<< Background >>Over the past few years, civil applications of Drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) technologies have been transitioning from purely industrial applications to commercial ones and their impact on transport operations can no longer be ignored. The concept of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has been coined to describe a new type of air traffic at very low altitude over populated areas. Despite the readiness of the technology, the multidisciplinary employee teams of Local Authorities are not prepared for its integration in transport plans. There are no Training Programs for employees of Local Authorities to cultivate the required knowledge and skills to manage UAM, especially from the position of authorising, implementing and controlling UAM operations. Previous experience of Local Authorities with innovative transport services has indicated that early engagement and training of employees constitutes a key factor for the efficient integration of new technologies in transport systems.<< Objectives >>UAMschool4cities addresses in a timely manner this need and opportunity, aiming at the creation of a Training Programme for Local Authority employees to get familiar with the UAM concept and acquire necessary skills to deal with the uptake of UAM services following the recent approval of the U-Space (urban airspace) by the European Commission (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/664; effective from 26 January 2023) that allows the provision of drone services in urban environments. In order to foster employability, socio-educational and personal development, our curriculum will also be suitable for young Professionals not yet familiar with UAM. In particular, UAMschool4cities aims to create a MOOC program for building the capacity of future employees of any background interested in entering the Public Administration sector to enable them to (1) familiarize with UAM concepts and key technologies, (2) keep up with relevant UAM regulatory frameworks while determining the challenges and for Local Authorities (3) include UAM in their urban development agendas and (4) start developing responsible and socially acceptable UAM services for the benefit of their citizens.<< Implementation >>Our project will develop partnerships between Cities, Training Institutions, ICT, Drone companies and VET providers aiming at promoting and providing initial and/or continuing training to their staff in order to help people gain skills and effectively integrate these career pursuits into their work setting which is in line with the VET priority: Enhancing access to training and qualifications for all. To achieve this objective, a concrete methodology including the following activities will be applied:a) Conduction of a current needs’ analysis in skills mismatches in UAMb) Preparation of a Training Course for “UAM for Cities Certificate”.c) Development of a Training programme for ‘’UAM for Cities Certificate”.d) Implementation of the curricula to relevant personnel and certification.<< Results >>Through these activities, it is envisaged that, by the end of the project, people in a minimum of 10 cities will be trained and awarded an “UAM for Cities Certificate” By developing a new learning framework for “UAM experts”, the project´s impact will be achieved through:a) Enhanced employability through skills and competences strengthening and access to training and qualification on equal termsb) The establishment of a coherent methodology with specific tools that will enhance the provision of transport services covering emerging needsc) the establishment of a mechanism that will provide cities with skilled and qualified UAM experts, increasing standardization of servicesd) the design and delivery of a comprehensive framework for UAM experts to national and EU administrationse) A coherent multi-level dissemination strategy to reach target groups, ensure that project results´dissemination and sustainable, specific and measurable exploitation specific, while maximizing its reach and impact to relevant stakeholders and beneficiaries.

HARMONY envisages developing a new generation of harmonised spatial and multimodal transport planning tools which comprehensively model the dynamics of the changing transport sector and spatial organisation, enabling metropolitan area authorities to lead the transition to a low carbon new mobility era in a sustainable manner. Co-creation labs are established in order for citizens, authorities and industry to design together new mobility and spatial organisation concepts. At the same time, demonstrations with electric AVs, and drones take place to understand in real-life their requirements. Market surveys are organised to elicit people and freight actors' preferences and reactions towards the co-created concepts and the demonstrated new mobility technologies. The HARMONY model suite is designed to assess the multidimensional impacts of the new mobility concepts and technologies. The model suite integrates: 1. land-use models (strategic/long-term), 2. people and freight activity based models (tactical/mid-term), and 3. multimodal network (operational/short-term) models allowing for vertical planning. This integrated approach is necessary for authorities to understand if policies are sustainable, while also contribute to meeting COP22 targets, social equality and wellbeing. The HARMONY model suite is also linked to an EU-wide model to further identify the impact of the concepts and technologies on the TEN-T level. HARMONY's concepts and the model suite are applied and validated on six EU metropolitan areas on six TEN-T corridors: 1. Rotterdam(NL), 2. Oxfordshire(UK), 3. Turin(IT), 4. Athens(GR), 5. Trikala(GR), 6. Upper Silesian-Zaglebie Metropolis(PL). By having six different areas as pilots, we will be able to propose to authorities, spatial and transport planners, concepts and technologies for different types of areas/cities

CHORUS aims to tackle the complexities associated with road safety and efficiency in the transportation system by providing a unified, multi-actor orchestration framework within the Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) ecosystem. This innovative project leverages the benefits of CCAM technologies while ensuring alignment with EU directives and standards, particularly those focused on sustainability and safety. The initiative will deliver cutting-edge solutions through a multi-layer architectural framework that will be deployed across seven demonstration sites, each selected to reflect diverse urban mobility challenges and opportunities.CHORUS will focus on several key objectives to enhance urban mobility systems. First, it will work to seamlessly integrate diverse transport modes of transportation of people and goods under the co-existence of AVs and conventional vehicles, including public transportation, cycling, and ridesharing services, fostering an efficient, safe, and accessible urban mobility environment. Second, the project will enable data-driven, AI-enabled traffic management systems that allow for active data exchange in a secure and collaborative environment, supporting real-time decision-making for traffic management and AVs operation, and reducing traffic inefficiencies. Third, CHORUS will enhance the user experience through personalized travel recommendations and real-time updates, empowering users to make informed transportation choices. Furthermore, the project aims to promote innovation by encouraging collaboration between public and private sectors at both governance and operational levels, driving technological advancements within the CCAM landscape. Lastly, CHORUS will assist cities in effectively reducing traffic congestion and its associated costs while improving overall mobility efficiency, thereby contributing to European sustainability and climate goals.

The Connected and Adaptive Maintenance for Safer Urban and Secondary Roads project (‘CAMBER’) aims to develop and demonstrate improved safety monitoring across urban and secondary rural road networks through real-time data feedback into road maintenance systems and proven low-cost interventions. Performance metrics based on new-generation data sources will provide road managers up-to-date information on safety issues, damage, and routine maintenance and upgrade needs. Data collated from a range of sources, such as telematics, vehicle and smartphone sensors, and road user feedback, will feed into safety assessment models to flag what measures are required to ensure a safe road environment for all road users, including road-user minority groups with varying design needs, such as powered two-wheelers (PTW). CAMBER will support this through much-need research and testing of low-cost road safety interventions and low-impact maintenance techniques, including those for vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). The approaches will be demonstrated on urban and road networks in five European countries. CAMBER’s economically-sound solutions and new knowledge will be communicated through established networks to European road managers, policymakers and industry to support the decision-making and investment needed for more efficient maintenance for safer urban and secondary roads.

SINFONICA aims to develop functional, efficient, and innovative strategies, methods and tools to engage CCAM users, providers and other stakeholders (i.e. citizens, including vulnerable users, transport operators, public administrations, service providers, researchers, vehicle and technology suppliers) to collect, understand and structure in a manageable and exploitable way their needs, desires, and concerns related to CCAM. SINFONICA will co-create final decision support tools for designers and decision makers to enhance the CCAM seamless and sustainable deployment, to be inclusive and equitable for all citizens.