Google sister company working with Waterfront Toronto to redevelop part of lakefront
By John Rieti, CBC News Posted: Oct 21, 2017 6:00 AM ETLast Updated: Oct 21, 2017 6:48 AM ET
Toronto's deal with Sidewalk Labs must put public first, councillor says
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The concept of a "smart" neighbourhood in
Toronto designed with cutting edge technology
made by an internet giant is a thrilling idea
for some, but a concern for others. Waterfront
Toronto announced this week it will partner
with Sidewalk Labs, a sister company of
Google, to develop the east waterfront — a
mostly derelict former industrial space on the
shore of Lake Ontario, south of
Parliament Street.
Dan Doctoroff, the company's CEO
and former deputy mayor of New
York City, says the company will
spend the next year coming up
with a plan that will create
affordable housing, put new
technology like autonomous
vehicles front and centre, while
being the city's greenest
development.
"We are convinced
that we can
dramatically lower
the cost of
living," he told
CBC Radio's
Metro
Morning. But the
proposals also
raise serious
questions about
the public's
privacy in a
neighbourhood that
would be full of
cameras and
sensors, as well
as how the new
designs would
actually get
built. "They have
no permission to
build anything,"
said Coun. Paula
Fletcher, who has
been
heavily-involved
in plans to
redevelop the
nearby Port Lands.
Fletcher
says
she's
looking
forward
to
seeing
the
ideas
Sidewalk
comes
up
with
following
a
year's
work
and
a
series
of
public
consultations,
but
warns
they'll
be
held
to a
high
standard.
"It
has
to
be
good
enough
for
Toronto.
And
it
has
to
meet
certain
standards
as
far
as
jobs
and
land
use
are
concerned,"
she
said.
What does Google know that the city doesn't?
Martin Kenney, a professor of community and regional development at the University of California at Davis, says Sidewalk has some advantages when it comes to building a brand new community — including, yes, a lot of money (the company will pay $50 million US just to do the planning work). Kenney co-wrote an article called "The Rise of the Platform Economy" last year, outlining the changes tech giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon are making in the world. "We are in the midst of a reorganization of our economy in which the platform owners are seemingly developing power that may be even more formidable than was that of the factory owners in the early industrial revolution," Kenney writes in the article.
Reached
by
phone,
Kenney
says
Toronto
will
need
to
be
careful
when
it
comes
to
making
a
potential
deal
with
Sidewalk,
especially
because
as
the
first
place
to
partner
on
such
a
large
development,
this
sets
a
precedent
for
other
cities.
Meanwhile,
he
says
it's
fairly
clear
what
Google's
after.
"To
get
the
data
of
a
community…
could
be
very
powerful,"
Kenney
says,
adding
that
even
extends
to
the
planning
process.
Google,
he
explains,
is
all
about
learning.
The
chance
to
gather
information
as
it
moves
its
ideas
into
a
plan
that
will
be
put
before
the
public,
he
said,
could
be
worth
the
investment
alone.
City shouldn't 'take our eyes off' Sidewalk's plans
Waterfront Toronto's outline of the project states that the city is at a "crossroads" and lists the following challenges — climate change, providing housing for all sorts of people, and job creation.
Sean
Meagher,
executive
director
of
Social
Planning
Toronto,
says
the
city
should
be
doing
this
work, Google
or
not.
He
says
the
concept
is
"super
exciting,"
but
urges
the
city
and
public
to
watch
Sidewalk's
proposals
closely.
"Let's
make
sure
we
don't
take
our
eyes
off
protecting
the
public
interest,"
he
said.
Meagher
says
while
data
can
be
a
powerful
tool
to
help
develop
communities,
Sidewalk
should
also
make
sure
it
considers
the
"real
lived
experience"
of
those
in
the
area.
Doctoroff
is
vowing
Sidewalk's
work
won't
be
a
"top
down"
development.
The
organization's
first
public
consultation
is
set
for
Nov.
1.
Link
to
article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sidewalk-labs-toronto-development-1.4365431
