Quayside by Sidewalk Labs: A New Kind of Neighbourhood
If you haven’t already heard the buzz in the news, Quayside is Toronto’s newest neighbourhood planning project. This isn’t just any new block though. The plans for this block is to be a “smart city,” built from the internet up. The land is currently used as sparse dock and industrial space, and its position just to the east of downtown marks it as prime real estate, even before you consider the amazing lakeside views. This location is perfect to try new things, with existing infrastructure being nearly non-existent, letting planners use 21st century sensibilities to build a new type of neighbourhood from scratch.
Quayside, as it exists now.
Quayside is slated to be the first in a whole series of lakeside projects lead by a collective called Sidewalk Labs. This group is contentiously run by Alphabet Inc, a subsidiary of Google. Having the name of the occasionally controversial tech giant attached to a municipal project has raised eyebrows, but it has yet to be seen if conflicts of interest will affect proceedings.
With such unprecedented access to technological improvements, the project aims to be a restructuring of what it means to be an urban neighbourhood. Sidewalk Labs hopes to expand its project to the surrounding harbourside area, but for now, Quayside is their focus. The area selected for development is bounded by the Gardiner Expressway to the north, Bonnycastle Street to the west, Queen’s Quay East (from Bonnycastle east up the eastern side of Parliament Street Slip) and Victoria Soya Mills Silos to the east.
Quayside, and the other areas Sidewalk Labs hopes to develop if the project continues.
This new development hopes to be a proving ground for many new techniques, creating a self-sustaining community that is still linked to the rest of the city via transit. There will be a focus on people-first street space and assistive technologies, a healthy mix of commercial use, residential, and below-market residential spaces, and boosting the existing waterfront technological economic hubs which we will go into in further detail on now.
INNOVATION
Low-energy design is key with these new homes. Inspired by the Passive House movement, homes in Quayside would be designed to meet a high standard of energy efficiency and for reduction of greenhouse gasses.
A proposed suite of energy “Schedulers” would optimize energy systems for residents, businesses, and building operators, ensuring that buildings operate in the most efficient way possible.
An energy system called a “thermal grid” would be used for heating, cooling, and hot water without using fossil fuels. A more advanced power grid would focus on using solar energy and improving battery storage to reduce reliance on the Toronto Hydro grid during periods of peak demands, and to increase affordability.
A new bill structure would allow residents and businesses to set monthly budgets for their energy costs, more alike today’s bill payment system for phones or internet.
Even garbage removal would be overhauled, with a real-time feedback sorting system and “pay-as-you-throw” chutes to reduce waste.
COST OF HOUSING
Quayside looks to provide ample housing for those in need, with an impressive 20% of housing units slated for affordable housing, and a quarter of those set aside for those with “deep” affordability needs. A further 20% would be assigned as middle-income housing.
Middle-income housing options are to include “shared equity” units designed to help households build value with a smaller mortgage down payment.
Half of the total proposed housing would consist of rentals to improve long-term affordability.
A featured set of efficient and ultra-efficient units are planned to reduce size to enable affordability while remaining livable. Thoughtful design features, like multi-function space-saving furniture and shared building amenities will make this possible.
This approach will enable the creation of an additional 87 units than would otherwise exist in a conventional development, adding incredible value.
Co-living units featuring shared building amenities, such as communal kitchens, will enhance the feeling of community for a wide range of residents.
40% of housing will consist of family sized, two or more bedroom units.
MOBILITY
The design of Quayside aims to foster a safe and convenient environment for transit that reduces the need to own a car.
High-tech designs hope to manage mobility to coordinate travel modes, traffic signals, and street infrastructure and apply demand-based pricing to curb and parking spaces. Payment systems would also be put in place to help you plan, coordinate, and finance any given trip you plan.
Pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is to be expanded, with wider and heated bike lanes, as well as accessibility elements to help those with wheelchairs or other assistive devices get around freely.
Ride-hail, bike-share, electric vehicle-share and e-scooters will be utilized to reduce the cost of trips and street congestion.
New street type divisions for various methods of transit will be used for ease of access at all levels. Boulevards and Transitways for vehicles and public transit, Accessways for cyclists, and Laneways for pedestrians.
An underground neighbourhood freight “logistics hub” would coordinate deliveries to both homes and businesses to reduce truck traffic on roads.
JOB GROWTH
As an added bonus of this project, it will generate jobs for the area. Sidewalk Labs estimates that more than 44,000 full-time, permanent jobs (and 93,000 total jobs.) This will create roughly $14.2 billion in annual GDP output beginning in 2040. Countless new possibilities will also be generated by the new innovation hub, creating venture fund opportunities for Canadian companies.
Sidewalk Labs also hopes to foster a new industry in the form of a product called mass timber. Mass timber is an engineered wood well-suited to factory-based construction that is also more environmentally friendly than alternatives like steel and concrete. Producing the timber in Ontario would significantly reduce construction timelines and create new jobs.
There is currently no definite timeline for Quayside’s construction, as it’s still in the proposal phase. Sidewalk Labs are still in discussion with the city over the exact terms of the project, which has been a tricky and complex prospect with the number of new technologies being employed and who would own the rights to the data collected by them.
However, we are excited to see what comes of this ambitious project, whether it becomes a full reality or not. We will either end up with a fascinating new community built on new technology, or learn what is and isn’t possible with our current political and society infrastructure, and where to move from there.
What do you think? Shoot us a message and we’d be happy to feature your opinion on the Quayside project.