Toronto moves on from Sidewalk Labs controversy with new waterfront vision

Waterfront Toronto is seeking a new development partner for its 12-acre Quayside site.

This comes almost a year after a partnership with Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs to develop a smart neighbourhood in the area was abandoned.

The new Request for Qualifications (RFQ) stresses the need for proposals which are focused around sustainability, health and inclusivity.

After being selected by Waterfront Toronto in 2017, Sidewalk Labs had plans for a futuristic data-driven city with autonomous vehicles, heated pavements, “raincoats” for buildings, and mass-timber towers but the project drew controversy over issues such as privacy and governance. It was eventually dropped altogether in May last year, with the company citing “unprecedented economic uncertainty”.

The RFQ from Waterfront Toronto, an organisation set up by the governments of Canada, Ontario and the City of Toronto to oversee the waterfront’s redevelopment, highlights the need for features such as low-carbon buildings affordable housing, active travel and ideas to support independent living for older residents.

It states: “Quayside builds on the momentum already underway on Toronto’s waterfront and takes into consideration the experiences of 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, growing social inequality, economic insecurity and mounting climate crisis. Now more than ever we see the importance of housing for good health outcomes, both affordable housing and housing for seniors, and the importance of parks and green spaces to our wellbeing.”

In the water

Waterfront Toronto’s vision for Parliament Slip, revealed last week, will be a signature piece of the project and aims to “reorient the city to the water”. It includes open water swimming facilities and a floating restaurant.

“Quayside is an opportunity to reimagine a stronger economic future and create a post-pandemic landmark community that addresses many of the vulnerabilities that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed,” said George Zegarac, CEO for Waterfront Toronto.

“The past year has driven people apart, when they’d rather be together. We’ll know we have been successful when anyone who’s ever thought about moving away from the city looks at Quayside and remembers every reason they wanted to live in Toronto in the first place,” Zegarac added.

The RFQ Submission deadline is May 12, 2021. Waterfront Toronto aims to select a winning proposal before the end of the year.

“We are looking for leaders in the development field that will share our ambition to create a place that fuses Quayside to the water, and provides more beauty, utility, and originality than previously imagined. We want Quayside to be timeless, adaptive, and to propel us into our rightful place among the great waterfronts of the world,” said Stephen Diamond, Chair of the Board for Waterfront Toronto.