What is the future of flight?
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Join us for CoMotion LA ‘26 this November 18-19 for our 10th edition: Cities on the Move: Mega-events, AI & Shaping What’s Next — featuring the OMF Summit Track.
It’s hard to say exactly what flying will look like in a decade or so, but it’s noteworthy that an aviation giant like Boeing is betting big on Archer Aviation, one of the pioneers of electric vertical takeoff and landing technology.
We also noticed a couple stories highlighting different angles to the ongoing urban civic debate about surveillance technology. There appears to be a growing public backlash to AI-powered surveillance tools widely embraced by police departments. Leaked documents show that Flock Safety, which operates license plate readers, has considered striking partnerships with ride-hail companies to put their technology onto every driver’s car. But on the bright side Philadelphia’s AI parking enforcers are helping buses go faster.
What you need to know
Boeing’s big bet on Archer: Boeing announces it is selling three autonomous aviation subsidiaries to Archer Aviation, the promising eVTOL developer based in San Jose, Calif. In exchange for giving Boeing a 16.5% stake and a seat on its board, Archer acquires eVTOL rival Wisk Aero, which is developing autonomous air taxis; military drone maker Insitu; and SkyGrid, which is building a traffic management system for autonomous aircraft.
The move suggests that Boeing may not believe it is in the best position to nurture eVTOL technology but that it does not want to be left out of an increasingly electric and autonomous aviation future.
How Philly is clearing the streets with AI bus cameras: Philadelphia transit agency SEPTA has put AI cameras on buses to spot and ticket cars illegally parked in bus lanes. In the past year the move has generated $14.5 million in fines and, more importantly, is leading to a big drop in illegal parking. As a result, SEPTA is reporting far fewer delays due to cars blocking transit lanes and average travel times have sped up.
Flock pitched turning Uber and Lyft into mass surveillance partners: Flock Safety recently pondered a plan to bring hundreds of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers into its license plate reader network. The plan, leaked to 404 Media, focused on striking a partnership with Nexar, the maker of a dashcam that is popular among ride-hail drivers. Flock tells 404 Media that it never executed the partnership. Every Uber or Lyft driver in an area makes for a pretty formidable surveillance network. It’s not hard to see the crime-fighting potential as well as the potential for abuse.
California’s car-centric housing plans: An analysis of local housing plans across California by researchers at the UC Berkeley Turner Center for Housing Innovation finds that all of the proposed new housing will reduce miles driven by less than 1%. This is because not enough of the planned new housing is being proposed in walkable or transit-oriented locations.
100 days away from CoMotion LA ‘26!
This November 18-19, we celebrate the special 10th edition of CoMotion LA, bringing together the leaders, innovators and decision-makers reshaping how cities move, connect and grow. See the latest confirmed Speakers here.
Join the movement in November to hear how:
- Autonomy is optimizing traffic flow and solving last-mile connectivity.
- LA is preparing for one of the world’s largest sporting events, and how mobility lessons from the World Cup can create a lasting urban legacy.
- Public and private sector collaboration is central to unlocking the capital needed for sustainable, large-scale infrastructure projects - and what’s changing.
- Payment systems can seamlessly connect transit, parking, and multimodal travel.
- Real-time data can transform contested curb space into a dynamic, efficiently managed asset for parking, delivery, and micromobility.
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The winner will be selected at random by August 31st. If you are drawn we will contact you via the email address provided upon entry.
What we’re reading
The DeFlock movement: The New York Times takes a deep dive into the growing backlash against AI surveillance tools being used by police departments around the U.S. Opposition to surveillance tech comes from across the political spectrum, but so too does support. Setting the boundaries on surveillance in public spaces could very well become a major urban debate in the coming years.
Why are men biking so much more? Bogota, Colombia is one of the world’s great cycling success stories, home to roughly 900,000 bike trips per day. However, women make less than 30% of them. Why? Women are more likely to fear for their safety but they are also simply far less likely to know how to ride a bike. The Guardian digs into what advocates in Bogota are doing to bring greater parity to their city’s cycling culture.
