Three PMR Readiness Priorities for Urban Planners in 2026

Author: Adam Beck

Date Published: January 15, 2026

After a busy 2025 in the global delivery robots market, it is no surprise that the market is projected to reach USD 3.23 billion by 2030, according to Markets & Markets, June 2025. Deploying public-area mobile robots (PMRs) for food delivery is one of the use cases that communities may be moving toward, but, for the most part, it seems cities aren't making much progress in leveraging the technology for public works, emergency services, or other promising applications that could positively impact urban services.

From our perspective, success depends less on technology than on urban planning preparedness. So, if you're an urban planner, here are three priorities to get your city PMR-ready in 2026:

1. Audit and Upgrade Your Physical Infrastructure Now

Your sidewalks weren't designed for robots and pedestrians to share space. Cornell Tech researchers proved this in April 2025 with their "robotability score" for New York City. Areas with the highest scores were 4.3 times more suitable for robots than the lowest-scoring areas. Six features dominated: pedestrian density, crowd dynamics, pedestrian flow, sidewalk quality, street width, and street furniture density.

Start with comprehensive sidewalk network audits. Map obstacle density, measure clearway widths, and assess surface quality. Cities like Irvine, California, are deploying sensor-equipped robots (PMRs) to identify infrastructure barriers before deployment.

Plan for new PMR-specific assets: charging stations, maintenance facilities, dedicated zones, pickup/drop-off areas. Where you place these matters for land use, public space allocation, and economic development.

2. Update Zoning Frameworks Before Operators Apply

Existing zoning codes rarely address PMRs. Minneapolis and Seattle recognised this, partnering in December 2024 on a USD 14.8 million federal grant to develop digital curb management systems. They're tackling zero-sum competition for curb space before PMR deployment scales.

Determine whether PMRs constitute commercial activity, delivery services, or transport infrastructure. This classification affects operational zones, storage locations, and approval requirements. Develop contextual zoning approaches balancing innovation with community needs across commercial, mixed-use, and residential districts.

3. Establish Cross-Departmental Coordination

PMR deployment spans transport, planning, public works, economic development, and emergency services. The ISO 4448 standard, published in 2024, provides the global framework, but local implementation requires coordinated governance.

Consider creating PMR working groups involving all relevant departments. Build engagement strategies early and address equity upfront to ensure infrastructure investments reach all relevant activity centres, not just premium precincts.

Cities investing in these priorities position themselves well to capture PMR benefits while avoiding unplanned, potentially chaotic deployments that we saw plague ride-hailing and e-scooter deployments over the past 5-7 years.

PMR Readiness might just be good public realm management: The PMR technology is here. The question is whether your city's planning is.

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Please follow Adam Beck on LinkedIn for more thoughtful updates from this author: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adampbeck/ The Urban Robotics Foundation is a global non-profit organization that offers training and workshops specializing in municipal readiness for urban robots and related technologies to enhance liveability and financial sustainability for cities. If you are looking for consulting or advisory support to prepare your community for new technologies like PMRs, please reach out to us through our contact page.