Cities Begin Setting Protocols For Advanced Air Mobility
Credit: AutoFlight
As congestion in major metropolitan areas continue to rise and traffic increases, cities are turning to AAM to establish a working framework that will provides access to thousands of sites in dense urban areas in the future.
This trend is seen around the globe as the desire to establish the framework and infrastructure necessary to grow AAM capabilities are recognized.
All efforts follow a similar path: establish a right-here and right-now concept for the early entrants in AAM, while in parallel moving toward longer-term services that would include urban operations.
Much of the work resides at a regulatory level, meaning that whether in Paris or in Los Angeles, the civil aviation authority plays a major role in establishing regulatory processes and policies. But there is red tape at the local level, too, and making a city AAM-ready makes it attractive for an AAM operator to land there.
In Los Angeles, the collaborative effort is known as Urban Movement Labs; in Orlando, Florida, it’s the AAM Transportation Plan; in Ohio, it’s FlyOhio, and in Paris, it’s Re.Invent.
The pressure is higher for some cities such as Paris, where the gridlock of traffic will play a starring role in the 2024 Olympics. Such is also the case for Los Angeles four years later with the 2028 athletic colossus.
But nearer term, the cities don’t want to miss major opportunities to offer alternatives to a land-locked concrete infrastructure with an insatiable appetite. Just as important, being aligned for emerging regional air traffic opportunities and cargo distribution options makes economic sense.
Curtis Ostrodka, director of city planning with VHB, is working with several cities on advanced transit planning, including the City of Orlando. He says such cities “are not trying to change regulations today. We are trying to provide what currently exists and determine where change might be needed.”
Credit: Tavistock Development