Google Parent Gets Green Light To Start Designing High-Tech Neighborhood In Toronto

Sidewalk Labs, the urban development branch of Google parent company Alphabet, on Tuesday received the go-ahead to begin planning its high-tech neighborhood in Toronto.

The board of Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs agreed to work with the company to come up with designs for the neighborhood on Toronto’s Eastern Waterfront. However, the board's final approval to start physically developing the plans may not come until next year. The verdict came down after a single board member resigned in protest of the project, according to the Toronto Star.

The New-York based Sidewalk Labs is an organization that issues revitalization projects along the Canadian city’s shore. It had already set aside $10 million for the planning process, but an extra $40 million was unlocked thanks to the board’s decision. The project is expected to cost over $1 billion in total, per an estimate by the Wall Street Journal.

"Our Board has approved an agreement with Sidewalk Labs to create an innovative plan focused on Quayside, a new community being imagined on Toronto’s waterfront," the company tweeted Tuesday.

"We are excited to take this next step with Sidewalk Labs to set the stage for a transformational project on the waterfront that addresses many critical urban issues faced by Toronto and other cities around the world," it wrote in a subsequent tweet.

Dubbed Quayside, the 12-acre development aims to become the "global hub of a new industry focused on urban innovation to improve the quality of city life," with a focus on energy efficiency and decreasing the city's carbon footprint, according to Sidewalk Labs website.

The neighborhood will have sensors built in to collect data on noise, traffic and pollution. It will also feature self-driving cars and modular buildings that can be expanded as the area grows. Tools such as awnings and heated paths will be utilized to make for easier travel during winter.

Quayside is just part of a larger revitalization on the shore of Lake Ontario called Sidewalk Toronto, which has been in development stages for a little over a year. The idea for the project came about in March 2017 after Sidewalk Labs responded to Toronto's request for proposals to revitalize the waterfront.