ACRP IdeaHub Ideas

Further guidance on how to approach the design of airport infrastructure that is more resilient to climatic change is required. Efforts are underway both nationally and internationally to address identification of vulnerabilities and incorporating into planning documents; but there remains a gap in procedures to evaluate and determine design criteria for engineers and architects that may be more readily endorsed by funding... more »

How can airports set up incubators unit to create a space for innovators to solve airport problems based on challenges placed on them from different departments? Then, using the resulting solution, partner (in terms of equity) with the innovators. Help them form companies that the airport can partner with. Then market to other airports.

Develop a simplified airport emissions inventory tool for criteria pollutants.

The objective of this research is to create a database of performance benchmarks for airport facilities. Airport staff need a better understanding of key operational metrics associated with building performance in order to improve efficiency, decrease operating costs, and reduce environmental impacts. A standard system which normalizes for weather, location, carbon intensity of utility supplied energy, and airport specific... more »

Guidance on holisitic master planning that goes beyond just future

facility and infrastructure that includes the sub categories such as IT,

Operations, Security and Maintenance as examples. It would also provide guidance on how to develop a "plan" for the ancillary operating areas and how important components may be rolled into a true master plan

Conduct research to update the state-of-the-science regarding the feasibility of reducing or eliminating noise in communities from aircraft departures, specifically behind the start of takeoff roll, with active noise reduction technology.

The proposed research project would evaluate carbon removal strategies that could be deployed at airports to help achieve "Net Zero Emissions" in order to align with global emission reduction targets and to address increasing public scrutiny. Carbon removal strategies include both natural (e.g., tree plantings and agricultural soil management) and technological approaches (e.g., carbon-absorbing concrete and direct air... more »

Sustainability and environmental mitigation are rapidly being incorporated into construction efforts at airports to mitigate and offset environmental impacts such as air emissions, water quality issues, etc. Naturally, every airport and their associated construction efforts and ability to incorporate sustainability vary on multiple fronts. This effort would provide a synthesis of construction sustainability and environmental... more »

Research would focus on determining how airports could better leverage emerging equity and environmental justice datasets to inform decision-making processes and ensure better project outcomes for communities and stakeholders. The guidebook would provide a primer on the topic, present a synthesis of current practices in analysis, mapping, and visualization of this data, and how it could be used to inform airport-decision... more »

Develop guidance and best practices that will inform capital asset and new/replacement/renewal project managers on how to ensure that maintenance departments are capable of properly maintaining the assets and immediately assuming responsibility for them after project completion/turnover. These recommendations will focus on the accurate, effective, and timely development and delivery of capital project assets and asset... more »

This research would examine several examples where implementation of Metroplex or other procedures has resulted in widespread increased community complaints and would explore options for redesigning those flight tracks to reduce noise concentrations over noise sensitive areas while satisfying project design goals and constraints. Changes in aircraft noise exposure, fuel consumption, and air emissions would be quantified... more »

Accurate predictions of the noise environment in communities surrounding airports and spaceports from launch and reentry vehicle operations require models that have been validated over a range of vehicle types, operations, and atmospheric conditions. Research is needed to validate the commercial space operations noise models developed under ACRP 02-66 using the community noise measurement database collected under ACRP... more »

By understanding what other airports are doing in the very wide subject area of sustainability, it may spur airports to try different means of conserving energy, recycling materials, or otherwise improving its sustainability practices. By looking not only at the practices, but the results, the challenges to implementation, and the costs of implementation, airports will be provided with guidance to improve their practices... more »

Airports have for decades been managing and remediating contamination of soil and groundwater resulting from past practices. However, within the past two years airports have been surprised by a previously unrecognized environmental threat from a family of compounds found in firefighting foam known as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). A synthesis study to provide necessary education on the subject is proposed. It is... more »

Conduct research on airport noise and emissions regulations,

requirements, programs in place at U.S. airports, including the impetus

for each, legal authority and impact.