Electric air taxis are coming soon to a city near you, with companies promising quick and quiet travel. In April, Archer Aviation unveiled its four-seater Midnight aircraft, designed to fly up to 50 miles with minimal downtime. A White House executive order, signed on June 6 and aimed at encouraging nationwide public-private partnerships, allowed manufacturers to begin testing these flying cars.

Air taxis may well improve some people’s lives ‒ but possibly at the expense of nearby communities.

According to electric aircraft makers like Archer and Joby Aviation, flying cars ‒ which take off and land like helicopters ‒ could revolutionize short-distance travel for the general public, such as by shrinking commutes or whisking people to the airport. Joby’s CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, envisions "weaving air taxi services into the fabric of daily life worldwide.” Archer CEO Adam Goldstein confidently asserts that its air taxis will be a “mass market product” akin to ridesharing in cars, but soaring above in “highways in the sky.”

We’d be wise to remember, however, that highways on land have bisected established neighborhoods, encouraged more drivers and worsened air quality ‒ all of which harm surrounding communities. Highways in the sky could also damage the areas they traverse, even without the asphalt or........

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