PLANNINGFOR ADVANCEDAIR MOBILITY Adam Cohen, Susan Shaheen,phd, and Yolanka Wulff,jd This project was funded in part by the Mineta Transportation Institute at SanJose State University through a grant from the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion’s University Transportation Centers Program. The American Planning Association will lead the way toequitable, thriving communities by creating unique in-sights, as well as innovative and practical approaches thatenable the planning community to anticipate and success-fully adapt to the needs of a rapidly changing world. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Adam Cohenhas over 20 years of experience as a researcher withthe Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the Uni-versity of California, Berkeley, and 17 years of experience as a re-searcher with the Mineta Transportation Institute of San Jose StateUniversity. He serves as an expert contributor and board memberfor the Community Air Mobility Initiative, chairs the Transporta-tion Research Board Standing Committee on Innovative PublicTransportation Services and Technologies (AP020), and co-teachesa UC Berkeley professional development course on airport systemsplanning and design. Since 1949, the American Planning Association’s Planning Advisory Servicehas provided planners with expert research, authoritative information on bestpractices and innovative solutions, and practical tools to help them manageon-the-job challenges. PAS Reports are produced in the Research Departmentof APA. Joel Albizo,fasae,cae, Chief Executive Officer; Petra Hurtado,phd,Chief Foresight & Knowledge Officer; Ann F. Dillemuth,aicp, PAS Editor. APAmembership includes access to all PAS publications, including PAS Reports,PASMemo, andPAS QuickNotes. Learn more atplanning.org/pas. Email:pasreports@planning.org Susan Shaheen,phd,is a professor in Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and Co-Di-rector of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center of theInstitute of Transportation Studies (ITS)-Berkeley and directs theUC ITS’ Resilient and Innovative Mobility Initiative. She servedas Chair of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) ExecutiveCommittee in 2021 and Vice Chair in 2020. In May 2016, she wasnamed one of the top 10 academic thought leaders in transporta-tion by the Eno Transportation Foundation, and she received the2017 Roy W. Crum award from TRB for her distinguished achieve-ments in transportation research. © March 2024 American Planning Association and Mineta TransportationInstitute. APA’s office is at 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL60601-5927; planning.org. All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without permission inwriting from APA or MTI. ISBN: 978-1-61190-214-3 Yolanka Wulff,jd,is the Executive Director of the CommunityAir Mobility Initiative (CAMI), a nonprofit organization whosemission is to support the responsible and sustainable integrationof aviation into community transportation through educa-tion, communication, and collaboration. Prior to co-foundingCAMI in 2019, she was a sustainable aviation consultant for 10years. She is a member of the Federal Aviation Administration’sAdvanced Aviation Advisory Committee, the TransportationResearch Board New Users of Shared Airspace Committee, theGeneral Aviation Manufacturers Association Electric PropulsionInnovation Committee, and the Vertical Flight Society (VFS)Board of Directors, and she organizes and convenes the annualVFS Electric Aircraft Symposium. ON THE COVER Art by Kat Earnest, San Jose State University TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY6 What Is Advanced Air Mobility?10Key AAM Concepts11Planning for AAM Impacts13About This Report14 CHAPTER 2BACKGROUND AND STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 16 Flying Car Concepts17Early Air Taxi Services18Today’s State of the Industry18AAM Market Potential20Conclusion20 CHAPTER 3POTENTIAL CHALLENGES OF ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY 22 Operational Challenges23Community Impacts 26Public Perception and Community Acceptance30Conclusion31 CHAPTER 4SOCIAL EQUITY AND ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY 36Potential Social Equity Impacts of AAM37Assessing AAM Through the STEPS Equity Framework41Stakeholder and Community Engagement41Conclusion44 CHAPTER 5VERTIPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND MULTIMODAL INTEGRATION 46Types of AAM Takeoff and Landing Infrastructure47AAM Infrastructure Business Models49Vertiport Planning and Design50Conclusion57 CHAPTER 6INTEGRATING ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY INTO PLANNING PRACTICE 63AAM in the Comprehensive Plan64 Local Policy and Regulatory Considerations for AAM69Public Investment Considerations for AAM71Partnerships and Collaboration for AAM Planning72Conclusion72 PLANNING FOR ADVANCED AIR MOBILITYPA S 606, TA B L E O F CO N T E N TS CHAPTER 7LOOKING AHEAD 77What We Know78Areas of Uncertainty 79Priority Areas for Research, Engagement, and Policy79Preparing for the Future80 APPENDIX A: GLOSSARY81 APPENDIX B: ACRONYMS USED IN T