Google parent eyes Toronto
Alphabet Inc. has applied to develop a downtown area, said to align with the company’s plans to construct a high-tech urban district
Larry Page’s dream of using technology to fix cities may come to Canada first.
Sidewalk Labs LLC, the urban innovation unit of Page’s Alphabet Inc., has applied to develop a 12-acre strip in downtown Toronto, according to two people familiar with the plans. Details of the proposal are private, but these people said the bid fits with the company’s ambition to create a connected, high-tech city or district from scratch.
Last year, the company talked about building a theoretical urban zone “from the internet up,” with some of the same tools and principles fuelling success at many tech companies. Before applying in Toronto, Sidewalk Labs discussed creat- ing a district in Denver and Detroit with executives of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, according to the people. They asked not to be identified.
In a speech last week at the Smart Cities NYC conference, Sidewalk Labs chief executive officer, Dan Doctoroff, said the firm is exploring development of a “largescale district.”
“I’m sure many of you are thinking this is a crazy idea,” Doctoroff said, according to news website StateScoop. “We don’t think it’s crazy at all. People thought it was crazy when Google decided to connect all the world’s information. People thought it was crazy to think about the concept of a self-driving car.”
“I’m sure many of you are thinking this is a crazy idea. We don’t think it’s crazy at all.” DAN DOCTOROFF SIDEWALK LABS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
A representative for Sidewalk Labs confirmed Doctoroff’s speech, but declined to comment further.
Waterfront Toronto, created in 2001 by the federal, provincial and city governments, is a public corporation designed to revitalize a 2,000acre downtown plot in Toronto. Earlier this year, the agency requested-proposals for part of that area: a new “community” called Quayside to be developed with a private “innovation and funding partner.”
Quayside would be “a testbed for emerging technologies, materials and processes that will address these challenges and advance solutions that can be replicated in cities worldwide,” the city wrote in its invitation.
Andrew Hilton, a spokesperson for Waterfront Toronto, declined to comment on the applicants for Quayside or its funding structure. The agency plans to identify its development partner by June at the earliest, according to its proposal document.
City Councillor Pam McConnell was only aware of “a number of proposals” for the Quayside site. “It’s an exciting story because, whether it’s this (Alphabet) proposal or one that beats it, it means there are innovative ideas for Quayside,” she said.
“I think this is really becoming an exciting opportunity for the next generation of building out our city and of us realizing we’re really a lake city.”
She expects the site, on the east side of the downtown waterfront, will become a mix of commercial, residential and tech innovation uses.
Formed two years ago, Sidewalk Labs was among the first indepen- dent units of Google before it turned into the Alphabet holding company. So far, the most visible project is LinkNYC, a network of ad-supported Wi-Fi kiosks in New York City run by Intersection, a Sidewalk Labs investment.
But the vision extends well beyond corner kiosks and other “smart city” efforts that typically involve selling software and infrastructure to local agencies facing budget pressures.
Doctoroff has spoken often about how technology like autonomous transit, high-speed Internet, embedded sensors and ride-sharing services could transform urban life. He’s also hinted at tech’s ability to overhaul zoning rules and control housing costs, of particular interest to Alphabet’s Page.
At the conference last week, Doctoroff said the plans were still in the “feasibility” phase. It hasn’t spoken publicly about its business model, beyond ad revenue from the New York Wi-Fi kiosks. Intersection, the company behind them, is expanding to London this year. Groups involved in urban redevelopment projects typically try to recoup investments with real estate gains later.
Toronto could be a lucrative home for Sidewalk’s urban experiment because of the city’s rapid growth, surging home prices and willingness to embrace new technology. It’s also trying to attract more investment from the U.S.
On Monday, Uber Technologies Inc. announced it is starting a new lab for its autonomous vehicle program in the Canadian metropolis. With files from Star staff
“Whether it’s (Alphabet’s) proposal or one that beats it, it means there are innovative ideas for Quayside.” PAM MCCONNELL CITY COUNCILLOR