Reusing CAV-supporting smart infrastructure for the low-altitude economy

The low-altitude economy is expanding urban mobility and service systems from ground-based networks to three-dimensional (3D) urban space. However, its large-scale deployment depends not only on aircraft technologies but also on reliable operational infrastructure for communication, navigation, surveillance, meteorological sensing, computing, and safety supervision. This study argues that smart infrastructure originally developed for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can provide a reusable foundation for low-altitude operations. Because low-altitude public routes are likely to follow existing urban corridors such as roads, railways, rivers, and utility corridors, there is strong spatial overlap with ground-based intelligent transportation infrastructure. By extending these capabilities upward, cities can reduce duplicate investment, improve infrastructure utilization, and support safe, scalable, and city-level air–ground operation management.