Today the Wall Street Journal reported that Alphabet Inc. is “teaming up with its subsidiary, Sidewalk Labs LLC, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) to launch an infrastructure holding company that is being spun out of Sidewalk.” Like the idea or not (and some clearly
Quick preface to this post, which is about the Sidewalk Toronto process. I am almost (truly) done reading Sidewalk Labs’ plan and continue to understand and see value in discussing the urban planning ideas in it. This post does not erase that sentiment. Those ideas
Dear Toronto Star Editorial Board, (Andrew Phillips, Jordan Himelfarb, Dianne Rinehart, and Scott Colby). This is a quick post in response to the Toronto Star Editorial Board’s recent Sidewalk Toronto oped. The Star piece is titled: We Shouldn’t Settle for More of the Same on
Sidewalk Labs, the Candidate By Sean McDonald and Bianca Wylie Normally when we convey open-ended power over public spaces and policies, we do so to candidates through democratic election. In the Sidewalk Toronto case, through an open-ended request for proposal, that power may be offered
From now until October 31st is a critical time for the Sidewalk Toronto project. Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs recently announced that if they couldn’t come to an agreement before then on some major items laid out by Waterfront Toronto’s Chair, then they would be
Sign this petition calling on Canada to create a digital rights strategy – digitalrightsnow.ca In addition to ongoing debates about smart cities and surveillance capitalism, numerous recent events demonstrate how dangerous it is for Canadians to continue without human rights protections that are designed for the
Governance. It’s Still a Problematic Governance Situation. Sidewalk Toronto recently released its public engagement plan, stating that public consultation for the project will begin in March. Still missing from the engagement plan is any clarity on exactly what Sidewalk Toronto is doing. Four months of relative silence
Here is an excerpt from the appendix of Sidewalk Labs’ proposal for the Sidewalk Toronto project, Quayside. Emphasis mine. “Building new neighbourhoods from the internet up is a remarkable opportunity to embed emerging digital capabilities into core infrastructure from the start. Physical spaces like buildings,
I’ve already written about my main event of 2017. My daughter was diagnosed with a non-cancerous tumour. The experience turned my interest in openness into a more personal commitment to the work. But the story I wrote earlier this year ends on a cleaner note