Airports and the knowledge economy a relational perspective

In recent decades global integration and internationalization of economic processes have entailed a reconfiguration process of spatial development on all spatial scales. One consequence of this transformation is the emergence of a new spatial logic in which the architecture of societies, economies, and national states is impacted by all kinds of flows. Increasingly, a new spatial pattern of hierarchical, organized, and globally-networked cities can be observed (Friedmann, 1986; Sassen, 2001; Hales and Pena, 2012). Related to the global trends in spatial development, a controversial debate on the correct interpretation has emerged and is dominated by two competing positions: flatness versus spikiness. In 2005, for the first time Friedman argues that the world has become flat (Friedman, 2005). Following Friedman’s line of thinking, the world’s flattening is the spatial consequence of new information and communication technologies, which have enabled a workforce of millions of well-qualified employees to enter into global competition.