Are we over-prospecting for aerotropolis gold?

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Exactly how many aerotropoli can be viable within a certain geographic area? This question is especially important when three of these facilities are in various stages of fruition in just one small corner of one American state?

For those who are not familiar with the term, an aerotropolis is essentially a large-scale urban development, or in some cases an entire city, that is built and centered around an airport. Kudos to Hanna-Barbera, for this is yet another vision from their futuristic 1960s cartoon series The Jetsons that has come true.

There are a number of existing and proposed examples of aerotropoli dotting the United States and the planet. Below is a partial list of cities around the globe where an aerotropolis either exists, is under development, or is planned. Some weblinks are also provided.

Zuidas Amsterdam - Source: en.wikipedia.org

• Amsterdam, Netherlands – called Zuidas Amsterdam (south axis)
• Athens, Greece
• Atlanta, USA
• Beijing, China
• Belo Horizonte, Brazil
• Brisbane, Australia
• Calgary, Canada
• Dallas-Fort Worth, USA
• Delhi, India
• Denver, USA – called Porteos
• Detroit (Metro and Willow Run), USA – called Detroit Region Aerotropolis
• Dubai, UAE
• Dublin, Ireland
• Dusseldorf, Germany – called Airport Gardens
• Flint, USA
• Frankfort, Germany
• Greater Lansing, USA – called Port Lansing
• Greensboro/Winston-Salem, USA
• Hamilton, Canada
• Helsinki (Vantas), Finland
• Hong Kong, China – called Sky City
• Hyderabad, India
• Indianapolis, USA
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Memphis, USA – called America’s Aerotropolis
• Milwaukee, USA
• St. Louis, USA
• Seoul (Incheon), South Korea
• Singapore – called Seletar Aerospace Park
• Stockholm (Arlanda), Sweden
• Vienna, Austria
• Zurich, Switzerland – called Airport City

Here in the southeast corner of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, three separate aerotropoli are in various stages of creation. The massive 60,000 acre Detroit Region Aerotropolis has been under development in the communities surrounding both the  Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run Airports for some time (see map below).

Source: co.wayne.mi.us

In 2011, the City of Lansing and neighboring DeWitt Charter Township initiated an aerotropolis plan on lands around Capital City International Airport. This facility is primarily designed to be air freight oriented and has been dubbed Port Lansing. Meanwhile, a proposal has been recently floated to create an aerotropolis around Flint’s Bishop International Airport.

That would mean three aerotopoli (at four airport facilities) situated less than 100 miles from one another. Is that really economically viable or sustainable? Or, is this just another case of a gold rush story that’s following the worn footsteps of prior economic developers and planners who mined for economic prosperity in projects. Examples littering the landscape include aquariums, business incubators, stadiums and sports arenas, conventions centers, downtown shopping or pedestrian malls, amusement parks (a.k.a. Auto World in Flint), collegiate research parks, and other “hot” ideas that eventually go bust when too many  prosperity prospectors join the search for an economic gold mine.

Hong Kong Sky City - Source: som.com

Personally, I think the concept of an aerotropolis is a terrific economic development tool for the correct location(s). One only need look at the success of Zuidas Amsterdam (see weblink in the list above) which is centered around Schiphol International Airport in the Netherlands to see a clear aerotropolis winner.

However, I find it very hard to imagine that three aerotropoli in the southeast corner of Michigan can or will work. Like any gold rush, there will be a whole lot more discouraged losers kicking rocks than winners joyfully dancing. Maybe I’m wrong? Maybe I am missing something here? If I am, would someone please enlighten me?

For more information on the topic of aerotropoli, here are some weblinks to some of the significant resources on the topic.

• “Aerotropoli: Airport Cities”
• Aerotropolis: The Way We Will Live Next
• Airport Cities, The Evolution
• Fast Company magazine
• Global Airport Cities
• The Atlantic – “Aerotropolis Ambitions Falter in St. Louis”
• Wall Street Journal online