Toronto Sidewalk Toronto at Quayside | ?m | ?s | Sidewalk | Snøhetta

[AlvinofDiaspar]

From the Star:

Sidewalk Labs project has ‘sufficient merit’ to move to the next phase, evaluation committee says

A technical evaluation by Waterfront Toronto staff says 90 per cent of the 160 innovations Google’s sister firm has put forward for their proposed smart neighbourhood meet Waterfront Toronto’s objectives, according to the committee’s report.

www.thestar.com

AoD

 

[DSC]

The St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association is discussing the following motion next week. That SLNA Delegates support the unanimous decision of the Board of Waterfront Toronto to have WT staff complete the formal evaluation of the current proposals for the Quayside Precinct and make recommendations to the Board of WT as to whether WT should move forward with the creation of a Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) for the Sidewalk Precinct. The rationale for this is at: https://mcusercontent.com/bd2746c81...ble_to_Motion_Quayside_SLNAMtg_Feb26_2020.pdf

 

[WeirdFishes]

All signs are pointing to YES so far. Fingers crossed it keeps going in this direction.

 

[brianmac]

Yeah, didn't see the waterfront LRT in the Ford funding priorities. Bring on the Google train. Maybe they can sneak in a surreptitious Gardiner tear down while they are at it.

 

[DopeyFish]

Yeah, didn't see the waterfront LRT in the Ford funding priorities. Bring on the Google train. Maybe they can sneak in a surreptitious Gardiner tear down while they are at it.

waterfront LRT is coming from the city, not province... technically the ford funding announcement is paying for it through saving the city from their spending on those transit projects

who knows how long it will take though as they're still waiting on a bunch of EAs/preliminary designs to be finished

 

[DSC]

waterfront LRT is coming from the city, not province... technically the ford funding announcement is paying for it through saving the city from their spending on those transit projects

who knows how long it will take though as they're still waiting on a bunch of EAs/preliminary designs to be finished

This statement is in the latest WT information on Sidewalk.


4. Waterfront LRT

While Waterfront Toronto does not have jurisdiction over the approval of capital funding for public transit, Waterfront Toronto will continue to support and advocate for a higher-order transit solution, which sufficiently services the Project, without accepting any liability in respect thereof. Sidewalk Labs must satisfy itself by December 2020 on the adequacy of the funding commitments and arrangements for higher-order transit concurrent with the execution of the implementation agreements.

 

[AlbertC]

Quayside Public Consultation - Round 2

Posted by Joe Cressy on February 19, 2020

In recent decades, under the leadership of Waterfront Toronto, we have finally begun to revitalize and reclaim our waterfront. We are returning to our original place as a waterfront city, and Quayside represents the next important step towards that revitalization. Quayside also represents an opportunity – an opportunity to build a twenty-first century neighbourhood that is truly affordable, liveable, and sustainable. It is critical that we get it right.

There have been many changes to the Sidewalk Labs proposal for Quayside since they first released their “Master Innovation and Development Plan” in June 2019. To put it simply, they asked for too much. They asked for too much land, too much control over data, and too much control over governance. Based on extensive public feedback and concerns raised by the Waterfront Toronto Board, Sidewalk Labs agreed to make significant changes this past October. Please see my October 31 update for the full details.

Waterfront Toronto has now completed their technical evaluation of Sidewalk Labs' revised proposal for Quayside. A second round of public consultation is being held to provide feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation and whether the proposal addresses the pressing urban challenges of the 21st century.

Two identical interactive public meetings will be held on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, 1 Harbour Square.

Agenda

The morning meeting will run from: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The afternoon meeting will run from:1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The first 30 minutes of both meetings will be a drop-in format with time to review display boards and talk to Waterfront Toronto staff. Presentations and discussions will start at 9:30 am and 2:00 pm. Consultation materials will be provided in advance of the meeting at QuaysideTO.ca. Recordings of the presentations and discussions will be available online following the meeting for those who are not able to attend.

More information on the event is available here.

Read more about Quayside on the City's website here.

