The Missed Aerotropolis

Peter Canellos writes that the state's refusal to build a new major airport 20 years ago caused it to miss out on an opportunity to grow an entirely new business hub.

"Massachusetts does not have an aerotropolis. When confronted with the opportunity to lay the groundwork for a second major airport, 20 years ago, the state passed it up. It was, in the eyes of some economists, a big mistake, the kind that separates the truly global metropolises from the boutique cities.

The reasons were, to a large extent, the usual ones in Massachusetts. Hubris — the sense among many policy makers that economic growth was inevitable, a force to be channeled and, if necessary, limited, rather than given any special encouragement. Local resistance — the belief that any change would harm the quality of life rather than enhance it. And short-sightedness — a sense that transportation was meant to serve those already living here, rather than to be a magnet to attract more."