There are more solutions than obstacles. Nicolas Zart
If you haven’t watched part 1 of our interview with Clint Harper, please read it here.
In the second part of his conversation on reinventing airports, urban designer and advanced air mobility advocate Clint Harper from Harper 4d expands on how airports can evolve into truly multi-modal hubs. His focus is not only on aviation but on the broader transport ecosystem that will shape how people and goods move in the future.
Airport’s Traditional Role and the Future
Harper highlights that airports have historically been designed around a single dominant mode of travel, the airplane, with roads and parking structures functioning mainly as supporting elements. However, as new technologies such as electric air taxis, automated shuttles, and micromobility continue to develop, airports have an opportunity to reimagine themselves as nodes in an interconnected network. This means thinking about access differently, considering how rail, bus, rideshare, and cycling infrastructure all fit together with emerging air mobility systems.
He stresses that the value of future airports will lie in their ability to serve as seamless connectors. Instead of being viewed only as gateways to the skies, airports could be redesigned as community assets where the movement of people and goods aligns with sustainability goals and urban development priorities. This requires not only new physical infrastructure but also new governance models, partnerships, and a willingness to experiment with design approaches that blur the boundaries between aviation and ground transport.
Regional Airport and the Future of Mobility Convergence
Harper points out that smaller airports and regional facilities may be particularly well positioned to lead this transition. Their scale often makes them more flexible, and many are located close to communities that could benefit directly from new connections. By piloting multi-modal strategies at these sites, the aviation industry can learn valuable lessons that can then be scaled to larger, more complex hubs.
Underlying this vision is the recognition that advanced air mobility cannot exist in isolation. To succeed, it must integrate with existing systems in ways that reduce friction for travelers and maximize efficiency for operators. Harper suggests that the conversation should not be limited to aircraft specifications or air traffic management alone but should encompass the entire user experience, from curb to cabin, and increasingly from neighborhood to destination.
The shift he describes is ambitious, yet it reflects a growing recognition among planners and policymakers that transportation futures will be shaped at the intersections of different modes. By engaging early with these questions, airports can position themselves not as passive infrastructure but as active partners in creating a more sustainable and resilient mobility ecosystem.