The vision for air taxis in Frisco became a little bit clearer after the reveal of two concepts of Uber Air’s flight transportation centers. BOKA Powell, a Dallas-based architecture and design firm, unveiled the concepts at the 2019 Uber Elevate Summit in Washington, D.C., for skyport mobility hubs in downtown Dallas and Frisco. The firm was asked to create a conceptual design for 2023 implementation in an urban and suburban setting, according to BOKA Powell marketing and communication manager Brooks Powell. Powell said the first concept focused on implementing a hub in an urban environment such as downtown Dallas. This concept would retrofit an existing parking structure and include an elevator to get passengers to a waiting area for the air taxi. He said this is designed to accommodate to the lack of land in a more urban area. The second concept designed for an area such as Frisco would look a little different. “The other scheme that we did looks at what could happen in, say, Frisco where you have more open space available and you kind of want things to be at a lower scale, but also include a number of different elements like retail and restaurants,” Powell said. Powell said these concepts are separate from the partnership between Uber and Hillwood Properties that is looking to develop three hubs, or vertiports, by 2020 for the air taxis. BOKA Powell’s concepts are not yet fully vetted, he added. However, the concepts are a step toward the future of Uber Air. “With the first launch of Uber Air just a few short years away, this collection of Skyport Mobility Hub concepts establish a practical, sustainable vision for the infrastructure needed in the communities we plan to serve,” John Badalamenti, Uber’s head of design for Elevate, said in a statement. The first concept could involve an elevator and waiting area for passengers.[/caption]