Sidewalk Toronto, the part of Sidewalk Labs responsible for the Toronto Quayside project, has announced the first of four planned roundtable meetings that are open to the public. At these meetings, Sidewalk Toronto will share updates about its project and attendees will also be able to share their ideas for “creating a healthier, more inclusive, and sustainable approach to urban living.”
Back in October the Alphabet subsidiary, Sidewalk Labs, announced its intention to build a smart city in Toronto"s Quayside. Sidewalk Labs want to use the latest technologies to address some of the biggest challenges facing cities today, including the increasing energy consumption, the cost of housing, and the state of transportation.
While most cities around the world have built up over time and technological changes have been added on in a bolt-on fashion, Quayside will integrate technology from the get go to allow for better management of the city. Sensors around the city will be able to detect and report on environmental data such as carbon monoxide, noise, vibrations, and temperature. Shared electric vehicles are going to be one of the main forms of transportation while a heavy focus will be on walking and cycling too in order to bring down pollution levels.
Sidewalk Labs wants to build Quayside in order to demonstrate to other cities how they can make their cities smarter. The meetings that have been announced will start to reveal the progress made by the firm as development continues and act as a way for locals to give their feedback.
In an email, Sidewalk Toronto said:
“During this first meeting, we will introduce ourselves, explain the project and its timelines, present a series of challenges and ideas we are considering, and address head-on some of the concerns we have heard about this project. You’ll then work in small, facilitated groups to make sure we get the benefit of your ideas and guidance. The evening will conclude with a Q&A session.”
Over the course of the year, there will be four meetings in total that’ll be open to the public. At each new meeting, the level of detail about the project will increase as Toronto Labs assess the feasibility of suggested ideas from the public, stakeholders, and external advisors. The meetings are at times to coincide with key phases in the development of the "Master Innovation and Development Plan".
The first meeting will be held Tuesday, March 20th from 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. at The Global and Mail Centre, 17th floor, 351 King Street East. The remaining meetings will take place at Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St E from 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 3rd; Wednesday, July 11th; and Wednesday, October 3rd. As each meeting comes along, there will be more and more exciting developments for Sidewalk Toronto to share with the public.
While you don’t need a ticket to attend, Sidewalk Toronto are asking people to register their interest on Eventbrite in order to get the correct number of seats ready.
Image via Business Insider