John D. Kasarda developed the aerotropolis concept and is known in some circles as "The Father of the Aerotropolis".

John D. Kasarda is an American academic and airport business consultant focused on global competitive strategy and aviation-driven economic development. He is currently Director for the Center for Air Commerce at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School and CEO of Aerotropolis Business Concepts LLC, an airport-economy consulting firm.He also serves as the President of the Aerotropolis Institute in China and as editor-in-chief of Logistics,an international scholarly journal.