To date, airports have undergone a transition from purely functional processing entities represented as closed systems to subsidiary surrogate cities through the inclusion of accessory program such as retail centers, cinemas, galleries, and the like. This thesis challenges the state of current airport typologies by examining the ways in which the airport does not only serve or even replace the city but can reinforce the urban structure as construed through a collective of economic, social, and cultural qualities. Using Des Moines, Iowa as a study ground, this thesis develops the airport as part of a broader transit-oriented network contingent on urban proximity and connectivity thus weaving it deeply into the fabric of the adjacent urban area. Through this, a new typology is proposed which distinguishes the airport as an open system with regard to urban flows.
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