James Park speaks to Curbed magazine.
The long lifespan of many U.S. airports, and the wide acceptance of flight as a regular mode of travel, has turned formerly glamourous airports into overloaded, everyday infrastructure, that wasn’t meant to handle the increasing number of passengers, bags, and flights required by the growth of modern aviation. They’re looked at "almost like a bus service," says James Park, founder and principal of JPA Designs, a firm that focuses on aerospace and rail design. The response, more often than not, has been a patchwork of expansions and additions, instead of a wholesale overhaul or redesign. The noise, pollution, and cost associated with enlarging airport facilities, as well as local opposition to expanding the footprint of these facilities, often make the idea a non-starter.