Quayside Public Consultation - Round 2

City Councillor, Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York

www.joecressy.com

 

[AlbertC]

Waterfront Toronto advisory panel still has concerns about Sidewalk Labs’ data collection, new report says

By Donovan Vincent Housing Reporter
Wed., Feb. 26, 2020

The City of Toronto has launched public consultations aimed at developing a governance framework — new rules and regulations that would govern privacy, data collection and digital infrastructure in smart-technology projects such as Sidewalk Labs’.

But that governance framework would take until late 2021 to finalize, a recent city report said.

Privacy commissioners at both the provincial and federal levels have called for changes to their laws, and both levels of governments are also conducting reviews and/or consultations on their digital strategies, the panel report noted.

Waterfront Toronto’s board is set to vote May 20 on whether to accept or reject the proposal from its “innovation partner” Sidewalk Labs.

Waterfront Toronto advisory panel still has concerns about Sidewalk Labs’ data collection, new report says

The panel wants Waterfront Toronto to rethink the May 20 vote date, saying it should be pushed back or approval of digital elements deferred.

www.thestar.com

 

[DSC]

For what it's worth, the St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association's Delegates last night voted almost unanimously (one opposed) to support WT continuing discussions with Sidewalk and to move forward with the development of a Master Innovation & Development Plan.

 

[jje1000]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1233735058642653186

 

[junctionist]

What happens if Google fails? Does the neighbourhood fall apart once there's no one to maintain the infrastructure they set up?

 

[DSC]

What happens if Google fails? Does the neighbourhood fall apart once there's no one to maintain the infrastructure they set up?

That is the kind of thing that would be covered in any agreement. Similar to how developers who want 'special sidewalk" treatments outside their developments have to provide upkeep guarantees and sureties.

 

[christiesplits]

The New York Times
You Can’t Fight City Hall. But Maybe You Can Fight Google.
Faced with an array of opponents for its sensor-laden city of tomorrow in Toronto, a Google sibling has drastically dialed back plans. The critics now want the tech giant to quit altogether.

The story of how Toronto walked back the Google plan is in part a tale of locals taking on a big company. But it also reflects a growing pushback around the world against big tech that has accelerated since Sidewalk Labs unveiled its proposal.

In the United States, several of the Democratic presidential hopefuls have described Google, Facebook and other tech giants as monopolies that should be scrutinized for antitrust violations. Europe has seen a flurry of new laws around online content and Britain has floated the idea of an internet regulator.

In Canada, even Mr. Trudeau’s government, which has actively pursued investments by multinational tech giants, is proposing to follow the lead of France and tax digital services.

“I think there’s been a significant shift in attitudes and public understanding of what’s at stake and the issues with these tech giants,” said Andrew Clement, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto’s faculty of information who studies digital surveillance and infrastructure.

The low point for Sidewalk came last June when it released thousands of pages of its master development plan, blindsiding many people in Toronto with a more expansive vision than originally proposed.

Instead of a 12-acre project, the master plan covered the full 800 acres adjacent to the original parcel. Sidewalk proposed receiving a cut of future property taxes from the neighborhood in exchange for building a rail transit line there. That funding idea was ultimately withdrawn.

While Mr. Doctoroff said Waterfront Toronto had requested a broader vision, he acknowledged that Sidewalk had overreached.

You Can’t Fight City Hall. But Maybe You Can Fight Google. (Published 2020)

Faced with an array of opponents for its sensor-laden city of tomorrow in Toronto, a Google sibling has drastically dialed back plans. The critics now want the tech giant to quit altogether.

www.nytimes.com

 

[jje1000]

What a strange headline- with a clear narrative slant!

Waterfront Toronto has approved the majority of Sidewalk Toronto's schemes (rejecting its crazier tech-bro concepts and its jurisdictional overreach), and an active discussion is being made at the moment on privacy (which must happen).

It's hardly as divisive as the NYT makes it out to be, nor are its (loud) opponents as numerous as imagined.

 

[Lenser]

I'd say it's very newsworthy. A tech giant backing down from its initial sweeping plans is almost a novel concept. Too, the Times considers it a hot item because Toronto is a test bed for Google/Alphagetti's future plans, ones that could well include a web of cities around the world, including NYC. The ideological struggles inherent in the clash of visions over how Sidewalk would actually operate is nothing if not current. So yeah, I'd say it's a pretty damned divisive item.