What an Airport Can Teach You About a City
The new book “A People’s History of SFO” looks at how San Francisco International Airport can serve as a lens into the Bay Area’s turbulent history.
SFO’s international terminal departure hall in late 2021, during a quiet pandemic-era moment. James Carpenter’s installation, Four Sculptural Light Reflectors, helps to throw light and shadow across the space.
Photographer: Eric Porter
For many travelers, transit hubs like San Francisco International Airport are what anthropologist Marc Augé considers “nonplaces” — a connection from one place to another devoid of historical significance or intimacy.
But a new book by Eric Porter aims to defy that perception. A People’s History of SFO: The Making of the Bay Area and an Airport charges that SFO can tell the story of the Bay Area’s past and future, as it has played a key role in the region’s economic expansion.