John D. Kasarda

An interesting idea about the growth and globalization of cities. Those which are most connected will be able to benefit most from a global market. The 'aerotropolis', or city with the airport as a central hub, is one model of future development - the Chinese with state capitalism, and Dubai are some of the most astonishing benefactors of this new pattern of growth and development, as a flood of travellers and goods pour in.

There is one gnawing issue - what of the dwindling fossil fuel reserves? A system of growth with finite resources must end eventually. What would happen to our economic system then? Perhaps an economic substitute can be made, but the extreme long-term projections of growth are in doubt. Railways are another possibility. I think that airports will be one hub of transportation, but not the end-all, be-all, as described here.

Nevertheless, this is a very well-researched book about the near future. It does not cover every aspect, but still enough to be interesting.… (meer)

Aerotropolis is the kind of book I normally love – it’s written in a lively, engaging style; it covers a topic I find fascinating, i.e. a kind of behind-the-scenes analysis of a typically-overlooked phenomenon (i.e. the effects big airports have on the societies that build them); and it makes a valiant attempt to try to understand that phenomenon using a broad, multidisciplinary approach.

And yet . . . . what seems to be a highly-combustible combination never really ignites. Aerotropolis’s chapters drag at times, repetition starts to filter in, and the reader (at least this one) loses interest. There’s not enough solid insight here to justify the reading effort.… (meer)

If anything, this book is a good overview of the globalized economy in 2010. Whether we like it or not, our world has grown utterly dependent on air freight and travel, with vast quantities of passengers and goods revolving around the urban planning nightmares we usually call 'airports'. Kasarda's theory is that we should stop considering the airport as an ugly but necessary extension to a city and start seeing the airport as the de facto city centre.
The book is well-written, but lacks a clear logic between the chapters. Which are often too long and end up a bit boring. After the first chapters, I almost dismissed the book as a tarmac-happy, idealized vision of a boundless global economy, with no second thoughts about environmental or social costs. Thankfully, the second half of the book do address these issues, with some interesting insights on why calculating the carbon footprint of air travel isn't as easy as one might think.
Still, I always hated airports and probably always will do. For some reason, Kasarda's "idyllic" vision of a gigantic airport surrounded by a Sim City-like mix of commercial and residential areas, where shopping malls and golf courses supposedly suffice in making the inhabitants of such an artificial landscape feel at home, fails to resonate with me... I live 50km away from the nearest airport and I'm very happy about it.… (meer)