Newly leaked concept images have revealed the first real glimpse into Alphabet’s plans for an Orwellian smart city on the Toronto waterfront.
Sidewalk Labs, an offshoot of Google’s parent company, reached an agreement with the city back in 2017 to develop a futuristic community known as Quayside, complete with robotic waste-sorting systems, sensor-lined pavement, digital infrastructure, and wireless 5G connectivity all throughout.
The plans have sparked both concerns and curiosity from the public, fueled further by a lack of information on how it will ultimately come to fruition, aside from a series of simple sketches.
The new images published by Sidewalk Labs this month and leaked by Toronto Star now reveal stunning plans for a dozen timber towers and modular pavement in the development, allowing it to evolve to the city’s changing needs.
Sidewalk Labs also detailed a system of underground tunnels where robots can transport waste and freight out of the public’s sight.
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Sidewalk Labs, an offshoot of Google’s parent company, reached an agreement with the city back in 2017 to develop a futuristic community known as Quayside, complete with robotic waste-sorting systems, sensor-lined pavement, digital infrastructure, and wireless 5G connectivity all throughout. One of the concept images is shown above
Sidewalk Labs made the plans public in mid-February after they were leaked months ahead of schedule by the Canadian publication, according to Fast Company.
It comes just over a year-and-a-half after Google parent Alphabet announced its plans to invest $50 million (£36 million) in the initial planning and testing phase of the project.
The firm plans to erect mid-rise apartments, offices, shops, and a school on a 12-acre site along the eastern waterfront in a deal with Waterfront Toronto.
Eventually, they hope this will blossom to cover hundreds of acres.
Quayside’s timber buildings will be ‘cradle to cradle certified, creating a more sustainable system,’ the plan says.
The smart city will also be home to an advanced power grid made up of solar panels and battery storage, a smart waste management system, and a thermal grid that relies on waste heat and geothermal energy.
‘Universal fiber, power and mounts’ will be built directly into the infrastructure, and the entirety of Quayside will feature ‘100% coverage of wifi and 5G networks for all residents, businesses and public spaces.’
And, the streets will be designed without curbs to boost mobility as a shift toward self-driving vehicles becomes feasible.
The firm plans to erect mid-rise apartments, offices, shops, and a school on a 12-acre site along the eastern waterfront in a deal with Waterfront Toronto. Eventually, they hope this will blossom to cover hundreds of acres. Quayside’s timber buildings will be ‘cradle to cradle certified, creating a more sustainable system,’ according to the plan
The smart city will also be home to an advanced power grid made up of solar panels and battery storage, a smart waste management system, and a thermal grid that relies on waste heat and geothermal energy. And, the entirety of Quayside will feature ‘100% coverage of wifi and 5G networks for all residents, businesses and public spaces’
According to the newly-published plans, Phase 1 of the project could fit 5,000 residents in a total of 3,000 housing units. It will also create 3,900 on-site jobs.
The companies involved in the project say the high-tech city will provide ‘ubiquitous connectivity for all’ to improve the urban environment on numerous levels.
In a written statement last year, a company spokesperson said the futuristic development ‘will blend people-centered urban design with cutting-edge technology to achieve new standards of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.’
‘All-weather infrastructure and data-driven management tools enable cities to make parks and public plazas more comfortable, lively, and safe, and self-driving vehicles enable communities to reclaim streets for public space and social connections,’ the statement adds.
Newly leaked concept images have revealed the first real glimpse into Alphabet’s plans for an Orwellian smart city on the Toronto waterfront. According to the newly-published plans, Phase 1 of the project could fit 5,000 residents in a total of 3,000 housing units. It will also create 3,900 on-site jobs
The companies involved in the project say the high-tech city will provide ‘ubiquitous connectivity for all’ to improve the urban environment on numerous levels. For now, however, Sidewalk Labs’ detailed plans for Quayside remain in the concept phase and have yet to be approved by Waterfront Toronto and Alphabet
While the plan boasts a number of innovative and sustainable concepts, the idea of a community built around connectivity has sparked concerns about privacy and data collection.
Sidewalk Labs says any data collected about civilians will be ‘de-identified’ and made publicly accessible.
But, not everyone is on board.
In an op-ed for the Toronto Star last January, a surveillance researcher at the University of Toronto argued that the plan should ‘raise red flags for those who care about privacy and democracy.’
‘These concerns can be allayed only if Sidewalk’s internet is much more respecting of our rights than the one that its parent, Google/Alphabet, is busily shaping,’ wrote Andrew Clement, a Professor Emeritus who co-founded the University’s Identity, Privacy and Security Institute.
‘It would be impractical for individual residents of Quayside to be able to consent, on an adequately informed basis, to the myriad forms of data collection and use proposed.’
For now, however, Sidewalk Labs’ detailed plans for Quayside remain in the concept phase and have yet to be approved.
It’s expected it will be at least another five years before the smart city can welcome its first residents.
