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Keflavík Airport Area Masterplan

Strategies

Strategies

Building on the vision and stakeholders’ engagement, seven strategies with distinct objectives guide the economic and spatial K64 masterplan

These strategies guide the spatial masterplan. They capture the complex interaction between people, places, organisation, culture and technology. They provide the rationale, the prioritisation and articulation behind the outcomes.

The strategies individually and collectively echo similar themes to support a low carbon, green and resilient economy, to create vibrant places to live and visit, diversify and boost the economy, develop investor ready and investor led value propositions and to foster knowledge, innovation and creativity.

Together the strategies provide a holistic approach to addressing challenges facing the regions as well as nurturing and promoting opportunities that will catapult the region into the international arena.

Key challenges

  • The economic reliance on the airport and subsequent homogeneity of labour market
  • Fluctuating employment based on airport activity
  • Exports are concentrated on few dominant sectors
  • House building is not keeping pace with population growth
  • Abundant land and diverse planning authorities creates a risk of sprawl and unsustainable urban development
  • Private car is the dominant transportation method
  • Lack of a comprehensive vision for a reliable public transport system between the region and the capital area
  • Need for energy diversification and investment in grid infrastructure to enhance the security of supply

Key opportunities

  • Employment diversification with a focus on higher value sectors
  • Focused and well thought through planning for housing and social infrastructure for the region
  • Strengthen the link between reskilling and future industries
  • Enhance innovation and higher education opportunities within the aviation sector
  • Strengthen high-value sectors that benefit from the proximity of the airport
  • Boost high- value cargo activities that gain from the juxtaposition of the airport and the port.
  • Ameliorate public transport both within the region and between the airport and the capital area
  • Create a green gateway to Iceland through landscaping and careful programming in airport area
  • Reinforce the region as a tourist destination within a UNESCO Geopark
  • Build up a network of paths and outdoor places for active mobility and gathering, enhanced by landscaping and afforestation