Transportation built Detroit and its surrounding
counties, where the American auto industry once reigned supreme. But
with much of that sector now in decline, the region is hitching its
hopes to another form of conveyance -- by air.
Wayne and Washtenaw counties have partnered with
seven other Detroit-area jurisdictions and the private sector to develop
an "aerotropolis," a metropolitan region based on airport-centered
economic development. The term is a conflation of "aero" for air and "tropolis" from metropolis.
"The reason why Detroit sits on the Detroit River
is because over 200 years ago, that's how commerce moved -- on the
river," said Robert Ficano, Wayne County executive and a key driver of
the initiative. "Then with the industrial revolution, the rail and the
highway infrastructure became important. Now with the global economy,
the airports have become very important."
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