CityAM
The project aims to support and empower cities in facilitating a responsible and acceptable increase in urban air mobility via transnational Baltic Sea Region cooperation, in order to achieve a cleaner and more sustainable transportation system
In Europe the number of people living in urban environment has been growing approx. 1 million annually. This trend will continue and it is estimated that the population of European cities will be more than 340 million by 2030, which will have increasing impact on pollution and traffic congestion. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) could be one of the mitigation measures. The technology readiness is in the level where passenger and goods delivery could already be done with drones in a near future. Although drones already are having an impact in the city environment and are widely used, the potential they have in the urban mobility is still for most part unfulfilled. The three main challenges holding back the wider usage brought out by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) study[1] done in 2021 are lack of infrastructure and concerns over safety and noise.
The tools required to plan and manage the UAM are at the core of the CITYAM project. For this, a strategy and policies preparation, greater awareness and more knowledge and tools are crucial. CITYAM project with its 13 partners (out of which 6 are cities) will provide the ingredients and tools for a solid UAM strategy, to adapt city planning practices in relation to landing site and airspace management, and also to scale city-owned drone operations as part of a multimodal transport system. Increasing public officials’ capabilities, and measuring public acceptance are key to this work. As the citizens acceptance to the technology is a “make-or-break” factor in the development and scaling of Urban Air Mobility.
Duration, funding, partners
Funding: Interreg Baltic Sea Region
Budget 3.717.080 €, co-financing 2.973.664€
Duration: 1.1.2023-31.12.2025
Partners: Tallinn University of Technology, Forum Virium Helsinki, National Land Survey of Finland, Aalto University, Hamburg Aviation Cluster, Stockholm City, Kista Science City, Hamburg Port Authority, Riga Technical University, City of Riga, City of Tartu, Estonian Aviation Academy, and City of Gdansk.
Associated partners: Fintraffic Air Navigation Services, City of Helsinki’s Economic Department and Land Use Planning Department, City of Hamburg’s Ministry of Economy and Innovation,Gesellschaft fur Luftverkesinformatik, LFV (Swedish Civil Aviation Administration), Latvia Association of Large Cities, Estonian Aviation Cluster, Technical University of Gdansk, and Polish Civil Aviation Authority.
Sustainability and Responsibility
The project seeks sustainable and accessible solutions that increase social equity. Drones are a green and smart mobility form, but the potential, volume and sustainability of these automated vehicles in the lower airspace of our cities needs management and better planning. For this, a strategy and policies, preparation, greater awareness and more knowledge and tools are crucial.
Through CITYAM, the Baltic Sea region will strengthen its European frontrunner role in urban air mobility and lead the way for local authorities to shape a responsible and sustainable use of the air in cities.
The project is funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region.
The role of FinEst Centre for Smart Cities
FinEst Centre for Smart Cities together with Tallinn University of Technology Ragnar Nurkse Department are participating in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) project - CITYAM and are leading the development of the social acceptance study targeting safety, security, privacy, noise and visual pollution aspects. But also landing sites (locations, size, noise, ...), sustainability, accessibility ans social equity aspects. Our role is also to conduct the evaluation of the impact of the CITYAM developed solutions.
FinEst Centre for Smart Cities contact in CityAM
Henry Patzig
[1] https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/uam-full-report.pdf