Advancing low-carbon smart cities: Leveraging UAVs-enabled low-altitude economy principles and innovations

The gap between fast urbanization and the urgent requirement for carbon neutrality has posed new challenges to traffic, logistics, and industries. Global climate change, carbon emissions, limited renewable applications, and severe environmental pollution, opposite to the Sustainable Development Goals, which underscores the pressing need for innovative solutions in urban development. Therefore, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles enabled Low-Altitude Economy in the construction of low-carbon smart cities is recognized as a critical solution. From the perspective of Artificial Intelligence-based innovative technologies and low-carbon application scenarios, this paper (i) reviews the current status and research on the UAVs and policy implications on LAE; (ii) analyzes key technologies of UAVs from data acquisition and processing, intelligent control, and materials; (iii) interprets their roles and realization mechanisms in the scenes of urban carbon emission reduction, renewable energy assessment, and pollution monitoring and traceability; (iv) discusses the challenges of these applications and outlines innovative directions for urban planning and future research. This study explores the specific applications of UAVs-enabled LAE in renewable and smart cities, establishing a robust foundation and providing valuable insights for city policymakers, researchers, and professionals aiming to propel the journey toward renewable and sustainable urban environments.