DIA’s ‘Aerotropolis’ Could Be An Economic Engine, Or An Eyesore, Author Says

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Pena Station Next, Aviation Place 2016
Panasonic will create its Denver CityNow concept as part of a 400-acre master planned transit oriented development called Pena Boulevard Station located along the A line at 61st St. and Pena Blvd.

In less than a month, you'll be able to take a train from Denver's Union Station to DIA. The April 22 opening of the A-line is a key step towards creating what's being called an aerotropolis -- a new cluster of development with the airport at its heart. Technology company Panasonic is developing a smart city inside Denver's aerotropolis. It will combine transit oriented development with energy saving technology like smart street lamps and an electrical grid.

John Kasarda author of the 2011 book Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next, cautions that if certain aerotropolis design principles aren't met, "what you get is spontaneous, haphazard development that is usually not as efficient as it could be, often unsightly, and ultimately unsustainable."

Kasarda spoke to Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.