Google set to build neighbourhood of the future in Toronto's east end

Image: Sidewalk Toronto

Toronto is about to get smarter. 

Sidewalk Labs, one of Google's sister companies, will help build a high-tech neighbourhood in the Port Lands on Toronto's eastern waterfront. 

Dubbed Quayside, the plan will overhaul and transform what is currently a post-industrial wasteland into the city's most technologically advanced neighbourhood that will stand as a model for an urban future.

The neighbourhood will prioritize forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create people-centred neighbourhoods that achieve never-before-seen levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity. 

According to Sidewalk Toronto — the larger project between the city of Toronto and Sidewalk Labs — the district will become a place for tens of thousands of people to live, work, learn, and play. Beyond that, it create and advance new ideas that improve city life, from climate-positive energy systems thatcan deliver a new standard in sustainability, to self-driving transit that makes streets safer, to new construction techniques that can lower housing costs. It will also reflect the cultural diversity and openness of Toronto, and help connect all Torontonians to waterfront beaches, parks, and communities. 

Sidewalk Labs has earmarked $50 million to the project's first phase, though the 12-acre development is expected to cost at least $1 billion. Quayside will be located in a primarily called The Port Lands, which is a publicly owned 800-acre area, is one of North America’s largest zones of underdeveloped urban land. 

In March 2017, Sidewalk Labs responded to Toronto's request for proposals to redevelop the waterfront parcel.  The planning process will kick off with a community town hall on November 1, 2017. 

Check out sidewalktoronto.ca for more information.