Tracking developments related to V/STOL options for John Kasarda’s Aerotropolis (www.aerotropolis.com) and Joel Garreau’s Edge City concepts.
The Vertropolis incorporates the following ideas:
- Increasing the timely catchment area and the economic volume of the Aerotropolis
- Augmenting existing transportation networks, whether by road, rail, river, or even runway
- Connecting edge cities and regional economic centers to each other or to the regional airport for global access
- The growing value of time and land in urbanizing megacity regions
- Regional economic development across multiple stakeholders, including linking a wide range of business, adventure, and tourist destinations without the need for runways
- Democratized transportation and mobility
- Technology progress and economic viability in vertical or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft
- Progress toward instant gratification or fulfillment
- Increasing time-sensitive shipments and the speed of transactions
- The value of flexibility in establishing transportation networks and the cost of extending or increasing capacity of existing surface networks
- Land-locked airports, challenges with expanding airports, or increasing airport capacity
- Limited airport connection to other regional transportation modes
- Edge ecosystems and symbiotic economic systems
- Increasing transportation-related jobs and opportunities for careful urban and real estate planning
- Reducing the risk of a single regional transportation planning process on local growth strategies
- Responding to aging demographics and related housing and travel preferences
- Avoiding the cost/risk of major infrastructure investment
