Automotive News Canada - February 2018 - 15

* FEBRUARY 2018

who would then use taxibots or small
vans to get to their desired locations.
"We're quite optimistic that autonomous vehicles really can be harnessed to be in some ways the partner to the transit system," Aggarwala
said.

individual.
"If you create
a place where people
feel that by entering that
Delivery trucks would operate
place that they're someon an underground set of streets.
how being surveilled,
( I L L U S T R AT I O N : S I D E W A L K L A B S )
they're not going to come.
So it's totally contrary to
'21st-CENTURY CITY'
our interests," he said.
John Holmes, profesAutonomous vehicles play only
sor emeritus at Queen's
a part in Sidewalks Labs' vision for
University in
the site. "Radical" mixed-use
Kingston, Ont.,
developments and highly effisaid any privacy
cient systems do not necessarconcerns would
ily need to rely on a fleet of
need to be overautonomous vehicles working
come for autonohand-in-hand with public tranmous vehicles and
sit to come to fruition.
projects such as
CEO Dan Doctoroff,
Sidewalk Toronto
answering questions in
to catch on.
January from users on the
"At the heart
website Reddit, said the goal
Dan
of it is data colis to make Toronto the "first
Doctoroff:
lection," he said.
truly 21st-century city."
Sidewalk
"It's partly surveil"We launched Sidewalk
Labs will
lance, but it's colwith the broad belief that if we "work closelection on enormous amounts
people with the technology and getting
combined the best in urban
ly" with regof data on people's behaviour.
them into self-driving vehicles. He
planning and design with the
ulators and
And [autonomous vehicles] can
said Sidewalk Labs, to establish trust,
latest in technology and open
government
be looked at from that kind of
will hold various demonstrations as it
digital infrastructure, we
officials.
Sidewalk Labs Chief Policy Officer
perspective."
rolls out technologies.
could meaningfully improve
Rit Aggarwala said he sees the
Doctoroff, who is based in New
"What people both at Waymo and
quality of life for people in cities,"
company's Toronto project playYork City with Sidewalk Labs, said
other companies working on autonDoctoroff wrote. "But one of the big
ing out over the course of several
the company has "engaged" with Ann
omous vehicles [say] is that as soon
challenges we saw was that no single
years, divided into three phases:
Cavoukian, execuas somebody experienccity in the world could really stand
tive director of the
es an autonomous vehiout as a model for how to do that.
1) This year, Sidewalk will host sevPrivacy and Big
cle for more than a couThat's what we hope to achieve with
eral pilot projects and demonstrations
Data Institute at
ple minutes, they're autoWaterfront Toronto."
to show off various technologies and
Ryerson University
matically comfortable,"
The project faces several more
to get Torontonians comfortable with
in Toronto, to
Aggarwala said.
hurdles before it becomes reality.
them.
advise the company
Wolfe said that sceSidewalk Labs still needs approvon Canadian privanario remains years from
al for the development of the initial
2) If Toronto approves Sidewalk's
cy laws and stanbecoming reality. The
Quayside project, let alone anything
plans later this year, construction
dards.
complexity of urban street
on a larger scale. (Aggarwala says he
could begin on a 12-acre (five-hectare)
"That said, we
design, combined with
sees the development playing out over
site near downtown. Aggarwala sees
have
already
articremaining technological
a timeframe of 10-20 years.)
that site within five years as being able
RIT AGGARWALA
ulated a set of prinadvances, makes it unlikeDoctoroff said Sidewalk Labs promto institute many of the project's aspiSidewalk Labs' head
ciples around privaly that fleets of autonoises to "work closely" with regulators
rations on a smaller scale.
of urban systems
cy," Doctoroff wrote
mous vehicles will be seen
and government officials as it rolls out
in response to a
driving around major citnew technology.
3) Aggarwala thinks the development
Reddit question.
ies anytime soon.
"For example, if we have an all
of the 800-acre (3.2-square-kilome"These include
"We're more likely to
autonomous-vehicle district, the regtre) neighbourhood east of downtown
the belief that prisee a fleet of automated
ulatory regime would have to accomToronto will be built up over the course
vacy should be
trucks moving on highmodate that," he wrote on Reddit. "If
of 10-20 years. It is during this time
designed into the
ways between cities way
we want to have a new form of buildthat fleets of autonomous cars might
very foundation of
before we see individual
ing code that enables more flexible -
be servicing the area on a
the tools we develautomated vehicles movand therefore cheaper - regulations
mass scale.
op;
that
data
will
ing
around
within
cities,"
will be have to put in place to make
be used to improve
he said.
that happen."
quality of life and
Still, Sidewalk Labs
PRIVACY ISSUES
not be collected
sees potential in autowithout a clear purmated vehicles not only
The biggest hurdles ahead of
pose; and that polas a way to transport
Sidewalk Toronto might involve pubicies [such as the rules around opting
people but also to transport freight.
lic skepticism about self-driving cars
out] should be developed transparentAggarwala said the neighbourhood
and concerns about privacy.
ly and through a rigourous public procould use a network of underground
Questions abound regarding how
cess."
tunnels for automated vehicles to
Sidewalk Labs can ensure the privacy
Sidewalk Labs could also face skeptransport freight and other goods,
and security of residents and workers
ticism from the public on autonomous
potentially alleviating increased conin the neighbourhood when collecting
vehicles. Surveys have repeatedly
gestion as more people buy products
data on them on a scale never before
shown drivers as being fearful of givonline and have them delivered.
seen in a city, and how government
ing up complete control of their vehi"One of the neat things about a
policy might be designed to react to it.
cles, despite potential safety benefits.
robot is that it doesn't have to go on a
Sidewalk Labs says the data will
street," Aggarwala said. - ANC
help it increase the neighbourhood's
TECHNOLOGICAL HURDLES
efficiency and livability. For instance,
Aggarwala said the problem will
a constant stream of information on
ultimately be solved by familiarizing
residents' driving habits and energy
use could help urban planners better
Sidewalk Labs autonomous-vehicle
design roadways and the energy grid.
community on the Toronto waterfront
Cameras monitoring the streets could
might feel like a pre-automobile city.
help to determine if a grocery store,
( I L L U S T R AT I O N : S I D E W A L K L A B S )
for instance, is at a prime location or
could be moved.
But for privacy advocates, such
monitoring is sure to spark significant controversy and concerns about
whether Alphabet Inc. would sell data
on residents to third parties. Sidewalk
Labs has said it has no plans to sell
data from the project, though at this
point it is unclear who would own the
data.
Aggarwala said Sidewalk Labs
is taking an approach called "privacy by design," meaning it will design
its sensors to collect only data that is
absolutely vital to the project and that
is not specifically related to any one

SIDEWALK'S FUTURE

You can imagine a world
that feels very much like
the pre-automobile city.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - February 2018