Abstract
Rural isolation is an issue Japan faces even though it has one of the most extensive transport networks in the world. Japan has four major islands; of these, Shikoku is the only one largely cut off by the Seto Inland Sea to the main transportation networks that spans throughout the other three. The rapid advent of automated aerial vehicles, however, has the potential to rapidly connect these formerly remote areas in a more direct and immediate manner to the Japanese economy. With Japan having the world’s largest aged population, as well as consistent rural depopulation, many of the residents living in the islands of the Seto Inland Sea face inconveniences regarding accessibility to healthcare and consumerism-related services, especially the elderly which make up at least a third of the population in this region. The Japanese government is therefore trying to respond to these issues by promoting regional revitalisation via developments in infrastructure and transportation, as well as to create high-quality destinations for local and international tourists. In this thesis, I speculate on how Urban Air Mobility (UAM) could connect the Seto Inland Region into a larger Japanese mobility network and to focus on the ability of architecture to integrate this new urban system into existing cities and ways of living.