Memphis Aerotropolis Strategic Planning

Overview:

Memphis International Airport is the global hub of FedEx. Dr. Kasarda was retained by the Memphis Region Chamber of Commerce and Memphis International Airport to develop the vision and initial plans for the Memphis Aerotropolis. This project involved transitioning the planning process from traditional airport and urban planning to that required to develop an economically efficient, functionally integrated, and sustainable Aerotropolis at and outward from Memphis International Airport.

Surface transportation infrastructure improvements were proposed based on identifying gaps and chokepoints in the immediate airport area and improving ground connectivity. In addition to facilitating cargo movements throughout the Aerotropolis, strategies were recommended to better link the airport to Memphis downtown, Class-A office clusters in the suburbs, major Memphis tourist centers, and medical/ bioscience clusters, including the rapidly growing medical devices sector.

The plan further offered strategies to upgrade the appearance of areas around the airport that had deteriorated in the prior two decades. Incentives to attract businesses to the airport area were assessed with recommendations for making them more appealing to investors. Finally, a series of marketing and branding strategies were provided, including promoting Memphis as 'America's Aerotropolis'.