Order a cup of coffee on your mobile phone, an UAV will fall from the sky and bring your coffee like a delivery rider in shorter than 15 minutes; commute to work by “flying” and transport the wounded with an aerial “ambivalence” to say goodbye to the annoying traffic congestion; UAVs put on a fascinating “sci-tech show” in the air to illuminate the city at night and vitalize nighttime consumption. As a core node city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen is witnessing an increasing number of application scenarios for low-altitude economy, where scenes of imaginary futuristic cities in Hollywood blockbusters are gradually turning into a reality.

Ranging from air transport to the space industry, mankind has never stopped exploring the sky and extending upward human civilization. These efforts have generated enormous economic and industrial opportunities while chalking up new human imaginations for the sky. Low-altitude economy is becoming an important driver for high-quality economic growth and cultivating a RMB1tn-level market size. Shenzhen Municipality in its 2023 work report has called for the construction of a center for low-altitude economy, a comprehensive demonstration area for the general aviation industry and a pilot area for civil UAVs flying. This is the first time that Shenzhen Municipality has mentioned “low-altitude economy” in its work reports.

Known as a populous industrial district that is competitive in manufacturing, Longhua District boasts enormous demand and a solid industrial foundation in the low-altitude market which takes the forms of logistics and transport, individual consumption, commercial flight and new media in the air, and is home to a number of leading enterprises in low-altitude economy. In the fulfillment of the strategy of developing low-altitude economy in Shenzhen, Longhua District has been charged with important tasks, among which is the construction of a pilot area for intelligent delivery by UAVs in Shenzhen. In 2023, Longhua District decides to proceed by trial and error on the back of its advantageous conditions, puts forward the goal to build a pioneering area for low-altitude logistics and strives to accelerate the low-altitude economy by following the development philosophy featuring “technology drive, scenario innovation and mechanism reform”.

“Low-altitude logistics is a strength unique to Longhua District’s logistics industry. Endowed with strengths in geography, industry, and science and technology, Longhua District strives to seize the new track of low-altitude economy at the right time.” According to a person in charge of Longhua District Bureau of Development and Reform, Longhua District enjoys “good timing” in policies as it is designated as a pilot area for unmanned aerial vehicles in Shenzhen, “geographical advantages” in testing as it abounds with rivers and greenbelts and its mountains, high-rise buildings and flying height limits exert minor effects, and “widespread support” in R&D as it boasts well-developed industrial chains in low-altitude manufacturing, flight and guarantee, such leading companies as Meituan operate on a regular basis a few UAVs delivery routes and the campaign of constructing regional digital urban areas has stepped up support for application scenarios.

Longhua District, which is working hard to seize the preemptive opportunity to develop the low-altitude economy, has paved a solid industrial foundation in the low-altitude economy, fostered a favorable ecological environment and gathered widespread social consensus.

Looking into the future, Longhua District, which is on a faster track to build the supporting infrastructures, will garner support from such low-altitude flying scenarios as low-altitude logistics to push ahead with R&D and application of unmanned aircraft technology, dig into such segments as low-altitude manufacturing and low-altitude services and build itself into a high ground for the innovation-oriented development of low-altitude economy in the Greater Bay Area, help Shenzhen take the lead in making breakthroughs and set up models in low-altitude economy and strive to seize the competitive advantage in the new domain of modern logistics.