Urban Air Mobility: organisation and governance of a frontier ecosystem

This paper explores Urban Air Mobility (UAM), a new frontier in the aerospace sector. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive integration among all stakeholders, both human and technological, involved in planning and implementing UAM processes. This integration is crucial to ensure the resilience of the envisioned ecosystem. The research utilizes documents from influential organizations such as NASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It blends theoretical insights with empirical analysis to emphasize the significance of comprehensive coordination of digital platforms in integrating Urban Air Mobility with other urban transport modes to effectively manage air traffic. As the urban population expands and conventional transit becomes increasingly unsustainable, UAM presents a viable alternative using advanced air mobility technologies. It is considered to have the potential to revolutionise existing modes of transport and to be a disruptive phenomenon capable of creating a new sub-sector of the aerospace industry. However, the organisation and governance of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem presents complex elements due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders, including governments, regulators, technology providers and urban planners, required for planning, implementation, and operation. The microfoundational approach, which emphasises how macro-phenomena emerge from the nuanced interaction of individual actors, is therefore presented as a potential feature of a proposed framework for understanding, organising, and managing behavioural interactions within the UAM constellation. Our analysis also covers the challenges of designing adaptive and distributed digital systems that can dynamically respond to operational disruptions and emerging threats, including cybersecurity. This need arises from the large amount of data that needs to be exchanged and processed to ensure system functioning. From this perspective, the concept of panarchy provides another valuable element for the proposed framework, as it allows to examine how different levels of governance and operations can coexist and influence each other, thus allowing to apply a systems perspective in order to achieve a robust, scalable, and flexible ecosystem, thus ensuring its overall resilience. Ultimately, this paper aims to highlight the need for a systemic approach to collaboration between all stakeholders to manage the complexity of UAM and harness its potential to transform urban transport. As we navigate the intricacies of the rapidly evolving digital transition, this work aims to provide preliminary insights to inform the strategic development of UAM platforms, ensuring that they are safe, efficient, and aligned with broader social and environmental goals