Introduction
A smart city enhances access to the information and data a community requires to become more economically, socially, and ecologically integrated. The purpose is to guarantee that people are involved and readily interconnected in this digital city and that citizens and companies have no difficulty navigating Toronto, accessing municipal services, or interacting with the local government (Connected Community, n.d.). The paper analyzes Toronto’s economic, social, and environmental infrastructure and initiatives to identify weaknesses and offer recommendations.
Economic, Social, and Environmental Infrastructure
Toronto has launched several innovative city projects to improve the lives of its inhabitants. The city engaged in the Canadian Federal Smart Cities Challenge in 2017 and 2018, which aimed to foster the creation of creative solutions to urban difficulties in collaboration with municipal authorities, organizations, and non-profit and academic institutions (Toronto, n.d.). Despite presenting a project that proved Toronto’s potential as a center for innovation and integrated technology, the city could not acquire funding, which meant that no final strategy was established (Toronto, n.d.). Nonetheless, in 2017, Toronto reviewed its Internet Connectivity, concentrating on an accessibility and affordability lens for residents, enterprises, and tourists.
A smart city is associated with modern technologies and an enhanced lifestyle. Robinson and Coutts (2019) state that intelligent city planning and development is in its early stages in North America. Nonetheless, Toronto initiated the Quayside project, or Toronto Waterfront, managed by Side Labs Toronto (Toronto, n.d.). The eastern shoreline of Toronto was selected as the location for constructing a worldwide model of inclusive urban expansion. Robinson and Coutts (2019) argue that in the Quayside project, platform urbanism may be understood as an assembly at work. Platforms are widely defined as the reconfiguration of cultural products and services creation, consumption, distribution, and monetization facilitated by Internet-as-infrastructure (Robinson & Coutts, 2019). The Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) was outlined as a proposed project to produce 44,000 jobs and generate $14.2 billion in yearly economic impact by 2040 (Toronto, n.d.). The project emphasized the importance of climate positively, intending to reduce eighty-nine percent of greenhouse emissions in the area and enhance mobility in terms of transportation and housing, and urban innovation.
Essentially, Sidewalk Labs Toronto Waterfront was expected to usher in a new age of intelligent and sustainable architecture. Berger (2020) emphasizes that the plan was to create ten new mixed-use buildings with thousands of residential apartments made of mass timber. This construction material is environmentally friendly, faster to manufacture, and less expensive than traditional building materials (Berger, 2020). Apart from the immediate advantage of boosting affordable housing supply, the building project may have given an industry-changing model to manufacture inexpensive green housing profitably. Other primary objectives included lowering greenhouse gas emissions, establishing a pneumatic waste collection system, constructing a roadway system that encourages walking and bicycling instead of driving, and providing public Wi-Fi (Berger, 2020). In addition, the new city would include an extensive sensor network that would continually gather urban data to guide resource-efficient housing and traffic decisions.
The project was an excellent illustration of social, economic, and environmental infrastructure. Pitman (2021) claims that the project started in 2017 and was terminated prematurely after three years. One of the issues with Sidewalk Labs was that they did not consult with the public (Pitman, 2021). It is critical to have local engagement with the people that live in the region. Developing a smart city in Toronto differs from creating one in other cities with various structures and democracies (Pitman, 2021). Berger (2020) notes that Sidewalk Toronto failed due to interpersonal dynamics such as a lack of trust and transparency. If the Sidewalk Toronto project had been realized, occupancy sensors would have been put in every home in the neighborhood to change temperature and decrease energy usage during the day (Berger, 2020). Consequently, it would have set up a vast network of cameras and employed artificial intelligence to study traffic patterns, track traffic speed, and forecast collisions. Even the streets would gather data and adapt accordingly. These advancements offer benefits in terms of safety, convenience, and energy savings, as well as a slew of privacy issues.
One of the successful initiatives that focus on social and environmental considerations is MyWaterToronto. Citizens may access their water consumption data at any time, providing total and average water consumption daily, weekly, monthly, or annually in a convenient graph or chart style (MyWaterToronto, n.d.). Furthermore, people may search for leaks, become more conscious of their water consumption patterns, and check utility account information and payment details. A smart city’s infrastructure similar to the platform might ensure that public interests are considered and included in the project.
Conclusion
To enhance the lives of its residents, Toronto has initiated various smart city projects. Nonetheless, the failure of the Sidewalk Labs Toronto Waterfront demonstrates that project managers must handle the issues of trust and transparency. To prevent allegations of corporate greed, they should embrace a near-nonprofit mindset that values social gain over profits and incorporate advocacy organizations in their decision-making procedures (Berger, 2020). Residents should comprehend how their data will be utilized, who will have access to it, and what to do to protect their privacy in an environment where data collecting is required.
References
Berger, B. (2020). Sidewalk Labs’ failure and the future of smart cities. Triple Pundit. Web.
Connected community / Smart city TO. (n.d.). City of Toronto. Web.
MyWaterToronto. (n.d.). City of Toronto. Web.
Pitman, K. (2021). Sidewalk Labs and Toronto Waterfront: Five lessons for smart, innovative city building. RICS. Web.
Robinson, P., & Coutts, S. (2019). The case of Quayside, Toronto, Canada. Smart City Emergence, 333–350. Web.
Toronto. (n.d.). The European Commission’s 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge. Web.