What kind of neighbour is most likely to water your plants while you’re away on vacation? How do you build community bonds in a neighbourhood without being overly contrived or prescriptive?How can behaviour-based incentives encourage people to use green bins and recycle more?Sidewalk Labs, the firm behind the proposed “city of the future” on Toronto’s eastern waterfront, wants to know.In mid-September, 10 grants of between $10,000 and $15,000 each were awarded to research teams at several universities in Toronto and the surrounding area, including OCAD, the University of Toronto, McMaster, Waterloo and Ryerson, to explore these questions and others.The research, funded by Sidewalk Labs, Waterfront Toronto and the Toronto Foundation, is tied to Sidewalk’s proposal for a “smart city” that would be built on a 12-acre site known as Quayside. Read more:Opinion | Toronto’s tech boom raises collaboration concernsSidewalk Labs proposal stirs fears, raises hopesSidewalk Labs addresses privacy concerns over proposed high-tech Quayside districtIf the Sidewalk project gets the go-ahead, the “smart city” would include data-rich technology aimed at improving urban life, such as sensors that could measure air quality, traffic and noise. According to Sidewalk Labs, the 10 research projects relate directly to the “six pillars” of the overall Sidewalk Toronto vision: mobility, sustainability, innovative building designs, a digital platform, affordability and a great public realm. One team will review measurements used to evaluate neighbourhood quality of life; another will explore how messaging has influenced waste diversion rates.A team will look into community governance models in Canada, such as ratepayers and neighbourhood safety groups. Another team will delve into how bicycle-counting technology is operating in some cities around the world, technology that’s used to tabulate the numbers of cyclist ...
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