Tomorrow’s Connected Communities:

ICT Strategies and Opportunities

Connected Urban Development Global Conference 2008

Bill Hutchison
Chair, i-Waterfront Advisory Council
Executive Director, Intelligent Communities
Waterfront Toronto
bhutchison@waterfrontoronto.ca San Francisco
www.waterfrontoronto.ca February 21 2008
Waterfront Toronto

ƒ Established 2001
ƒ Three levels of government
ƒ Mandate to lead and oversee all aspects of revitalization
World’s Largest Urban Revitalization Initiative

Context for Revitalization:

• Revitalization vs. Redevelopment
• Goals: Sustainable Economic and Social Development
• Blending Business Capital and Human Capital
 Overall Scope
• $17 billion
– $4 billion public sector
– $13 billion private investment

• Four Districts
– Exhibition Place/Ontario Place
– East Bayfront
– West Don Lands
– Port Lands

• 200 hectares of parks and public spaces

• Major Film Studio
• 40,000 residential units: +100,000 residents
• Ten million square feet of employment space
Context for Revitalization
ƒ Revitalization vs. redevelopment

ƒ Public Policy Agenda:

– Reduce urban sprawl
– Develop sustainable communities
– Build more affordable housing
– Create more parks and public spaces
– Expand public transit
– Increase economic competitiveness
Fundamental Principles

ƒ Public Accessibility

ƒ Sustainable Development

ƒ Design Excellence

ƒ Economic Prosperity

ƒ Fiscal Sustainability
Sustainability
• Leading edge technology and innovation
– Mixed use/local services
– Transit
– Parks & Open Spaces
– Green Building Requirements
– District Energy
– Intelligent Communities

• Market Transformation

• Sustainability Framework/Swedish Audit

Vision – Overall Scope
Lake Ontario Park
Waterfront Neighbourhoods

West Don Lands

East
Bayfront

Port Lands
Lower Don Lands
Central Waterfront Promenade

• International design competition

• Bathurst to Parliament

• Continuous public access

• Transform Queens Quay into iconic boulevard

West Don Lands & East Bayfront
• 130 acres of parks and public
spaces - 25% of precinct

• 12,000 residential housing units,

including 2,400 social

• 3, 000,000 sq ft commercial

• Elementary School(s)

• Recreation and childcare centres

• Community Wellness Centre

• Transit, bikeways & pedestrian

connections
Strategy for Sustainable Economic &
Social Development: Create a new
Intelligent Community; “i-Waterfront”

• Proven over 20 years to facilitate

economic and development
• Ensures Business Innovation
AND Social Innovation
• Key to success = i-waterfront*Net
(low-cost gigabit broadband
intelligent communications
infrastructure: FTTH and
ubiquitous wireless
Green Building Specifications

• Experienced Team
• Integrated Design Process
• LEED Gold Certification
• Minimum Energy Use
• Green Roofs
• District Energy
 District Energy

• District Energy system in the West

Don Lands and East Bayfront

• District Energy provides heating and

cooling to a community of buildings
from one central plant

• Reduces costs of new buildings,

lowers air emissions, improves air
quality, consistent with corporation’s
sustainability goals
Transit

• Transit first approach; within 5 minute walk of all residences

• EA underway
• Construction scheduled to start 2008; service operational in 2009
 i-waterfront*net: Open Access Architecture

Residents
Ultra Content and
Businesses Content and services broadband service
Institutions Infrastructure providers
Digital Media Business
• Focus on new digital media companies as part of employment
strategy
• Filmport, Corus Entertainment are new anchors in the
precinct
The Key Elements in Implementing i-Waterfront

• Community collaboration:
– Define the vision
– Create the roadmap

• Economic development, marketing and inbound investment:

– Building the i-Waterfront plan into the economic development
and job creation plans

• Leadership:
– Education of the WATERFRONToronto Board of Directors
– Create and use of the i-Waterfront Advisory Council
– Create focused subcommittees of the Advisory Council to lead the
e-application strategies
– Create international expert panel on broadband infrastructure
Other Global Intelligent Communities*

As selected by the Intelligent Community Forum,

“ICF”…..a Global Think Tank based in New York

Taipei, Waterloo, Glasgow, Sunderland,

Mitaka, Singapore, Tianjin, Seoul, Vasteras
……… and many more

The Winning Characteristics : Community

leadership, collaboration, digital democracy,
marketing, sustainability, advanced
broadband infrastructure
In Closing

• Ultra broadband infrastructure provides the foundation and

the first step

• The e-applications generate usage social prosperity and

sustainable economic development.
www.WATERFRONToronto.ca