This post is written by Maria Vergara Pinilla and Calum Handforth – UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development.

  • The problem: Rapid urbanisation is bringing new challenges and opportunities to city officials. Drones are a tool that administrations can leverage to improve public service delivery but they are not a panacea.
  • Why it matters: Drones could bring multiple benefits in urban settings – from delivering key services inclusively to catalysing the broader digital ecosystem – but for a successful implementation city officials must first understand what putting drones in the sky really entails.
  • The solution: Before leveraging drone systems, administrations will need to examine drone requirements vis-a-vis the local context; shape a complete drone ecosystem beyond the flying device; ensure drone initiatives are citizen-centred; and balance regulation and innovation for an enabling, yet safe environment.

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) – colloquially known as drones, are an important component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with the potential to significantly improve the way cities work. From delivering resources to hard-to-reach communities, to improving mobility with real-time traffic monitoring, drones could be a very exciting tool for city administrators to drive urban development.

With nearly 70% of the world’s population living in urban areas by 2050, city officials will need to become creative and leverage existing infrastructure combined with emerging technologies to meet the needs of a growing population. Rapid urbanisation could risk straining city resources, thereby increasing inequality and reducing residents’ quality of life. However, population growth has been accompanied by increased spending power, digital literacy skills and connectivity penetration. This presents cities of all incomes with the opportunity to leverage innovation and digital to improve the lives and livelihoods of urban residents.

Cities could use UAVs to inform data-driven policymaking, deliver services, and shape the broader innovation ecosystem. UAVs are already improving urban planning in Buenos Aires, supporting waste management efforts in Lusaka, and shaping innovation ecosystems in Kuala Lumpur. Similarly, integrating drone systems into urban planning could generate positive multiplier effects – from serving as an entry point or an accelerator in a city’s digital transformation journey to delivering solutions across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The sky’s not the limit

UAVs constitute an important tool for city administrations to achieve key urban objectives and even become global innovation leaders in the UAV sector. Before adopting UAVs, city officials will need to:

  • Examine the local context: UAVs might not be the most appropriate tool for every context. In some cities, the use of drones might not be feasible given a range of issues that include scalability, availability of infrastructure, and geographic characteristics that prevent the installation of required infrastructure. Even cities that can use drones should consider first whether UAVs are truly the most appropriate tool to tackle their unique urban challenges. For all the opportunities they represent, developing a UAV ecosystem is no easy task, and the infancy of the sector will require substantial human, financial and political capital. City administrators shouldn’t be led by tech trends but should weigh the context and required investments against feasibility and added value.

  • Shape a complete UAV ecosystem: Building on the above, adopting UAVs in cities requires building appropriate infrastructure, securing sustainable financing, and shaping an enabling UAV ecosystem comprised of multiple stakeholders. Behind the physical flying device, a host of systems, networks, processes, and actors are crucial for the successful operation of drones. Although this might sound complex, the infrastructure and systems required are not UAV-specific, and their development can catalyse a broader innovation ecosystem. For instance, digital infrastructure foundations essential for UAV systems, like strong connectivity networks and data architectures for data storage, are also crucial for the digital economy and broader digital transformation of city systems and services. This presents an exciting opportunity for cities to address multiple urban challenges by combining existing capabilities with UAV systems.

  • Ensure that technology is citizen-centred: The use of technology is not an end, but a tool available to city officials. The goal of deploying UAVs in cities is precisely to improve urban planning and public service delivery for citizens – and other outcomes. To achieve this, drone use and design need to be tailored to the particular needs and aspirations of city inhabitants. A key priority for city administrations will be to ensure that UAV developments do not infringe upon citizens’ rights, safety, and enjoyment of public space. Cities should involve civil society and the private sector in the early stages of devising processes, systems and monitoring to secure a sustainable environment that is citizen-centred. To optimise the involvement of civil society, cities will need to demonstrate the value of UAVs and raise awareness of the broader benefits the sector brings to people’s everyday lives.

  • Balance regulation and innovation: City officials can position their cities as global leaders in the nascent UAV sector. They may use tech-savvy and agile governance, as well as talented human capital to drive innovation. However, as the testbeds of UAV deployments, cities will also need to be agile in shaping national and industry standards to secure the appropriate oversight and monitoring mechanisms. This includes protecting public infrastructure, preventing the monopolisation of aerial space, and ensuring equitable access to airspace. Equally important, cities leading pilot programmes should protect the inclusion of local developers. They may do so by working across government agencies to promote opportunities for local entrepreneurship and capacity building. Cities will need to strike an adequate balance for an environment that encourages innovation, has appropriate oversight mechanisms and is – above all – citizen-driven.

Putting it into practice

Many cities are struggling to meet the demands and aspirations of a growing population. The pandemic has accelerated the need for remote service delivery and the implementation of inclusive technologies. Cities can establish standards for UAV use, monitoring, and oversight; create an enabling UAV ecosystem comprised of multiple stakeholders and adequate infrastructure; and develop sustainable funding and partnership opportunities – all of which could drive broader benefits for a city’s digital economy and digital transformation. Leadership in the UAV sector could also catalyse locally-led Southern innovation and cooperation while informing UAV policymaking in the Global North.

Putting drones in the skies is not an easy task. Administrations will need to consider their city’s unique context and challenges, assess the requirements and value of a UAV ecosystem and ensure solutions are citizen-centred.

However, putting drones in the skies is not an easy task. Administrations will need to consider their city’s unique context and challenges, assess the requirements and value of a UAV ecosystem and ensure solutions are citizen-centred. Once all these considerations are taken into full account, UAVs could bring significant operational efficiencies and meaningful value in urban settings. Cities should not be deterred by the complexity of systems and infrastructure required, but rather, be encouraged by the benefits to local administrations and the citizens they serve. Most importantly, they should also look to their local contexts – with many entrepreneurs, SMEs, and young people already exploring drones in urban settings.

This blog is adapted from the new Handbook from the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development -  The Sky's Not The Limit: How Lower-Income Cities Can Leverage Drones.

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