A theoretical foundation for investigating the spatial economic attributes of airport-centric developments

The paper establishes a conceptual foundation for analysing airports and surrounds; and employs it to identify a theory that is most suitable for investigating spatial economic forces that drive airport-centric developments. In the background of globalisation, the classical location theories, regional science, growth pole theory and new economic geography are scrutinised against their relational interpretation of the concepts of space, proximity, firm, scale and pattern. Given that it portrays a relational perspective of the aforesaid concepts, the paper proposes that while acknowledging the relevancy of other theories, the growth pole theory is suitable to be the main framework for analysing airport-centric developments.Among the various areas of interest on the topic of airports and  the geographical distribution of land use, one pertinent theme is the spatial economic analysis of airports and their environs. However, the existing literature predominantly focuses on describing the land-use composition of airport-centric developments, without unpacking the spatial economic forces at play. This gap brings to the fore the need to employ an appropriate theoretical lens to guide the spatial economic analysis of airports and their environs. The aim of this theoretical  review paper is thus to identify concepts that are relevant to the analysis of airports and their environs; and to use those concepts to systematically identify the existing theory that is most suitable for investigating the spatial economic forces that drive airport-centric developments. Against the background of globalisation, we scrutinise classical location theories, regional science, growth pole theory and new economic geography against their relational interpretations of the concepts of space, proximity, firm, scale and pattern. Given that it portrays a relational perspective of the aforesaid concepts, the paper concludes that growth pole theory is suitable as the main framework for analysing airport-centric developments. It is therefore recommended that growth pole theory be empirically used to guide the analysis of airports and their environs, and subsequently be used as the basis for developing a theoretical framework tailored for airport-centric developments

South Africa in the global context: The view from above and below

Perceptions differ on the positive impact globalization has on the economic environment of the developed and developing world. This paper identifies elements of the African economic make-up that could hinder or assist in the reconnection of the region into the global economic society. It then discusses structural changes that have occurred in South Africa's economic and demographic profile over the past two decades to demonstrate how different sections of the country's population have reacted to threats and opportunities posed by changing local, regional and global circumstances in recent years. Particular emphasis is placed in the latter part of the paper on the dominant role that the Greater Johannesburg urban agglomeration plays nationally and internationally and the way in which changing agglomeration forces have influenced the relocation of multinationals in the metropolitan region. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2003R,