Like airports and train stations, these terminals would be used as a base for electric aircraft to stay charged up and for passengers to hop on and off. Here's a look at six finalist concepts dreamt up by architects collaborating with Uber on the idea.

Uber first floated the idea of taking its transportation services skyward in a 2016 white paper. The Uber Elevate service would use vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to ferry people around busy urban centers. With a range of up to 60 mi (96 km), the aircraft would move between Skyports stationed around cities, getting passengers where they need to go and swapping batteries or charging up at the same time. 

At its Uber Elevate conference in LA this week, the company shared a few concepts of what the vehicles could look like, and it has now done the same for the Skyports themselves. These are the results of an invitation-based design competition held by Uber, and provide a thought-provoking, and let's face it, pretty audacious idea of what a future filled with flying taxis could look like.