Google's Sidewalk Labs and Alphabet Inc. plan to create work together for developing the "smart city" of the future.
Google's project to make the world's cities function better and improve life for billions of people has enjoyed great popularity. The Internet search company has created a division specialized in developing "smart city" technologies that will improve energy usage and make transportation more efficient for many of the world's cities.
Google's initiative called Sidewalk Labs is different than other projects created by technology companies with the purpose to develop smart cities. Google will assemble small team of experts to launch projects that have the potential to catch with large number of city dwellers.
In contrast with "top-down" tech projects used by cities in the past to improve their services and reduce costs, Google aims to bring rapid change at low cost with its "bottom-up" approach. Even if Google is not the first tech company to see the potential of smart cities, it is one of the biggest.
Google's company Sidewalk Labs wants now to go much further than just providing internet access on city streets, according to Engadget. The research team is working on a project to create whole smart neighborhoods.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the unit of Google parent, Alphabet Inc., is working on a project to create a smart city. Sidewalk Labs will design city districts to feature advanced technology with the aim of improving energy use, transport and living costs.
Sidewalk is about to propose to Alphabet a project to design whole technology-based city districts. In declining cities, existing areas will be redesigned with everything from autonomous cars to higher-tech electrical grids.
Sidewalk also plans to experiment with street design and is hoping to get city regulation waivers for its project. The proposal would have to be approved by Alphabet in the "coming weeks."
Even if it gets approved, there is no guarantee that it will work. Billions of dollars are frequently involved in city development. Sidewalk would likely need funding from cities of even governmental funding.
