Toronto swaps Google-backed ‘smart’ city plans for people-centred vision:
Canada’s largest city has moved towards affordability, sustainability and environmentally-friendly design in a new vision for the Quayside waterfront – a year on from parting with Google-affiliated Sidewalk Labs.
Waterfront Toronto launched an international competition in March to secure a new development partner for the Quayside lands, to build “a sustainable community for people of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and incomes.”
The Quayside development will provide “market and affordable housing options for individuals and families. It will offer opportunities for aging in place, including the supports and amenities that will allow seniors to live independently. Inclusive economic development opportunities will create jobs and spaces for business owners that reflect Toronto’s diversity,” they write.
The call for new proposals comes nearly a year after the Sidewalk Labs partnership was called off, a “stinging defeat” reports The Guardian for a project championed by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and Eric Schmidt of Google, who had promised a community built “from the internet up”.
“Sidewalk Labs pledged to make Toronto one of the world’s first ‘smart’ cities. But skeptics saw a darker side, which included thousands of cameras monitoring streets, storefronts and parks, and harvesting data on the smallest movements,” Leyland Cecco writes.
The new city vision will “remind people of everything they want from living in the city” and “create a post-pandemic landmark community that addresses many of the vulnerabilities that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed,” Waterfront Toronto says.
Image: A rendering of The Overstorey. Architect: Henning Larsen. Image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto.
Cycling “ten times more important” than electric cars for net-zero cities:
Even if all new cars were electric, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet, writes Christian Brand, University of Oxford, for The Fifth Estate.
“The emission savings from replacing all those internal combustion engines with zero-carbon alternatives will not feed in fast enough to make the necessary difference in the time we can spare: the next five years,” he writes.
“Tackling the climate and air pollution crises requires curbing all motorised transport, particularly private cars, as quickly as possible. Focusing solely on electric vehicles is slowing down the race to zero emissions.”
Brand and colleagues from the University of Oxford conducted a study observing 4,000 people living in London, Antwerp, Barcelona, Vienna, Orebro, Rome and Zurich. Over a two-year period, participants completed 10,000 travel diary entries.
The researchers calculated the carbon footprint for each trip.
“Strikingly, people who cycled on a daily basis had 84% lower carbon emissions from all their daily travel than those who didn’t,” says Brand.
“When we compared the life cycle of each travel mode, taking into account the carbon generated by making the vehicle, fuelling it and disposing of it, we found that emissions from cycling can be more than 30 times lower for each trip than driving a fossil fuel car, and about ten times lower than driving an electric one.”
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
#ChooseToChallenge: landscape architects interviewed for International Women’s Day The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects has published a series of interviews with inspirational female Landscape Architects from around the world to celebrate their leadership in both industry and gender equity. Hear from the likes of Martha Schwartz, Kirsten Bauer, Mary Bowman, and Catherin Bull, to name a few. Find out about their career journey, how they have been supported along the way, and tips on combating gender issues. Go to AILA’s IWD series. The downside of the 15-minute city The 15-minute city concept, in which residents live within a short walk or bike ride of all their daily needs, has been embraced by many mayors around the world during the global pandemic as a central planning tenet. However applying this model to North American cities may …
Should outdoor learning in schools be compulsory? Over the past 20 years the term outdoor learning (OL) has evolved and gained pace, showing positive effects on school children’s development with participation on a weekly basis, writes Joe Bogumsky for Outlearn. In 2016 Plymouth University delivered The Natural Connections Demonstration project, the UK’s largest OL project, and found new evidence showing benefits of OL for schools relating to health, wellbeing and development for students – with additional positive impacts for teachers and the wider school community. To support schools and teachers to set up and run effective, sustained OL programs, the authors provide guides for getting started, policy and curriculum planning. Photo: by ?? Janko Ferlič, Unsplash. A green transformation for the ‘world’s most beautiful avenue’ Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has …
The rise of functional art: Public art can blend both form and function, blurring boundaries between the street object and the outcome people get from their engagement with it. Making art an everyday experience is integral to some of the best public spaces and cities around the world. The right mix of permanent or temporary installations can reflect identity and create vibrancy in an area. The artsy bus shelter pictured above (left) offers a playful and engaging option for those seeking transportation. And the water droplet shape – pictured above right – first appears to be a sculpture, but on closer inspection reveals itself to be a water fountain for refilling drink bottles. The design of the fountain – called the O fountain – is courtesy of Melbourne based ‘O …
