The two organisations want the project to combine forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility and economic opportunity that inspire and set benchmarks.

Sidewalk Labs, which shares its parent company, Alphabet, with Google, responded to a request for proposals (RFP), which Waterfront Toronto issued in March this year. The invitation sought an innovation and funding partner for the Eastern waterfront, beginning with the creation of a new neighbourhood called Quayside.

Following a rigorous procurement process, Waterfront Toronto selected Sidewalk Labs as its partner; the company has committed $50 million USD to an initial phase of joint planning and pilot project testing. To initiate a public conversation about what might be possible on the waterfront, Sidewalk Labs has released its vision submitted as part of its RFP response, which can be found at www.sidewalktoronto.ca.

Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto will work to bring urban innovations advanced at Quayside to scale in the Port Lands, a primarily publicly owned area of more than 325 hectares (800 acres), and one of North America’s largest areas of underdeveloped urban land. A recent CAD$1.25 billion investment by federal, provincial and municipal governments will enable Waterfront Toronto to provide the food protection and critical infrastructure necessary to revitalise the area.

Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs will devote the next year to extensive community and stakeholder consultation and long-range planning. This will focus on improving infrastructure and transportation systems, creating new models of affordable housing and flexible retail uses, and establishing clear governance policies related to data protection and privacy. The culmination of these efforts will be a Master Innovation and Development Plan, which will, potentially, form the basis for the Quayside development and subsequent revitalisation of the waterfront.

A new global hub for urban innovation
Sidewalk Toronto wants the Eastern waterfront to become the global hub of a new industry focused on urban innovation to improve the quality of city life, tapping into Toronto’s already-thriving tech sector and developing innovations that could benefit communities and neighbourhoods elsewhere in the city.

The ambition is that the district becomes a place to create and advance new ideas that improve city life, from climate-positive energy systems that can deliver a new standard in sustainability, to self-driving transit that makes streets safer, to new construction techniques that can lower housing costs. It will also reflect the cultural diversity and openness of Toronto, and help connect all Torontonians to waterfront beaches, parks and communities.

“Sidewalk Toronto will transform Quayside into a thriving hub for innovation and a community for tens of thousands of people to live, work and play,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “The new technologies that emerge from Quayside have the potential to improve city living – making housing more affordable and public transit more convenient for Canadians and their families. I’ve no doubt Quayside will become a model for cities around the world and make all of our communities even better places to call home.” 

Sidewalk Toronto aspires to create a place that encourages innovation around energy, waste and other environmental challenges to protect the planet. Its vision describes: a place that provides a range of transportation options that are more affordable, safe and convenient than the private car; a place that embraces adaptable buildings and new construction methods to reduce the cost of housing and retail space; a place where public spaces welcome families to enjoy the outdoors; and a place enhanced by digital technology and data without giving up the privacy and security that everyone deserves.

Inspiring cities around the world
“Successful cities around the world are wrestling with the same challenges of growth, from rising costs of living that price out the middle class, to congestion and ever-longer commutes, to the challenges of climate change,” said Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs and former deputy mayor of New York City. “Sidewalk Labs scoured the globe for the perfect place to create a district focused on solutions to these pressing challenges, and we found it on Toronto’s Eastern waterfront – along with the perfect public-sector partner, Waterfront Toronto. This will not be a place where we deploy technology for its own sake but rather one where we use emerging digital tools and the latest in urban design to solve big urban challenges, in ways that we hope will inspire cities around the world.”

Will Fleissig, president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto, commented: “Waterfront Toronto has made remarkable strides in revitalising the waterfront with forward-looking new neighbourhoods and reconnecting Torontonians to their waterfront. We’re expanding our know-how by partnering with Sidewalk Labs to create a progressive, innovative community: one that addresses significant challenges and sets new standards around sustainability, affordable housing and community engagement.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne added: “Ontario is already known as a world leader when it comes to innovation and for having the highly skilled, educated people that can bring game-changing ideas to life. This is an opportunity to apply all of that talent to one of the biggest challenges faced by cities here and the world: how to build urban spaces that are inclusive, sustainable and responsive to the needs of the people who call them home.”