Larry Page’s dream of using technology to fix cities may come to Canada first.   Sidewalk Labs LLC, the urban innovation unit of Page’s Alphabet Inc., has applied to develop a 12-acre strip in downtown Toronto, according to two people familiar with the plans. Details of the proposal are private, but these people said the bid fits with the company’s ambition to create a connected, high-tech city or district from scratch.  Last year, the company began talking openly about building a theoretical urban zone “from the internet up,” with some of the same tools and principles that have fuelled success at many tech companies.

Source: Toronto News

Date: May 11th, 2017

Link: https://www.thestar.com/business/tech_news/2017/05/09/alphabet-inc-eyes-toronto-as-location-of-new-connected-high-tech-district-sources.html

Discussion

1) Are there any ethical issues with a technology company building a district “from the internet up”?

2) “Quayside would be “a testbed for emerging technologies, materials and processes that will address these challenges and advance solutions that can be replicated in cities worldwide.”  What makes this an exciting and interesting development?