The CITYAM 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.
As traditional traffic infrastructure is pushed to its limits, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is getting more attention. The industry is pushing forward and various drone operations are already ongoing in cities. CITYAM concentrates on these developments.
While urban mobility is slowly but steadily expanding into the air space, societies in the Baltic Sea region are not yet ready for wider-scale deployment. There are challenges to overcome related to regulations, city planning, urban air space management, public officials’ capabilities, public acceptance and policy integration.
CITYAM tackles the challenge of increased UAM potential and focuses on how these new technologies can find their way into traditional urban mobility systems in the most responsible and sustainable way.
Objective
The project helps cities and citizens to adapt to the future changes and to see the possibilities brought by Urban Air Mobility. CITYAM seeks solutions suitable for increasing UAM in a responsible way that is also acceptable to citizens. UAM has an increasingly important role in cities and the tools needed to manage it, are at the core of the CITYAM project.
Drones are a green and smart mobility form. However, 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 close transnational cooperation, CITYAM 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-relevant drone operations as part of a multimodal transport system. Increasing public officials’ capabilities, and measuring public acceptance are the keys to this work.
During the project, the solutions will be tested in the three leading cities of Hamburg, Helsinki and Stockholm for different purposes.
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: Forum Virium Helsinki (coordinator), 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, Tallinn University of Technology, 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, and Estonian Aviation Cluster.
The role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki is the coordinator of the project and also leads a package of work called Transferring Solutions. We are responsible for the implementation of the Helsinki use cases and for project-wide communication and dissemination.
Forum Virium is experienced in management of large transnational projects, in agile piloting, public acceptance studies and in drone-related projects such as AiRMOUR, which all will help in making CITYAM successful.
Benefits for Helsinki
Urban Air Mobility is a rapidly growing field of disruptive innovation that also affects cities and city planning. CITYAM helps Helsinki to prepare for a possible future where autonomous air mobility will be the norm. The project enhances the city’s rethinking of spatial and transport planning and provides concrete tools for adapting to drones as part of the overall smart mobility system. It shares knowledge of these new drone technologies, options for drone landing spots, tools for stakeholder discussions, and hands-on experience with different air mobility scenarios.
By sharing information and exchanging best practices amongst all the partners, UAM will be safe, accepted and sustainable in Europe. At the same time the project will ensure that the Baltic Sea Region continues to be a frontrunner in UAM integration.
Through CITYAM, the Baltic Sea region will strengthen its European frontrunner role in UAM and lead the way for local authorities to shape a responsible and sustainable use of the air in our cities.
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 CITYAM project contributes to building a green and resilient region with the support of EU funds from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region (2021-2027).
