This is either a testament to UNC business professor John Kasarda's awesome PR machine, the staying power of a good urban-planning concept, the laziness flattery of journalists, or some combination of the three.
Kasarda's concept -- which he calls an "aerotropolis" -- describes the mega developments that can spring up around a city's airport. It's a neat word to describe a fact of urban planning, but it's not exactly a new idea. Even Kasarda's word for it isn't new.
But that hasn't stopped a few major media outlets from recently jumping on a bandwagon that Governing was on six years ago. To wit:
Wall Street Journal, 1/24/07, Flight Plan: Airports Take Off As Development Hubs:
Airports are "the new central business districts of the postindustrial economy," says the University of North Carolina business professor.
Memphis Commercial Appeal, 12/14/06, Memphis leads nation en route to 'aerotropolis':
If you've heard the term "aerotropolis," thank John Kasarda... Memphis International Airport is the closest America has to an aerotropolis, said Kasarda...
New York Times, 12/10/06, 2006 Year in Ideas: The Aerotropolis:
Traditionally, of course, airports have served cities, but in the past few years airports have started to become cities unto themselves, giving rise to a new urban form: the aerotropolis.... "Access, access, access is replacing location, location, location as the most important commercial real estate principle," Kasarda says.
Governing, 9/01, Freight Expectations:
"Airports have become the new downtown," says John Kasarda, a professor in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who uses the term "aerotropolis" to describe cities such as Columbus.
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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