Future City to be built in Canada

​​With MEDUCOM offices located in Guelph, Ontario, and most of our staff living in the city (many within walking distance!) we often take for granted our easy commute to work. However, Guelph is a rapidly growing city and many MEDUCOMers frequently travel to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, so we are certainly no stranger to traffic and congestion experienced daily by the residents of these metropolitan areas. It’s definitely a problem that continues to worsen with, seemingly, no solution in sight!

But wait…maybe there is some light ahead. Tech companies and urban planners are coming together to tackle issues such as congestion, pollution and overcrowding. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is set to pilot a digital city called “Sidewalk Toronto” in the Quayside Harbourfront area of downtown Toronto. The goal is to build a smarter, greener and more inclusive city. Initial plans include millions of data sensors collecting data from smartphones, as well as cameras to identify areas for bike-sharing, where a self-driving vehicle should be routed, or where a future pop-up store could find a market. There will be Wi-Fi availability, sustainable energy, robotic underground delivery systems and more.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next several years, because, if successful in Toronto, this will quickly spread to other cities!