{"id":60430,"date":"2019-06-25T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/?p=60430"},"modified":"2019-06-25T10:24:01","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T14:24:01","slug":"lorinc-sidewalk-labs-and-the-problem-of-smart-city-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2019\/06\/25\/lorinc-sidewalk-labs-and-the-problem-of-smart-city-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"LORINC: Sidewalk Labs and the problem of smart city governance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2013\/06\/feature-lorinc.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-44316\" src=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2013\/06\/feature-lorinc.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"85\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On page 222 of the least jazzy of Sidewalk Lab\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sidewalktoronto.ca\/documents\/\">four-volume<\/a> magnum opus outlining its plan for Quayside-plus is the first of a series of supplemental tables that offer a clue about what the governance of this swath of the city will, or could, look like if Alphabet\u2019s smart city start-up get its way.<\/p>\n<p>No sexy graphics or flights of planning fancy, but these appendices shouldn\u2019t be overlooked.<span style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\">&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-60443 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack-940x705.jpg 940w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-plans-stack.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>The \u201csummary of management entities\u201d in <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/sidewalk-toronto-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/23135812\/MIDP_Volume3.pdf\">that part of the master development and innovation plan (MDIP)<\/a> itemizes five new bodies that will wield non-trivial governance, operating, and revenue-generating authority over these geographies. They are meant to deal with domains such as open space, urban data, affordable housing, sustainability, and transportation management. They\u2019ve been given anodyne names like \u201cOpen Space Alliance,\u201d \u201cWaterfront Transportation Management Association\u201d (WTMA) and the \u201cUrban Data Trust.\u201d But they are all designed to wield real regulatory authority. None of them currently exist.<\/p>\n<p>The list of new governance bodies proposed by SWL doesn\u2019t end there. The company has pitched a \u201cpublic administrator\u201d that would have substantial authority over the activities that take place in these lands, including, in some cases, \u201cadvanced systems\u201d that comprise the hydro grid, a district heating operation and other municipal tasks related to waste and stormwater management.<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere in the MDIP are references to other proposed organizations, including something called \u201cSidewalk Infrastructure Partners,\u201d a wholly owned subsidiary that will function like a bank for infrastructure projects in the area. (One new senior Sidewalk executive, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marcricks\/\">Marc Ricks<\/a>, worked for Goldman Sachs\u2019 infrastructure financing group before decamping to work for Mike Bloomberg.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60440\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60440\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-60440\" src=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering-600x316.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"316\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering-600x316.jpg 600w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering-940x496.jpg 940w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-rendering.jpg 2046w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60440\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River District; rendering by Heatherwick Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There is, of course, a great deal more to see, notice and debate about this giant plan, the evaluation of which will surely take many months, if not years.<\/p>\n<p>These details include: Sidewalk\u2019s now explicitly stated ambition to extend its reach beyond Quayside to a desirable chunk of the Port Lands (dubbed the \u201cIDEA District\u201d); the striking amount of commercial office space envisioned for an area now zoned mainly for residential or mixed use; and the numerous let\u2019s-make-a-deal sidebar details, which are targeted (presumably) at Waterfront Toronto\u2019s shareholders. Most conspicuous among these: the offer of a $100 million bridge-financing loan (repayable \u201cat market rates\u201d) to start the $1.2 billion waterfront LRT.<\/p>\n<p>I was also struck by the way Sidewalk\u2019s MDIP, in characterizing the project\u2019s business model, noticeably downplayed the much-anticipated windfall of Sidewalk Lab technology, which was to be developed here in Toronto and then licensed to cities around the world. That said, the plan nonetheless proposes that SWL offer the City a 10% cut on profits from those deals, but only for ten years \u2013 a period that seems, well, modest considering the very long commercial tails that some of these digital platforms will likely enjoy (think Google mapping tool Waze).<\/p>\n<p>Then there are the (near) omissions: the phrase \u201csmart cities\u201d appears only a handful of times in those 1,500+ pages. The MDIP also conspicuously sidelines the word \u201csensor\u201d \u2014 a politically incendiary techie term that was sprinkled liberally through the company\u2019s October 2017 vision document, set off all manner of alarm bells about privacy and surveillance, and is used quite sparingly in this version.<\/p>\n<p>Yet amidst all the focus on the physical form and the data collection systems hard-wired into the development plans, I\u2019m most struck by Sidewalk\u2019s ideas about how this piece of Toronto should be governed. Taken together, these proposals reveal the company\u2019s desire to push back the City of Toronto\u2019s ability to plan, build, finance, and manage the proposed growth in those waterfront precincts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60439\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-60439\" src=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering-600x345.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering-600x345.png 600w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering-768x442.png 768w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering-940x541.png 940w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-River-District-2-rendering.