What does it take for drones to become a useful part of city life?
In Stockholm, real-world drone trials carried out over the past three years have shown that some of the biggest barriers to implementation are not in the air, but on the ground. In particular, permit processes and regulatory coordination, together with internal coordination and clear communication with residents, proved critical when moving from isolated pilots to real-world use.
These insights come from CITYAM, an EU-funded project in which Stockholm explored how drones can be introduced into urban environments in a practical and responsible way. The project was led by Kista Science City together with the city’s Traffic Administration, with the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration (LFV) as an associated partner.
This article draws on these trials to show what it takes to move from testing drones to making them work in a city context.
Putting drones to the test
CITYAM in Stockholm included two tests that explored both the potential and the practical realities of operating drones in a dense urban environment.
Keeping beaches cleaner
Every summer, several of Stockholm’s public beaches struggle with goose droppings that affect both comfort and water quality. Within CITYAM, the city tested whether drones could be used to gently steer geese away from swimming areas.
Between 2023 and 2025, drones equipped with AI-based tracking were flown within visual line of sight over selected beaches, using sound to deter geese during peak swimming season.
In the 2024 season alone, nearly 7,200 geese were steered away out of 7,614 observed, a deterrence rate of almost 95 percent. Visitors were informed through on-site signs and QR codes, which also invited reports of goose sightings. In total, 287 citizen interactions were registered, giving the city a clearer picture of how residents engaged with the test.
A fixed drone station in Farsta
The second pilot tested a drone-in-a-box system on the roof of Farsta swimming hall in southern Stockholm. Provided by Nokia Drone Networks, the system was installed to assess whether a fixed drone station could operate safely and reliably on a city-owned building.
Over two weeks in October 2025, the drone carried out controlled vertical flights up to 20 metres, conducted within the applicable EU regulatory framework. The pilot also made clear what needs to be in place around the flights for a station like this to work in practice.
The test required coordination around access, power and safety with several actors, including property and facility stakeholders, technical specialists and relevant aviation authorities. Residents were informed in advance, and posters in and around the swimming hall explained what was happening.
A qualitative study followed visitors and neighbours during the test period to capture their reactions. Overall attitudes were largely positive, but conditional, with respondents emphasising the need for clear rules, transparency around purpose and safeguards against misuse.
Processes make the difference
The pilots showed that while what happens in the air is central, making drones work in a city depends just as much on what is in place on the ground, from internal coordination to how residents are informed. Three lessons stood out.
Coordination is the hidden work behind every flight
Even relatively small drone tests involve many actors. In the geese project, traffic administration, city districts and central city offices had to work together. In Farsta, the list grew longer: system suppliers, building owners, electricians, hall staff and aviation authorities all needed to be aligned.
Without clear roles and routines, these tests would have been far more difficult to carry out. The project made it obvious that cities need established ways of working across departments if drones are to be used more widely. Permissions, safety, infrastructure and operations all intersect – and someone has to hold that together.
Public acceptance depends on clarity and purpose
CITYAM also generated new insight into how residents view drones. Through the City of Stockholm’s Citizen Panel (Medborgarpanelen) and project-specific studies, Stockholmers were asked how they feel about drones in the urban environment.
The picture that emerged was nuanced. Awareness was high, almost nine out of ten respondents had seen or heard about drones. Many were positive about using them for clear public benefit, such as emergency response, environmental monitoring or infrastructure maintenance. At the same time, a large share also saw risks and disadvantages.
Concerns centred on privacy, noise, safety and not knowing who was behind a flight or why it was taking place. Respondents stressed the need for strict rules, transparent purposes and controlled forms of use.
The project showed that communication matters. Advance information to neighbours, visible signage on site and simple ways to ask questions or give feedback all contributed to building trust. When tests had a clear, understandable purpose, such as keeping beaches open and clean, it was easier for residents to see the value.
Long-term planning enables wider use
CITYAM also underlined that drones cannot be handled as isolated experiments. If cities want to use them at scale, they need a long-term strategy.
One of the key outcomes of the project is an urban air mobility roadmap that describes the steps required for integration: from initial analysis and strategy development to policy decisions, implementation and follow-up. It highlights the need to map potential use cases, identify infrastructure needs, clarify the city’s role as enabler and regulator, and build internal competence around regulations and risk assessment.
For Stockholm, CITYAM helped identify where drones could support existing tasks – such as inspections, data collection and traffic analysis – and where internal processes need to develop further. It also showed that experiences and lessons learned should be shared across departments, so that knowledge does not stay locked in individual pilots.
Laying the groundwork for future urban air mobility
CITYAM has helped clarify what it takes to use drones in a city setting in ways that are both useful and responsible. The pilots showed how drones can support practical tasks, such as beach management, while also making clear the importance of permits, coordination and communication when operations move into public space.
“Real integration is the result of collaboration and public awareness – not the number of kilometres flown,” says Isabelle Nyroth, technical advisor at Kista Science City.
As interest in urban air mobility grows across Europe, the experiences from Stockholm, together with the project’s roadmap, provide a concrete reference point for cities assessing new use cases, responsibilities and ways of working.
If you want to learn more about the work around urban air mobility in Kista and Stockholm, contact Lucas.uhlen@kistasciencecity.com
About CITYAM
CITYAM is a project under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, implemented from January 2023 to December 2025. It brings together a 13-partner consortium, including six cities, to develop and test tools and approaches that help cities plan for and manage emerging urban air mobility. CITYAM is co-funded by the European Union.
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