What is it about?
This research presents a multi-objective optimization framework for incremental siting of capacitated vertiports of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) that integrates real land use data and aims to maximize generalized cost savings while minimizing infrastructure costs and emissions. This phased technological progression provides a practical pathway toward fully operational flying cars while ensuring feasible infrastructure adaptability across these transitions. A multi-stage stochastic programming is formulated with individual traveler's mode choice as stochastic variables, with land-use constraints and vertiports capacities integrated. The 4-phased depolyment strategy yields about 1.315 × 10e5 euros higher daily net profits (for operator)., 1.3 × 10e4 euros higher generalised travel costs savings (for public) and 15 t more emission reductions, compared with the single-phase deployment strategies. These findings enable integrated planning that effectively balances operational efficiency, system-wide environmental externalities, and economic viability through optimized cost allocation and phased investment strategies.
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Why is it important?
The development strategy for vertiport stands out as the most critical barrier, among the various challenges facing UAM implementation – including infrastructure development, aircraft design, air traffic management, community acceptance, emissions, and noise. However, the complexity of vertiport siting lies in its multifaceted nature, requiring a delicate balance between various factors: multi-phased deployment strategy, land use and demand integration, capacity constraints, economic considerations, and environmental impacts. Current research in vertiport siting often addresses these factors in isolation, failing to capture the intricate interplay between them.
Perspectives
I hope this article will encourage readers to consider the importance of network planning in the context of UAM development. It also provides a prototype for integrating multiple constraints (e.g. land use, budget), demands (e.g. travellers' preferences) and objectives (e.g. profit, saving travel costs, reducing emissions) into a comprehensive framework for vertiport location planning. It was a great pleasure for me personally to pursue this research with my co-authors, and it marks a milestone in my research progress in UAM-related planning and management studies.
Tao Guo
Technische Universitat Munchen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A sustainable multi-objective framework for multi-phased, capacitated vertiport siting with land use integration, Communications in Transportation Research, December 2025, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.1016/j.commtr.2025.100186.
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