The long-awaited master plan for Quayside in Toronto was released to the public today.
"Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto are set Monday to publicly release Sidewalk’s proposed master plan, a massive blueprint detailing precisely how the firm intends to create a tech-driven neighbourhood on Toronto’s waterfront," reports Donovan Vincent.
"Manhattan-based Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation firm that is a sister company of Google, wants to turn [a 12-acre parcel of land called Quayside] into a 'test bed' or 'beta site' that would feature a mixed-use development consisting primarily of thousands of new residential units, as well as retail and office spaces," explains Vincent for background on the project, and its lofty ambitions.
The "Master Innovation and Development Plan" is separated into three volumes: 1) The Plans, 2) The Urban Onnovations, and 3) The Partnership. Chapters in Volume 2 read 1) Mobility, 2) Public Realm, 3) Buildings and Housing, 4) Sustainability, and 5) Digital Innovation. Individual chapters are split into separate, large downloads.
The master plan, available on the Waterfront Toronto website, spent 18 months in development, but now the process shifts to what is expected to be a lengthy period of public engagement and official review by city staff. As noted by Vincent, the project has already proven "enormously controversial."
FULL STORY: Sidewalk Labs master plan for Quayside set to be made public today
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.
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.
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.
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.
Houston Bike Summit Makes In-Person Return
The event will focus on improving bike safety and continuing maintenance on the city's growing network of bike lanes and trails.
Austin’s Transit CEO Moving to D.C.
After overseeing a major system redesign and plans for its largest-ever expansion, the head of Capital Metro will take over Washington, D.C.’s transit agency.
NYC 25x25 Plan Would Reclaim ‘13 Central Parks’ From Cars
A plan backed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams would repurpose 25 percent of the city’s street space for multimodal transportation and pedestrian plazas.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
