a new dawn rising on the citadel | a tale of two cities 5 In addition to a sufficient road network, airports are increasingly becoming a foothold for international trade and business. Airports are becoming businesses in their own rights and apart from passenger and freight transport, they are serving a number of transport-related functions developed in and around them. Airport-cities require space - not a privilege many existing airports can claim - but a constraint that doesn’t exist for Erbil’s planning authorities who envision a new state-of-the-art airport for their capital. The Master Plan ensures in design and development that space, parcellation and phasing for short and long-term airport development will include a one-stop regional aircraft maintenance center, an industrial zone, a business and trade district, and the connectivity needed to put Erbil on the map as a vital regional trading center. Pump priming Opening up to potential private investors with attractive development schemes in the form of impact payment schemes devised to split the growth between the private and public sectors and encourage private investors to contribute to infrastructure projects by partly financing costs associated with their specific developments. There are a number of formulas that could be worked out between the developer and the authorities to make full or partial investment, open-up development areas or share operating costs. Impact payment schemes intend to energize private sector involvement and rely on direct foreign investment as a substantial contributor to growth and development. 6 The “Pump Priming” phasing strategy calls for immediate and simultaneous roads and infrastructure construction to start in all areas earmarked for development. The city’s targeted growth depends on initiating a number of different land-use developments in various areas at the same time and as soon as possible. Areas for international trade uses, petrochemicals, heavy industry, agro-industries, noisy use areas, tourism and recreation nodes, specialist districts, as well as primarily residential districts, all need to be undergoing simultaneous development. It is also important that the investment phasing strategy be in-line with “pump priming” to set off private sector initiatives. This is particularly important if Erbil wants to hit its fast-pace growth target, and achieve a balanced and diverse overall development. 27