Launch of the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) as the number of planned Aerotropolis developments is rising fast
An aerotropolis is a sort of “airport city” with the urban development centred around an airport, and with the airport at its core. They are the focus of rapid growth in aviation-dependent tourism and trade, and can vary greatly in scale and sectoral focus. Increasingly, aerotropolis developments not only deal with logistics, warehousing, manufacture, assembly and business, but also funnel inbound tourists – arriving by air – through shopping malls, hotels, entertainment complexes and cultural venues. The rapid and intense urbanisation requires large, preferably greenfield, sites. Some of these sites are literally 100 square kilometres in area.This means building over huge areas of farmland, loss of good agricultural land, and often the eviction of rural communities. The briefing “What is an Aerotropolis, and why must these developments be stopped.” sets out many of the negative impacts of these developments. Environmental and climate justice campaigners, aviation and tourism critics, human rights activists, and other concerned citizens and groups have now formed the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) to raise awareness of this new sort of socially and ecologically harmful mega-airport development.
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You can sign up as supporters of GAAM, or to find out more.
For more information – or to sign up – please contact:
Rose Bridger at rosebridger@gmail.com , or
Anita Pleumarom, director of the Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team taaf.gaam@outlook.com
GAAM on Facebook:
For updates, please regularly visit our Facebook page:
A GAAM website will also be established soon.
Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement Launched
20.3.2015
Campaigners from across the globe have come together to fight so-called ‘airport city’ or ‘aerotropolis’ schemes, which have been spreading rapidly worldwide in recent years.
Environmental and climate justice campaigners, aviation and tourism critics, human rights activists, and other concerned citizens and groups have formed the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) to raise public awareness and take action on socially and ecologically harmful mega-airport development projects. (See list of founder members below).
An aerotropolis is an airport-centric development, whereby a new or existing airport is surrounded by urbanisation including luxury hotels; shopping and entertainment facilities; convention, trade and exhibition complexes; golf courses and sport stadiums; and industrial parks.
Governments advocate aerotropolis projects as a way of stimulating the economy but critics argue they create environmental, social and economic problems.
Anita Pleumarom, one of the founders of GAAM, said, “These massive airport ‘development’ packages can cause havoc particularly in developing countries with weak democratic structures and law enforcement. They often involve forceful evictions and dispossession of the people’s access to land, water and other resources. Therefore, it is not surprising that resistance against such projects has been growing worldwide.
GAAM aims to support local struggles and strengthen the international ‘campaign community’ against harmful aerotropolis projects.”
Organizations and individuals who share GAAM’s concerns are invited to sign up as supporters.
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GAAM founders:
AirportWatch, U.K., https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/
AirportWatch Europe, http://www.airportwatcheurope.com/
Rose Bridger, author of the book ‘Plane Truth’, http://www.planetruth.net/
Pastoralists Indigenous NGO’s FORUM, Tanzania, http://www.pingosforum.or.tz/
Third World Network, http://www.twn.my/
Tourism Investigation & Monitoring Team, Thailand, http://www.twn.my/tour.htm
Tourism Advocacy & Action Forum (TAAF)
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Briefings:
What’s an aerotropolis, and why must these developments be stopped’
by Rose Bridger
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by Anita Pleumarom
For more information and/or for sign up as supporters, contact:
Rose Bridger, rosebridger@gmail.com,
Anita Pleumarom, taaf.gaam@outlook.com
John Stewart, AirportWatch Europe, johnstewart2@btconnect.com