Chinese Cargo and Concerts in the East Loop: What We Can Learn from the Success of The Pageant

The Charlie Brennan Show on KMOX was recently host to a noted aerial logistics expert who said “don’t bet on” a Saint Louis-China aerial logistics hub taking place. But, after reading his argument, I can only think that Michael Boyd, the expert commenter, doesn’t recognize the whole picture of the “Big Idea’s” potential besides a runway.

The value outside this expert’s eyes, and the key behind the “Big Idea” efforts, lies in the development of the open lands right next to the airport. Efforts to build a “hub” started with the McKee family’s original promotion of the “Big Idea” as it relates to their two major developments: North Park, in the land abated for noise reduction, and NorthSide Regeneration, the mega-plan for the economic redevelopment of North Saint Louis a couple miles down Highway 70. The breadth of open land proximate to Lambert, and how it would be developed, presents a competitive advantage for attracting the Chinese business that no other major airport in the US currently can.