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River District<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We can\u2019t say we weren\u2019t warned: Sidewalk\u2019s original 2017 vision document signaled that their conceptualization of smart city development pivoted on positioning Quayside and the eastern waterfront as \u201ca <span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">virtual laboratory to experiment with changes in infrastructure, policy, and the built environment.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">Two years later, the MDIP has put meat on the bones of that pledge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">The proposed WTMA illustrates the point: within the Sidewalk development zones, this body would take over management of traffic, signals, curbsides, price-setting for rides and parking, mobility subscriptions, technology procurement, the operation of Sidewalk\u2019s \u201cdynamic pavement\u201d and flexible streets, and coordination with companies providing navigation apps. Financed by fees generated by these activities on a cost-recovery basis, the WTMA would report to the proposed public administrator, which, Sidewalk officials say, may or may not be Waterfront Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">Where the public connects to this formidable entity is anybody\u2019s guess.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">From Sidewalk\u2019s point of view, the deployment of new technologies that touch on all the myriad ways in which people and vehicles move through urban space may seem to demand the kind of operational oversight that simply doesn\u2019t exist in a municipal government, with its rigid silos and public accountabilities. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">Sidewalk\u2019s solution, though, seems to be about pushing back the City\u2019s authority and replacing it with semi-privatized bureaucratic SWAT teams that owe their existence to SWL and will likely never forget or challenge that connection. This outlook, which I suspect is inscribed deeply in the thinking of Sidewalk\u2019s founders, is apparent in many aspects of the MDIP, with the company arguing that existing public sector approaches need to bend or yield if the firm is to deliver on the tech, jobs, investment and related bounties proposed in this document.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">Of course, Sidewalk\u2019s implicit critique of Toronto\u2019s lumbering municipal systems doesn\u2019t necessarily fly wide of the mark. Our governance and regulatory institutions have all sorts of maddening inefficiencies and operational blinkers that seem, sometimes, to have become utterly unmoored from the reality of the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">What\u2019s more, no one should ever suggest that existing rules and bureaucracies are working well or serving the public good simply because they exist. It\u2019s also true that change doesn\u2019t necessarily occur organically and systematically; sometimes, hands need to be forced. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_60441\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-60441\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-60441 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering-600x232.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering-600x232.png 600w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering-300x116.png 300w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering-768x297.png 768w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering-940x363.png 940w, https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/06\/Sidewalk-Toronto-Quayside-rendering.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-60441\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Quayside<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">That said, Sidewalk\u2019s governance plans \u2013 which, remember, will be tasked with delivering the game-changing smart city technologies that Alphabet intends to roll out internationally &#8212; reveal a problematic impulse to see the city more as a lucrative test bed than a host city with a distinctive political culture that doesn&#8217;t need rescuing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">As I\u2019ve written previously in this space, Toronto\u2019s waterfront is not a lab. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">So when officials with Waterfront Toronto and the city get around to vetting this enormous undertaking, they should be looking beyond the cosmetics, the promised windfalls and the whiz-bang functionalities to see if there\u2019s actually chemistry here, or if this thing is merely some giant spaceship from another galaxy, here to scope out potential colonies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">I\u2019d argue that nowhere in the MDIP is that philosophical outlook more legible than in the governance minutiae whose import may seem drearily theoretical, but clearly weren\u2019t lost on Sidewalk\u2019s planners. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">As the MDIP indicates, Sidewalk appears to have taken note of the noisy public message about brazen public space privacy intrusions carried out in the name of innovation and the leveraging of \u201curban data.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';\">Which is encouraging, if true. But this thing still feels a lot like a skin graft, and the onus remains on Sidewalk to prove otherwise.<span style=\"mso-tab-count: 1;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>photos courtesy of Sidewalk Toronto<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On page 222 of the least jazzy of Sidewalk Lab\u2019s four-volume magnum opus outlining its plan for Quayside-plus is the first of a series of supplemental tables that offer a clue about what the governance of this swath of the city will, or could, look like if Alphabet\u2019s smart city start-up get its way. No<a href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2019\/06\/25\/lorinc-sidewalk-labs-and-the-problem-of-smart-city-governance\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;LORINC: Sidewalk Labs and the problem of smart city governance&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":60442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,20,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-urban-design","category-waterfront"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>LORINC: Sidewalk Labs and the problem of smart city governance - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2019\/06\/25\/lorinc-sidewalk-labs-and-the-problem-of-smart-city-governance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LORINC: Sidewalk Labs and the problem of smart city governance - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On page 222 of the least jazzy of Sidewalk Lab\u2019s four-volume magnum opus outlining its plan for Quayside-plus is the first of a series of supplemental tables that offer a clue about what the governance of this swath of the city will, or could, look like if Alphabet\u2019s smart city start-up get its way. 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