Urban perspectives on UAVs infrastructure development

The drone industry has the potential to catalyze a positive transformation within the transportation sector. Numerous technological advancements and regulatory milestones have been achieved, resulting in significant progress in Air Traffic Management (ATM) solutions. The SESAR project, coupled with the collective efforts of various stakeholders, has positioned the market for readiness. However, to fully unlock this significant potential and actualize the vision of the Digital European Sky, strategic challenges must be addressed. One of these challenges pertains to the scarcity of ground infrastructure. The paper highlights the need for comprehensive ground infrastructure planning and proposes a spatial analysis to strategically identify the optimal airspace to place aerial pathways for drones in urban and rural scenarios. The outcomes of the proposed spatial analysis inform the placement of critical infrastructures, including vertiports and charging stations. Taking inspiration from urban planning principles, the proposed research wants to contribute to the development of a “Ground and Aerial Traffic Master Plan”, highlighting pertinent constraints to be considered for the analysis. The paper offers an in-depth background analysis, presenting the state of the art subdivided into key research areas. First preliminary findings are presented, and future research directions are outlined.