In her article, “Economic Opportunity in the Sky,” Lindgren, a WSP USA urban aviation innovation consultant in Los Angeles, discussed the opportunity that aerial mobility technology provides cities. She said government has the power to positively influence its regions’ strategic positioning within this burgeoning field through workforce development, industrial-based revitalization and the activation of local aviation assets.
“Aerial innovation has implications for sectors that include not only aerospace and civil aviation but also construction, e-commerce, traditional ground transportation operations and regional planning,” Lindgren wrote.
Today, unmanned aircraft systems are providing numerous benefits to government and civil organizations, including plane inspections at airports, medical supply deliveries and mosquito population monitoring.
Development of these technologies is accelerating quickly, outpacing the policy-making that governs it. She called it the largest boom in aviation since the 1950s, pointing out that cities and states now face an opportunity to guide its implementation.
“Partnerships across multiple levels of governments, researchers, private industry and, most importantly, the public, will allow this industry to thrive,” Lindgren wrote.
Before joining WSP, Lindgren served as manager of economic and business policy in the office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, where she represented the city's interests in the drone, aerospace and manufacturing industries at a local and national level.
Click here to read Lindgren’s Government article.
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