L.A. Mayor Announces Urban Air Mobility Partnership

Mayor Eric Garcetti has teamed up with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Urban Movement Labs (UML) to announce a new urban air mobility partnership to introduce electric aircraft flying in the local airspace by 2023.

The strategy rolled out will help Los Angeles map out challenges identified by local, diverse stakeholders surrounding public airspace and property rights — and implement solutions to these issues. Working together, UML and the City will lead a multi-stakeholder effort to visualize a “vertiport,” a new piece of L.A.’s transportation network where people can go to fly on an urban air mobility aircraft. The one-year partnership will culminate in a policy toolkit that can be utilized and deployed by cities, counties, and tribal governments across the country.

“Los Angeles is where we turn today’s ideas into tomorrow’s reality — a place where a barrier-breaking concept like urban air mobility can truly get off the ground,” said Mayor Garcetti. “The Urban Air Mobility Partnership will make our city a force for cleaner skies, safer transportation, expanded prosperity, and stunning innovation, and provide a template for how other local governments can take this new technology to even greater heights.”

With financial support from the Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group, this partnership will also see UML work hand-in-hand with Estolano Advisors to hire an Urban Air Mobility Fellow who will be charged with advancing a comprehensive public engagement strategy. (View more information on the fellowship and how to apply here.)

The announcement of the Urban Air Mobility Partnership comes on the heels of the publication of the “Principles of the Urban Sky,” a collaboration between Mayor Garcetti’s office, the World Economic Forum, and a group of 50 industry, not-for-profit, academic, and public sector stakeholders. The principles establish a joint commitment to safe, low-noise, and sustainable urban air mobility operations that prioritize equity, accessibility, and local workforce development.

Since its launch in November 2019, UML has worked with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to modernize its LAX FlyAway shuttle service; launched two pilot projects on sustainable, last-mile delivery services; and most recently, announced the first Transportation Technology Innovation Zone in the West San Fernando Valley, where companies can apply to test their transportation solutions for the community's mobility challenges.

Watch a video detailing the urban air mobility partnership, posted on UML's Twitter, below.

We're excited to partner with @MayorOfLA & @LADOTofficial on the Urban Air Mobility Partnership, making LA a leader in urban air mobility with the introduction of low-noise, electric aircrafts flying in our local airspace by 2023. #UrbanMvmtLabs #UrbanAirMobilityPartnership pic.twitter.com/pmcJDSbR5j

— Urban Movement Labs (@UrbanMvmtLab) December 16, 2020

Originally posted on Metro Magazine