How Drones Can Improve Planning and Design

Jordan M. Peterson follows the news of the Federal Aviation Administration's recently released guidelines for commercial "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" (otherwise known as drones), with a discussion of the potential of drones to influence the way planners and designers work.

"These small but complex machines will increasingly become a vital part of the landscape architect and planner’s toolkit; they will re-shape the 'imageability' of our cities, enabling a higher level of legibility in visual communication," writes Peterson in stating the thesis of his argument.

According to Peterson, we're likely to see drones become almost ubiquitous tools of the trade. "While the technology was nearly unattainable a few years ago, anyone can now purchase a ready-to-fly, GPS-stabilized, camera-equipped drone for the price of a cheap TV, effectively leveling the playing field in aerial imagery."

For a "blue-sky" wish for the potential of drones to influence the way we design and plan our cities, Peterson adds this: "Perhaps the most powerful use of the technology will be as a tool for both city and community governments and design and planning firms to aid in the public participation process. Used in conjunction with more traditional forms of media for community engagement, UAV imagery can help bridge the gap between two-dimensional, temporally-devoid satellite imagery and the more prosaic ground-based conventional camera."