Understanding the Value of UAM: Insights from Kyriaki Daskaloudi

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is arriving fast—and this time, the goal is to get it right. Unlike previous shifts in transport, the ImAFUSA project is making sure social impact isn’t an afterthought.

Kyriaki Daskaloudi of Future Needs is the Innovation Project Manager for the ImAFUSA Project as well as a researcher. In this interview, she explains how the project is gathering data to help cities make more inclusive decisions as they consider integrating drones and air taxis into public space.

Kyriaki supports both the design of the research and the collection of data from real participants who are exposed to drones in everyday urban settings.

“We are collecting data in order to develop socio-economic indicators that will help us understand the costs and the benefits and the accessibility of Urban Air Mobility,”

ImAFUSA focuses on understanding how IAM will affect different communities, not just through technical models, but through lived experience.

These indicators will help:

• Identify how accessible drone services are across populations

• Assess the affordability and public value of new air mobility services

• Guide responsible policy around noise, infrastructure, and equity

This work is based on the development of Sustainable Urban Air Mobility Indicators (SUAMI), a new set of performance metrics designed to help European cities lead on sustainable, human-centred innovation.

Follow our social media channels to stay informed with the latest news as we continue exploring how data can guide fair and inclusive adoption of Urban Air Mobility across Europe.

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Connect with Kyriaki Daskaloudi of Future Needs