Aerotropolis Vision

The AerotropolisVision

"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, PhD, Dean of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina.

The Aerotropolis

Over the course of history, cities have emerged at the critical transportation junctions. Prior to the industrial revolution, cities emerged around ports. Then the largest and most successful cities developed around railroads. By the 1960s, cities expanded and grew around junctions of major highways.

In today’s world, air travel has become the major mode of transportation for global commerce. Air travel flattens the earth, so to speak, allowing people and goods to move across the world, between global cities, in a minimum amount of time. Instantaneous transfer of information has become the norm. It is these global cities – those places that serve as distribution points for goods and people – that are going to lead the 21st century. The Aerotropolis is leverage for the region and the state to compete anywhere in the world for business attraction, job creation and diversifying our economy. It is key to Detroit becoming a truly global city and is the engine that will drive Michigan’s economic turnaround; it will be the competitive advantage.

Our Vision

The Aerotropolis stakeholders envision development that not only provides economic benefits to the communities immediately surrounding the airport, but which also benefits the greater Metro Detroit region. Leaders recognize the importance of linking developments in the Aerotropolis region to the rebirth of the City of Detroit, and that there exists a natural synergy between Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Detroit’s position as a tourist destination. They also recognize that the city of Detroit has a skilled and able workforce that will be needed to support development efforts, and its citizens will occupy jobs created through business attraction efforts. The creation of an Aerotropolis will benefit other areas of Metro Detroit as well including Oakland, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties. With the prospect of regional transit and a new border crossing with Canada, the Aerotropolis concept fits squarely with other efforts aimed at making Metro Detroit a gateway to the state, nation, and the world.

Aerotropolis leaders also recognize the importance of sustainability and the importance in embracing alternative energy and energy efficiency. Through cooperative efforts by local leaders, the Aerotropolis region will be a master planned area that moves goods and people in and out efficiently, and which also respects existing residential development in the region. In embracing sustainability and alternative energy, the Aerotropolis can be a living laboratory for addressing our dependence on foreign oil and will help to open up new markets for Detroit made products.

Finally, Aerotropolis leaders are exploring ways to set a new precedent in regional cooperation and to institutionalize these efforts to ensure a long term partnership that includes active participation by the private sector. For too long, counties and cities have competed with each other for jobs and resources at the expense of positioning ourselves for the challenges of globalization and the new economy. The paradigm has changed and stakeholders realize that the time is now for leaders to come together to break down barriers to cooperation and create a future that benefits all citizens in the region and the state.