Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III

The corridor network serves as an effective solution for the airspace structure safety design of UAM. However, current studies rarely account for the ground risk posed by the corridor operation and typically consider a single design objective with limited variables. In this paper, we address these g...

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Main Authors: Zhiyuan Zhang, Yuan Zheng, Chenglong Li, Bo Jiang, Yichao Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Aerospace
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/229
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author Zhiyuan Zhang
Yuan Zheng
Chenglong Li
Bo Jiang
Yichao Li
author_facet Zhiyuan Zhang
Yuan Zheng
Chenglong Li
Bo Jiang
Yichao Li
author_sort Zhiyuan Zhang
collection DOAJ
description The corridor network serves as an effective solution for the airspace structure safety design of UAM. However, current studies rarely account for the ground risk posed by the corridor operation and typically consider a single design objective with limited variables. In this paper, we address these gaps by considering three key factors: demand, safety, and implementation costs. The corridor network design is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem. In practice, firstly, we define the travel time-saving rate, average population density, and total length of corridors as optimization objectives. Then, we propose a straightforward and efficient corridor network encoding scheme that supports a variable number of corridors, significantly enhancing the diversity and flexibility of corridor network designs. Finally, based on this encoding scheme, we solve the corridor network problem using the unified non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (U-NSGA-III). Based on a detailed analysis of the obtained Pareto front, a relatively optimal design scheme across three optimization objectives is determined. The case study conducted in Chengdu illustrates that the corridor network obtained by our method not only achieves a 37.8% reduction in ground risk and a 69.9% decrease in implementation costs, but also saves a comparable 4.7% in time relative to traditional methods.
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issn 2226-4310
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publishDate 2025-03-01
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series Aerospace
spelling doaj-art-6339c8f7b5164981a0aeb3e86b52d6cb2025-08-20T02:41:51ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102025-03-0112322910.3390/aerospace12030229Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-IIIZhiyuan Zhang0Yuan Zheng1Chenglong Li2Bo Jiang3Yichao Li4College of Air Traffic Management, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, ChinaSchool of Computer Science, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, ChinaCollege of Air Traffic Management, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, ChinaFlight Technology College, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, ChinaCollege of Air Traffic Management, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, Guanghan 618307, ChinaThe corridor network serves as an effective solution for the airspace structure safety design of UAM. However, current studies rarely account for the ground risk posed by the corridor operation and typically consider a single design objective with limited variables. In this paper, we address these gaps by considering three key factors: demand, safety, and implementation costs. The corridor network design is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem. In practice, firstly, we define the travel time-saving rate, average population density, and total length of corridors as optimization objectives. Then, we propose a straightforward and efficient corridor network encoding scheme that supports a variable number of corridors, significantly enhancing the diversity and flexibility of corridor network designs. Finally, based on this encoding scheme, we solve the corridor network problem using the unified non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (U-NSGA-III). Based on a detailed analysis of the obtained Pareto front, a relatively optimal design scheme across three optimization objectives is determined. The case study conducted in Chengdu illustrates that the corridor network obtained by our method not only achieves a 37.8% reduction in ground risk and a 69.9% decrease in implementation costs, but also saves a comparable 4.7% in time relative to traditional methods.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/229urban air mobility (UAM)corridornetwork designmulti-objective optimizationtravel time efficiencyground risk
spellingShingle Zhiyuan Zhang
Yuan Zheng
Chenglong Li
Bo Jiang
Yichao Li
Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
Aerospace
urban air mobility (UAM)
corridor
network design
multi-objective optimization
travel time efficiency
ground risk
title Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
title_full Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
title_fullStr Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
title_full_unstemmed Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
title_short Designing an Urban Air Mobility Corridor Network: A Multi-Objective Optimization Approach Using U-NSGA-III
title_sort designing an urban air mobility corridor network a multi objective optimization approach using u nsga iii
topic urban air mobility (UAM)
corridor
network design
multi-objective optimization
travel time efficiency
ground risk
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/12/3/229
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AT chenglongli designinganurbanairmobilitycorridornetworkamultiobjectiveoptimizationapproachusingunsgaiii
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