The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched the Advanced and Urban Aerial Mobility Cities and Regions Coalition. The coalition initially includes the cities of Amsterdam in The Netherlands; Orlando, FL; Los Angeles, CA; and Sao Paulo in Brazil – along with the state of Massachusetts and the Île-de-France region of Paris. WEF is calling upon the participants to design a “proactive policy” approach to congestion, inclusivity, noise and privacy in order to best realize the benefits of urban aerial mobility (UAM).
“By taking a proactive approach to advanced aerial mobility technologies before they are fully rolled out, leaders can ensure that AAM (advanced air mobility) avoids the issues we see with other forms of transportation today, such as inefficiency, congestion, noise disturbance and inequity,” said David Hyde, lead, aerospace, WEF. “By bringing together cities and regions at the forefront of UAM, WEF reports the coalition will collaborate and share expertise to develop a range of solutions that other cities and regions can adopt based on their own circumstances.”
The coalition intends to continue the work that has taken place in Europe under the Urban-Air-Mobility Initiative Cities Community (UIC2) of the European Union’s Smart Cities Marketplace.
“As a future-ready city, the City of Orlando wants to be prepared to embrace new transportation amenities that enhance our regional connectivity and allow us to efficiently move residents, visitors and goods throughout our community,” said Buddy Dyer, mayor of Orlando. “We are proud to be collaborating and sharing experiences with other cities and regions to explore the best approaches to incorporating these new aviation technologies to serve as a major backbone of our future transportation network.”