While Urban Air Mobility (UAM) offers futuristic and automated passenger and cargo transport options, its impact on city goals remains uncertain due to limited scalability, high costs, and infrastructure challenges. A prioritization of proven solutions and the use of UAM as a supplementary tool may have the potential to address city objectives such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, relieving traffic congestion, ensuring equitable access, and improving mobility options.

Key findings

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Scalability of UAM services may be limited as even optimistic projections are expected to capture a low percentage of daily trips, limiting potential to significantly impact traffic congestion or urban emissions.

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There is a potential for UAM services to benefit higher-income groups disproportionately due to higher costs and limited accessibility, which can impact current transportation systems.

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There are public concerns around noise pollution, safety, and privacy, with noise being a particular barrier in urban deployment. This includes concerns regarding affected population groups and key stakeholders.

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