By Shannon Mattern
A visit to Sidewalk Labs’ workshop at 307 Lake Shore Boulevard in Toronto grounds this incisive analysis of the now abandoned Quayside project for a smart city sporting a panoply of urban innovations. Mattern’s essay delves into the civic design tools that the Google sister company used for public engagement, including how data was collected at the workshop itself. These technologies have significant ramifications for the relation between cities and their citizens—which will surely extend beyond the shelved plans for the 12-acre Toronto site.