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.
