Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental and socio-economic evaluation of four different sites for a domestic airport

  • Published:
Environmental Modeling & Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

During World War II, a military airport was built inside the city of Reykjavik. This airport then became the centre of domestic aviation for the whole country. Today, 50 years later, the airport tract has become valuable for urban development. The city government therefore wants the airport relocated. Four different sites have been considered. The first alternative is to maintain the airport in the same place. A second alternative is based on reclaiming land alongside the present airport. A third possible site is in a rugged lava field south of Reykjavik, and the fourth alternative is to move the domestic traffic to Keflavik International Airport about 60 km away. The relocation has become a hot issue in the country. The people living in the countryside want to keep the airport in the same place. On the other hand, people living in Reykjavik see the airport land as valuable potential for urban development close to the city centre. To approach this debate in an orderly fashion, the four sites have been studied from an environmental and socio-economic point of view. The four alternatives are classified by four different categories: (1) economy and capital investment, (2) social impacts, (3) direct environmental consequences, and (4) public safety. Firstly, the last three categories were evaluated and weighted, and all four alternatives graded according to their environmental quality. Secondly, using the results of a separate cost-effectiveness study, a Pareto optimality solution is suggested. Finally, sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate how the “environmental” factors through their variation can influence the final selection.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. M.W. Sondheim, A comprehensive methodology for assessing environmental impact, J. Environ. Manage. 6 (1978) 27–47.

    Google Scholar 

  2. A. Thorgeirsson, Mat á umhverfisáhrifum-aðferðafræði (Environmental impact assessment – methodologies), MS thesis 131 pp., Reykjavík (2002).

  3. R. Bisset, Developments in EIA methods, in: Environmental Impact Assessment, P. Wathern, ed. (Routledge, London, 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  4. W.L. Winston, Operations Research, Applications and Algorithms (Chapters 11 and 13), 4th edn (Duxbury Press, Belmont CA, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hönnun, Æfingaflugvöllur Hvassahrauni: Forhönnun (A training airfield in Hvassahraun: preliminary design report in Icelandic). A Report to the Icelandic Aviation Administration, Reykjavik (2001).

  6. L. Canter, Environmental Impact Assessment (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1996).

  7. T. Herbertsson, Location of Reykjavik Airport (in Icelandic). Report Nr. C97-01, City Planning Authority of Reykjavik, Institute of Economic Studies, University of Iceland (1997).

  8. T.L. Saaty, Fundamentals of Decision Making and Priority Theory (RWS Publications, Pittsburgh, 2000).

    Google Scholar 

  9. R.E. Markland et al. Operations Management (Chapter 4) (South Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, OH, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  10. A.H. Jonsdottir et al. Reykjavikurflugvöllur: Miðstöð innanlandsflugs (Reykjavik airport: centre of domestic aviation), Student Report in Engineering Economy, Reykjavik (2001).

  11. J. Pan, MADM framework for strategic resource planning of electric utilities, Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA (1999).

  12. P.K. Dey and A.S. Gupta, Quantitative Approach to Impact Assessment: A Case Study on Cross-country Petroleum Pipeline Project in India, 20th Annual Meeting of the International Association for Impact Assessment, Hong Kong (2000).

  13. F.Y. Partovi, J. Burton and A. Banerjee, Application of analytic hierarchy process in operations management, Int. J. Oper. Prod. Manage. 10(3) (1990) 5–19.

    Google Scholar 

  14. T.L. Saaty, The Analytic Hierarchy Process (McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1980).

  15. J. Solnes, Environmental quality indexing of large industrial development using AHP, Environmental Assessment Review. 23 (2003) 283–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. T.E. Thorhallsdottir, Personal Communication (2002).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iceland, Hjardarhagi 2-6, 107, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Júlíus Sólnes

  2. University of Iceland, 107, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Ágúst Þorgeirsson

Authors
  1. Júlíus Sólnes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ágúst Þorgeirsson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Júlíus Sólnes.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sólnes, J., Þorgeirsson, Á. Environmental and socio-economic evaluation of four different sites for a domestic airport. Environ Model Assess 11, 59–68 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-005-9022-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10666-005-9022-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation