DECLARATION on Urban and Rural Drone Governance

 

V3.0, 3 Nov 2023

DECLARATION on Urban and Rural Drone Governance Across Multiple Levels with supporting stakeholders by the International Conference ITS2023: Intelligent Systems & Consciousness Society

Patras, 03 November 2023

The International Conference "ITS 2023:
Intelligent Systems & Consciousness Society" is
thankful to its participants for their support.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) ensure
comfortable, fast and safe movement of
people and goods in cities, communities and
rural areas. Conscious Connected ITS (CC-ΙTS)
are key to autonomous transport. Founded on
holistic understanding and optimal
interpretation of values and situations
involving people, objects, vehicles and drones
they lead to drastically improved mobility and
safety. Drones, with their versatility and
potential for autonomous operations can be
central in ITS, revolutionizing the fields of
logistics, agriculture, public safety, and the
environment. This Declaration intends to assist
its members to move forward in integrating
drones in ITS and mobility governance.

This Declaration builds on the longstanding
activities of the Urban-air-mobility Initiative
Cities Community (UIC2), more specifically the
UIC2 Manifesto for the Multilevel Governance
of Urban Skies presented in December 2020 at
the Amsterdam Drone Week 1. To this end, the
members of this Declaration recognise the
importance for harmonised and international
Urban/Rural Space regulation, and recognise
the central role of cities and local decision
makers in forming the new mobility ecosystem.

We acknowledge the need for establishment of
urban/rural flight operations at national,
regional and city level, in alignment with the
relevant articles of EU drones regulation (EU)
664/2021 and national legislation. We
recognise the need for competent civil aviation
authorities to lead the legal implementation
and approval of drone flight operations in
accordance with the recent EU regulations on
drones and the fundamental principles of
subsidiarity and proportionality within the new
ecosystem.

This Conference recognises and supports the
cities and regions in their role as an

accountable stakeholder in the governance of
the urban and rural airspace to be explicitly
acknowledged and referenced in the
prospective drone directives and action plans.
This is an imperative in the context of multilevel
responsible governance of drone operations
and responsive decentralised policy
implementation for the benefit of the citizen.
This Conference requests that:
  1. Cities/Regions have an accountable role
    in allowing, consistent with the rules, the
    operation of drone services of public
    interest, including future public transport,
    postal-deliveries, emergency services in
    alignment with the needs and
    preferences of their citizens.
  2. Cities/Regions have an accountable role in
    establishing the extent that drone operations
    can be conducted in their territories.
  3. Cities/Regions have an accountable role in
    establishing the spatial and temporal bounds
    for permitting drone operations within
    their territories (e.g. geo-fencing, day-
    /night-time restrictions, noise and visual
    abatements), respecting the citizens and
    the environment, customised to their
    needs according to the established legal
    framework.
  4. Cities/Regions have an accountable role in
    deciding the location of take-off and landing
    sites.
  5. Prosecution of infringements of the public
    use of the urban/rural drone airspace
    over a city or region remains a local task in
    alignment with competent authorities’
    principles and guidance for safety and
    security.

This Conference trusts the above requests will
be treated with consideration and attention in
the forthcoming National, Regional and City
Urban and Rural Space Regulatory Framework
by acknowledging the imperative for multilevel
governance of Urban and Rural Space.

1(https://civitas.eu/urban-air-mobility).


Sign the "DECLARATION on Urban and Rural Drone Governance" here.