Toronto’s eastern waterfront presents an extraordinary opportunity to shape the city’s future and provide a global model for inclusive urban growth. Sidewalk Labs has presented the Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) for the Sidewalk Toronto project as a comprehensive proposal for how to realize that potential. Measures will aim to 1) reduce overall energy demands through energy-efficient building designs 2) eliminate energy waste through digital management tools 3) use district energy systems 4) design an advanced renewable power grid 5) protect the water quality along the waterfront through combination of green infrastructure and digital stormwater management systems. Finally, to reduce GHG emissions from garbage trucks and the impact of landfill waste, Sidewalk Labs proposes a smart disposal chain that could dramatically improve recycling rates and organic waste processing. The smart disposal chain (once constructed) would reduce GHG emissions by 1.08 annual tonnes per capita (or 17.1 percent) from the city’s current average. The project would also result in a landfill diversion rate of 80 percent and in more than 44,000 direct jobs (and 93,000 total jobs) by 2040.

Toronto boasts an exceptionally diverse population, top academic institutions, a rich legacy of urban planning, and a booming tech sector. But as the city continues to grow, it faces complex challenges. Home prices in the GTA have more than doubled since 2006. As households move farther from job centres, commute times and congestion have risen. Add to these challenges the urgency of climate change. All of these problems have disproportionate impacts on the most vulnerable populations. For these reasons, in spring 2017, Waterfront Toronto issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an Innovation and Funding Partner, recognizing an opportunity to establish a new global benchmark for inclusive growth. Waterfront Toronto selected Sidewalk Labs as this partner, given the company’s unique mission to integrate urban planning, technology, and policy to radically improve quality of life for all.

Sidewalk Labs has presented via the Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP) for the Sidewalk Toronto project a new development approach that not only meets but exceeds Waterfront Toronto’s five priority outcomes for a sustainable future. The project will cover the so-called IDEA District, which includes the five-hectare Quayside development that will serve as a demonstration ground for new quality-of-life solutions, as well as the 62-hectare River District, where those solutions can realize their full impact in a financially sustainable way.

Sidewalk Labs proposes a two-part approach to economic development with the potential to catalyze significant jobs and growth anchored around urban innovation. First, Sidewalk Labs proposes to reduce overall energy demands through energy-efficient building designs. Second, Sidewalk Labs plans to eliminate energy waste through digital management tools. Third, Sidewalk Labs plans to use a district energy system called a “thermal grid,” which could provide heating, cooling, and domestic hot water without relying on fossil fuels. Fourth, Sidewalk Labs proposes to design an advanced power grid that uses solar energy, battery storage, and real-time energy pricing to reduce reliance on the main power grid during periods of peak demand, when the grid requires fossil fuels to meet needs. Fifth, to protect the water quality along the waterfront while also incorporating more nature into the public realm, Sidewalk Labs proposes a combination of green infrastructure and digital stormwater management systems that could help capture, reuse, and, if necessary, treat stormwater that might otherwise contaminate the Don River basin. Finally, to reduce GHG emissions from garbage trucks and the impact of landfill waste, Sidewalk Labs proposes a smart disposal chain that could dramatically improve recycling rates and organic waste processing. Innovative waste management options in their draft designs currently include:

- A smart disposal chain would improve waste sorting and utilize “pay-as-you-throw” chutes to reduce household and business waste.

- An underground pneumatic tube system would separate waste streams underground, reducing contamination and centralizing trash hauling.

- An anaerobic digestion facility would covert organic waste into biogas. 

- Use of a library of building parts that are created in a mass timber factory would reduce waste during building construction.

The smart disposal chain (once constructed) would reduce GHG emissions by 1.08 annual tonnes per capita (or 17.1 percent) from the city’s current average. It would also result in a landfill diversion rate of 80 percent. Additionally, according to an economic analysis conducted by urbanMetrics, a leading Toronto-based firm with extensive experience on the waterfront, benefits of implementing the vision include:

- More than 44,000 full-time, permanent jobs (and 93,000 total jobs)

- Roughly $14.2 billion in annual GDP output beginning in 2040

- Roughly $4.3 billion in annual tax revenue (federal, provincial, and municipal) by 2040

- A global hub for urban innovation, anchored by a new Google campus, a new applied-research institute, and a new venture fund for Canadian companies

This large eastern waterfront development project is in consultation stage and designs are going through iterations based on consultation feedback. The project will begin at Quayside, but the potential for expanding these ideas to a larger geography such as Villiers West will be considered if the Quayside project is successful.