Abstract
As a city centered on its airport's vast influence, the aerotropolis's existence has an inherent tension: It is a stable city for people to stay put and dwell, with the notion of leaving at the foreground of urban life. As a conception, the aerotropolis requires investigation to reveal its significance for humankind and its place in an ontology of cities. When the aerotropolis is situated in such a manner, we see how it differs significantly from other kinds of cities throughout history that depend on travel, such as river and port cities. After unpacking these points, a view emerges illustrating how the cumulative effects of urban and aviation technologies have made the instrumental elements of the nonhuman world less significant to city life. In turn, defining the aerotropolis as a unique sort of city that shapes human experience in particular ways becomes a vital task for understanding how technology-human relations can progress.
Recommended Citation
Epting, S. R. (2026). The Airport And The City: Toward A Philosophy Of The Aerotropolis. Philosophy and Technology, 39(4) Springer.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-026-01185-3
Department(s)
Arts, Languages, and Philosophy
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
Aerotropolis; Airports; Urban technology
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2210-5441; 2210-5433
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Springer, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
01 Dec 2026
