Airports have always been a city's outlying curiosity. But in the next 10 years, they could just become the heart of the city, the place around which you meet, work and live, with urban planners and governments advocating the idea of the 'aerotropolis'.
An aerotropolis is an urban complex with layout, infrastructure and economy centered on the airport. Just like the traditional metropolis with a city centre and rings of suburbs, the aerotropolis consists of an airport city core and outlying corridors and clusters of aviation-linked businesses. Many of these businesses are more dependent on suppliers and customers around the globe than local residents.

"As globalization and time-based competition increase, the aerotropolis will become a magnet for firms requiring speedy connectivity to distant markets.