created: 2022-07-10

updated: 2022-07-12

2022-07-10 Sun

Sidewalk Labs
tags:

https://storage.googleapis.com/sidewalk-toronto-ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/23135500/MIDP_Volume0.pdf

1 Toronto Quayside
following JRR's intro to Delve, by sidewalk labs (smart city subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company) -->
development called 'sidewalk toronto' that sidewalk labs was also heavily involved in

2 site
its a masterplan of the 12 acre waterfront area in Toronto called quayside.
design by Sidewalk labs, together with Waterfront Toronto (public sector partner)

3 history
Site: plot @ toronto's eastern waterfront
history as a lakefill in mid19C
was home a concentration of various manufacturing and processing plants 20C
site mostly been vacant after the use as an industrial port died down late 20C

4B from the internet up

plan was to use the 12 acre neighbourhood as a prototype, before translating it to 800acre to the east, Port Lands
**masterplan "from the internet up"
data collection in different aspects of the city --> enable more flexible + resource efficient planning (eg. housing),
provision of public amenities, and ongoing upkeep of public spaces and services

4B MIDP detailed plans

in 2019, published detailed plans for the masterplan of the waterfront neighbourhood in Toronto, laying out its ambitions
to transform it into a leading example of 'smart city', putting ideas such as self-driving cars to test.
within the detailed plans are some very exciting ideas, go into later, but interesting to acknowledge that in part - the
1500 page report was informed by a very extensive PE process

5 public engagement
public engagement took place over 2017-2019 in the lead up to the report
in the report - emphasise the democratic nature / process, use summaries of workshops and 'things they've
heard+learnt' to preface their proposals

5B 301 work space

much of the activity set in 301 workspace,
lots of low-tech engagement tools, sense of people having ownership and authorship over the future of their
neighbourhood
which seemed to ride on the growing popularity of 'participatory planning' and 'civic design',
not to undermine the validity of the participatory method but it is interesting to consider the extent of PE - especially
given the general skepticism that surrounded the project because of its association to Alphabet (Google, Android,
Deepmind, Calico, etc), there seemed to be an element of performing a level of transparency here
 in many ways, you'd also wonder what could be done with data collected via participatory methods

in any case - when the PE culminated / partially culminated in the MIDP plans, the exhastive report that outlines how
everything would work, a very high level overview of the strategies would involve 6 major components:

6.1 mobility
designing streets that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists and has greater emphasis on safety
separating regular traffic from delivery trucks and logistics, reducing truck traffic, w underground neighbourhood freight
logistics hub; designed together with the city's waste and recycling system
mobility systems that are enabled by having lots of sensors around to detect real-time use, to either allow for real-
time adaptation , eg. smart curbs/public spaces; or feed more personalised information on your trip choices

6.2 public realm and open spaces

open spaces that are designed to maximise outdoor hours - eg. by providing adequate shelter against rain/ wind/sun,
speculations of heated pavements
data sensors collect data that would coordinate not only maintenance but also programming of different public spaces,
informing how amenities such as lights would change to suit the use

6.3 housing/building
ambition to build a neighbourhodo entirely out of mass timber, with mass timber produced in Ontario, and made
according to a defined library of parts for fast production + assembly
snohetta, heatherwick, michael green - designed with same kit of parts

6.4 sustainability
passive house
thermal grid + on site renewables
energy schedules - optimise energy systems for different building types/uses/hours
storm water system to catch water
smart disposable chain to charge users + sort waste

6.5 social infrastructure

involve design of dedicated community, health, education, civic spaces

6.6 digital innovation

ubiquitous connectivity across the districts
integrating sensors in many of the public realms, roads, transportation systems, amenities etc. to gather data for
ongoing maintenance and operation of the 'smart' city, but also to offer more personalised adapted spaces as you go
align with ambition of smart city
but also raised a lot of concerns surrounding privacy, data protection/access and governance...where the public + data
sits in relation to the business model; no opt-out

example where smart city is fleshed out quite comprehensively, albeit not implemented
Q. views on future of smart cities; thoughts on how data, city, every day life intersects

Q. views on smart cities that already are being built (songdo, masdar...)
Q. views on where we (designers) stand in relation to the design/implementation of the various 'smart' systems, and
how data influence how we design spaces

10 new mixed-use buildings, out of mass timber

pneumatic trash collection system
walkable + cycle friendly street network design
eco friendly design
bring 44000 new jobs, and generate up to $4.3 billion tax revenue
building a city 'from the internet up'

network of sensors that collect urban data, data harvested would help guide decision making for the city's future
development, inform resource efficient housing and traffic planning

replica
Then we have Replica, which was spun out of Sidewalk Labs in September. It uses de-identified mobile data — procured
through app publishers, data aggregators, and telecom companies — to create models of how people move in cities: what
their commutes are like, how ridesharing impacts traffic congestion, how many cyclists use the bike lanes. These models
are then mapped onto a “synthetic” population generated through census demographic data, to create a simulated city on
the move. Replica is already working with public agencies in Kansas City, Portland, Chicago, and Sacramento; and other
partners are lining up, despite questions about the data’s origins and privacy protections. 41

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/11/google-sidewalk-labs/575551/

https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2017/10/googles-sister-company-sidewalk-labs-develop-quayside