. Demands rose to close the airport and in most cases the politicians finally acted. Closing the airport in all of these cases was seen as a positive act because a major polluter was eliminated and land was available for other uses.

A similar process is happening with the Toronto Island Airport. When it was built in 1938, the airport was close to the city centre, but the land in the immediate vicinity was occupied by factories, warehouses and a baseball stadium. The airport was not seen as incompatible with this land use. Today this land is occupied by condominiums, parks and cultural facilities, and the airport is incompatible with these land uses.

Toronto’s waterfront renewal has just begun. Ultimately 100,000 people will live along the water and another 100,000 will work there. The waterfront is the city’s major recreational resource, tourist destination and an important natural habitat for wildlife. A busy airport is incompatible with this land use and must close.