Urban area populations worldwide are rapidly growing in size and structure. On top of creating livable spaces, city planners also need to account for various factors and balance time constraints.
Collecting real-time data is also a significant issue that architects, planners, and engineers must consider. On-site surveys can be time-consuming and inefficient. Any areas left uninspected can mean missing data or safety hazards.
While this means an increased need for faster and more efficient methods, there is good news. Recent advancements have made the best tracking drones commercially available and used widely in many industries, including city planning.
What are the Hurdles of City Planning?
City planning deals with many factors, from physical aspects like buildings to social and economic aspects. However, because of different forces during development, planners need to consider issues and challenges that may arise.
Here are a few hurdles that city planners need to consider:
#1. Urban Sprawl and Inefficient Land Use
The term “urban sprawl” refers to the expansion of a poorly-planned development spread out over large amounts of land. In many parts of the world, aerial shots from a UAV surveillance system show its adverse effects on the environment.
#2. Car-Based City Design
In many cities, roads and motor vehicles take more priority than pedestrians. Many urban development projects don’t support public transport and tend to be unfriendly to pedestrians and cyclists.
#3. Environment Irregularity
Different city sections can have unequal value as building sites and topography affects transport routes and construction methods. Without a UAV surveillance system, planners need to rule out soil and rock formations using traditional methods.
#3. Future Changes
Regarding future developments, city planners also need to anticipate and incorporate potential changes in the process. Future needs, lifestyle changes, or expansions must integrate seamlessly with the existing city layout.
4 Reasons Why a UAV Surveillance System is a Crucial Tool for Effective City Planning
Drones are now widely used in every industry and are critical for contemporary life. Their capabilities make them a valuable asset for many things, from 3D surveying to search and rescue. They are also a crucial tool for effective city planning, and here are four reasons why:
#1. Aerial Surveys
Urban developments have made it challenging to analyze cityscapes, meaning they now need to be analyzed from the air. Structures like high rises and overpasses can also make cityscapes difficult to interpret using traditional survey methods.
One of the benefits of military drones is the ability to conduct aerial surveys without needing a pilot’s license. You can use a high-resolution camera attached to a drone to take pictures or videos from a safe distance.
#2. Data Collection
Data collection is a vital part of urban planning. The worldwide increase in the urbanization rate makes citizens crammed in the same spaces. This gives city planners, architects, and engineers a significant time constraint.
To make urban development projects as time-efficient as possible, each part of the process needs to be fast and accurate. With drones providing real-time information through high-resolution imaging, you can complete projects much faster.
#3. Traffic Analysis
Recent trends in city planning are now moving towards mitigating urban sprawl in new development areas. For planners and architects, mitigating urban sprawl is designing regions that account for vehicular and foot traffic.
Aside from the best tracking drones, more models also have sensors that can detect environmental factors. Built-in heat, light, and depth sensors in drones can give architects and planners more detail.
#4. 3D Visualizations
Another advantage of deploying a UAV surveillance system for urban planning is machine-driven mapping. Map models and renders can be around people, vehicles, or environmental factors like soil and rock formations.
With accurate 3D renders, it also becomes possible to superimpose building plans onto surrounding terrain. These experiential views can offer critical insight and feedback for construction projects, whether residential or commercial.
The Takeaway
Urban development requires meticulous planning for each stage. While traditional methods help in analysis and fieldwork, they can be time-consuming and tedious. Today, one of the biggest challenges city planners and architects face is quality on-site data collection.
This makes a UAV surveillance system a vital part of every city planner’s toolkit. Visualizing data in real-time with high accuracy is optimal and essential in urban design.