Edmonton City Centre Airport: A Sustainability Challenge for a Growing City

<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - Urban Transition Challenges Award, European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>In 1995, many of the flights at Edmonton City Centre Airport (ECCA) were being diverted to Edmonton International Airport. By 2008, ECCA’s two runways required an estimated CA$10 million in capital upgrades and CA$35 million in additional maintenance costs over the next 10 years. In light of these facts, in November 2011, Edmonton’s city council had begun to consider whether maintaining ECCA was feasible or if other alternatives would put the land to better use. The options available included the following: 1) maintain ECCA and the status quo by completing the repairs, 2) sell the property to a real estate developer and generate immediate revenue for other city projects, or 3) close ECCA and have the city redevelop the land for a community project. City councilors needed to find a clear and sustainable solution to the challenges presented by ECCA.

This case is suitable for use in MBA and other graduate-level management programs in courses on strategic management, communications, public policy, and corporate sustainability and responsibility. Its application is particularly effective in the context of city planning, government strategy, politics, and community development. After completion of the case, students will be able to do the following:<ul><li>Evaluate sustainability strategy implementation in a complex, evolving framework where decision makers must consider opposing stakeholders and constituencies.</li><li>Examine trade-offs in decision making, including ethical dilemmas.</li><li>Assess and evaluate evolutionary, relational, and durational perspectives to examine the long-term impact of land development decisions and subsequent path-creation implications.</ul></li>

• City planning, Community development, Government strategy