Quote:
Originally Posted by Boisebro
Boston Logan and San Jose would be up for the same award. They might not win, but they'd be nominated.
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At distances like this the "winner" can vary wildly depending on how you measure.
Boston Logan's terminals are the closest at 1 3/4 miles, but the harbor is between them and downtown Boston, and the runways are on the other side of that.
Aircraft landing in San Jose fly closest to their downtown, directly over it in fact (which puts a 300' height limit on their skyline). But there's a riverfront park and a good deal of suburban housing between downtown and the runway ends 1 1/2 miles away.
The end of San Diego's runway is the closest to downtown, at less than a mile, and there's no clear dividing boundary between downtown and the airport. But the landing aircraft overfly the nearby Banker's Hill, a suburban/urban mix separated from the airport by the 5 freeway (which downtown is not).
From a transportation planner's perspective Boston Logan is the closest because a person going from downtown to the aircraft gate travels the shortest distance. From an aviation engineer's perspective, San Jose is the closest because aircraft fly nearest to its downtown, meaning its skyline is the most heavily effected and its regulatory requirements are the most stringent. From a land use planner's perspective San Diego is the closest, because the area the city treats as its downtown extends right up to the foot of the runway.