Sidewalk Labs

Books

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2022

An annual list of the must-read books related to urban planning and its intersecting fields.

November 28, 2022 - James Brasuell

Toronto Waterfront

The Four Design Teams Shortlisted for Quayside Redevelopment

After Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs dropped the project, Toronto is evaluating other proposals for redeveloping their waterfront.

November 1, 2021 - The Toronto Star

Smart City

'A City is Not a Computer:' Why 'Smart Cities' Fail

The 'smart city' concept fails to take into account the necessary slowness of democracy and the unpredictability of a city's human inhabitants.

August 18, 2021 - Fast Company

Coronavirus and Transportation

Tech and the Post-Pandemic City

To steer American cities into the future, public and private sectors—and citizens—must work together to build broad, lasting support around complicated issues such as transparency and data privacy.

April 6, 2021 - Sara Maffey

Toronto Waterfront

After Sidewalk Labs, a New Plan Emerges for Toronto's Waterfront

Just shy of a year after Sidewalk Labs pulled the plug on its "smart city" experiment for Quayside, Waterfront Toronto has a released a request for qualifications to move forward with a new, "people-centered" vision for the waterfront.

March 15, 2021 - The Guardian

Toyota Future City

Toyota Working on the Smartest City Yet, Built From Scratch

Checking in with Toyota's plans for an interconnected smart "city of the future" means considering how their approach might differ from other attempts at similar projects.

November 8, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Quayside, Toronto

Sidewalk Labs Cancels Smart City Plans for Quayside on Toronto Waterfront

The high-profile experiment in smart city planning and technology seems to have suffered a final setback.

May 7, 2020 - Sidewalk Labs

Quayside, Toronto

Decision on Sidewalk Labs' Plan for Toronto Waterfront Delayed

The spread of the coronavirus has delayed one of the most closely watched planning projects in North America.

April 7, 2020 - Smart Cities World

Toronto Waterfront

Waterfront Toronto Greenlights Most of Sidewalk Labs' Quayside Master Plan

An evaluation committee made up of Waterfront Toronto staff has given a green light for the Sidewalk Labs master plan for Toronto to proceed to the next stages of planning.

February 21, 2020 - The Star

Sidewalk Labs and Collaborators Design a 35-Story Timber Building

The recently revealed Proto-Model-X building would reach new heights for timber.

January 28, 2020 - Sidewalk Talk

Smart City

Sidewalk Labs Debuts New Generative Design Tool

A new generative tool developed by Sidewalk Labs uses machine learning and computational design to generate millions of comprehensive planning scenarios.

December 12, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Toronto Waterfront

Sidewalk Labs' 'Smart Cities' Experiment in Toronto Scaled Way Back

From 190 acres to 12 acres, that's the reduction in scale announced this week by representatives of Sidewalk Labs of its plan for Quayside on the waterfront in Toronto.

October 31, 2019 - The Guardian

Wood Construction

Demystifying Mass Timber

Quayside, Sidewalk Labs' smart city in Toronto, calls for ten tall buildings made entirely of wood. Here's why proponents think mass timber is a good idea, and what obstacles stand in its way.

August 23, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Toronto Waterfront

Sidewalk Labs' Quayside Plans Get First Public Hearing in Toronto

The public got its first chance to weigh in on a controversial proposal to makeover a sliver of Toronto waterfront as an ambitious experiment in "smart city" technology.

July 18, 2019 - The Star

Toronto Waterfront

Master Plan for Quayside 'Smart City' Released by Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto

The long-awaited master plan for Quayside in Toronto was released to the public today.

June 24, 2019 - Toronto Star

Street Design

Street Design Principles by Sidewalk Labs

Sidewalk Labs, a smart cities shop within the Alphabet corporate structure, is working to revolutionize technology's role in city planning. Sidewalk Labs recently released the street design principles it's using to guide that effort.

May 1, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Washington, D.C. Street

Next on the List for Data Startups: Managing Curb Space

The humble curb is getting crowded: not only with new modes of transportation, but also with a slew of new data tools aiming to keep track of it all.

April 13, 2019 - CityLab

Ideas for Sidewalk Labs' Smart City Include Building Raincoats and Heated Paving System

Weather plays a big factor in the "smart cities" technology experiments in development by Sidewalk Labs for its Toronto pilot project.

March 11, 2019 - The Star

Manhattan

Promised Data-Driven Infrastructure On Hold at Hudson Yards

When the Manhattan megadevelopment got its start, big data was a major part of Hudson Yards' marketing pitch. Now it's "probably the last thing we'll get to."

February 24, 2019 - Metropolis Magazine

Ontario, Canada

Controversy Erupts Over Sidewalk Labs Development Plans in Toronto

Sidewalk Labs, the subsidiary company of Google parent company Alphabet, has designs for development potential far beyond the Quayside neighborhood where it's partnering with Waterfront Toronto to test new smart city technology.

February 22, 2019 - Toronto Star

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Top Books

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.