New Publication: Mapping Research on Urban Air Mobility

An AI generated image of cargo drones and an air taxi over a city

A new paper recently published by ImAFUSA researchers provides a systematic literature review of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) research, offering insights into this rapidly evolving field.

The paper, “Mapping research achievements on urban air mobility: A systematic literature review”, is authored by Margarida R. Santos, Sofia Kalakou, and Fernando A. F. Ferreira of ImAFUSA coordinator ISCTE and published in the journal Socio-Economic Planning Sciences.

Overview of the paper

The article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of 129 scientific publications on Urban Air Mobility (UAM) published between 2017 and 2023.

Notably, it adopts a holistic and integrated approach, considering UAM’s social, environmental, economic, and safety aspects—dimensions that are often analysed separately in existing research.

The key research questions addressed by the authors are:

• Who are the main stakeholders and what are their roles in the implementation of UAM?

• What factors influence perceptions of noise, visual pollution, and overall acceptance of UAM by citizens?

• What are the main evaluation criteria used to assess the environmental, safety, and socio-economic impacts of UAM implementation?

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Using bibliometric analysis and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), the review identifies four core research clusters shaping the field:

• UAM technology and sustainability

• Environmental assessment (e.g. noise, visual pollution, emissions)

• Airspace traffic management and infrastructure

• Passenger transport, demand, and public acceptance

  
  

The paper further compiles a list of 150 indicators used in the literature to assess the environmental, safety, and socio-economic impacts of UAM implementation.

“In practice,” the authors write, the research “offers key insights to local authorities, municipalities and other policymakers, enabling them not only to develop more accurate urban planning strategies that consider both society and sustainability but also to enhance their decision-making processes to ensure the smooth integration of UAM services and increase their likelihood of success.”

The full text of the paper is available here.