"Airports
are driving and shaping business
location and urban development
in the 21st century, much as highways
did in the 20th century—railroads
in the 19th, and seaports in the
18th. Airports have become key
nodes in global production and
commercial systems. As aviation-related
businesses cluster at and near
major airports and along transportation
corridors radiating from there,
a new urban entity is emerging—the
Aerotropolis."
—John Kasarda, Ph.D., dean of
the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and Kenan Distinguished Professor of
Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina
Aerotropolis,
A new city: YIP/DTW
Urban Design
Charrette
January 20-23, 2006
DETROIT—Detroit Metro Airport, Willow
Run Airport, and the surrounding 20+ square miles of land were the focus of the
eighth annual University of Michigan Taubman College Urban Design Charrette that
took place January 20-23, 2006. The aerotropolis concept has been identified
and advanced by John Kasarda, Ph.D., dean of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of North
Carolina. Aerotropolises are currently being developed in Amsterdam, at Schiphol
airport, in Dallas, around DFW airport, and on Lantau Island around the new Hong
Kong airport.
