Ten questions concerning urban wind environments for the safe utilization of urban air mobility

• Provides a comprehensive review of the interaction between UAM and urban wind environments. • Summarizes the aerodynamic effects and operational risks of urban winds on UAM vehicles. • Discusses methods for evaluating and controlling urban airflows to enhance UAM safety. • Explores flight path optimization and real-time wind information acquisition for UAM operations. • Proposes research and regulatory frameworks for safe and sustainable UAM implementation in cities. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is experiencing rapid global development and is projected to deliver substantial benefits to the evolution of modern cities. Its application requires a precise understanding of urban wind environments and the establishment of safe flight operations. This paper organizes the relationship between UAM and urban wind environments into ten key questions, summarizing essential concepts, technological advancements, and research trends. It examines the effects of turbulent flows generated by buildings and structures in urban areas on the flight stability of UAM, while also exploring methods for airflow prediction and wind environment control through urban design. Furthermore, it discusses evaluation techniques for urban airflow using numerical fluid and meteorological analysis, wind tunnel experiments, observational technologies, and the potential of new predictive methods leveraging machine learning. Additionally, the paper presents challenges and countermeasures for UAM operations, including the mitigation and optimization of wind conditions through building layout and design, flight route planning, UAM’s influence on non-wind urban environments, and the establishment of operation regulations.