July 2018

Roundtable 02

Event Date: May 3, 2018

Summary Report

Sidewalk Toronto is a joint effort by Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs to create a new kind of mixed-use complete community on Toronto’s waterfront. Sidewalk Toronto will combine forward-thinking urban design and new digital technology to create a people-centred neighbourhood, called Quayside, that achieves precedent-setting levels of sustainability, affordability, mobility, and economic opportunity.

To realize this ambition we have embarked on a year-long process of consultation and collaboration with Torontonians, as well as leading global thinkers, that will inform and help shape the Master Innovation and Development Plan.

Our second public roundtable meeting was held on May 3, 2018. This meeting was designed to inform the planning process by sharing emerging thinking and gathering feedback, specifically around: Responsible Data Use, Mobility, and Housing Affordability.

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400+ 1,250+Attended in person Viewed via livestream

What we heard you care about (top 8 themes):

Next steps

Sidewalk Toronto’s working teams will review the roundtable feedback and themes identified in this report. This feedback will help shape their ongoing planning work, in continued consultation with the community, recognized experts, and government stakeholders.

An update on the planning work will be presented at the next public roundtable meeting. See sidewalktoronto.ca for more details.

Summary Roundtable 02

Receiving more detailed information about the plan for Quayside

Promoting active transportation, while maximizing convenience and choice

Understanding when and how data couldbe collected, and how consent will be obtained

Ensuring Quayside is a welcoming and inclusive community for all

Creating a complete community that provides opportunities to live, work, and play

Providing a good mix of housing options that makes Quayside attractive to different households and incomes

Creating a vibrant and dynamic neighbourhood with mixed-use buildings and a lively public realm

Ensuring that Quayside is well connected andintegrated with the rest of Toronto

The Roundtable Program 4

Key Themes 6

Presentation Summary 7

What We Asked 8

What We Heard

Responsible Data Use 10

Mobility 12

Housing Affordability 15

Other Considerations 17

Roundtable Survey 19

Contents

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The Roundtable Program

The people of Toronto will contribute to shaping the Sidewalk Toronto Master Innovation and Development Plan, and the final vision will reflect their ideas, concerns, and hopes.

As part of its public participation plan, Sidewalk Toronto is holding a series of public roundtable meetings over the next several months, with the first one held on March 20, 2018. Each public roundtable meeting is intended to provide Toronto residents with an opportunity to learn about and shape our proposal as it evolves.

Each roundtable meeting is a large-format event that can accommodate as many as 1,000 people. Residents can visit information displays, speak directly with knowledgeable staff who are working on the project, hear a 30-45 minute presentation on the latest information about the proposal, ask questions during an open mic session, and sit with others at facilitated roundtables to share their feedback. Each roundtable meeting is livestreamed and a video from the event can be viewed on our website. Summary reports from each meeting will also be made public following the event.

The roundtable meetings are a recurring element in our public participation plan that includes a range of events and opportunities, each of which will help shape the development of our plan. Other activities include:

• Sidewalk Toronto Residents Reference Panel: This 36-member representative panel of Torontonians will meet over five full Saturdays to learn about our work, shape our thinking, and ultimately make recommendations to Sidewalk Toronto. They have met four times to date.

• Neighbourhood Meetings: Attend a neighbourhood meeting that’s close to home, and if you’re part of a community association, invite us to visit your neighbourhood and host a conversation with us. Read summaries of these at our website.

• 307: In June, Sidewalk Labs opened 307, its main office and experimental workspace in Toronto. 307 will be open every weekend from 12-6 p.m. for you to see explorations-in-progress and learn more about the project. 307 will also host Open Sidewalk, a monthly event series designed for all ages and abilities that includes prototypes, workshops, and other activities.

See the full list of engagement opportunities: sidewalktoronto.ca/get-involved

Scheduled Public Roundtable Meetings Tuesday, March 20, 2018 View the video / View the slides

Thursday, May 3, 2018 View the video / View the slides

Tues - Weds, August 14-15, 2018 Registration details to follow

TBC November, 2018 Details to follow

TBC Early 2019 Details to follow

To learn more about all the ways you can get involved, visit sidewalktoronto.ca.

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Key Themes More than 400 residents attended the second of four public roundtable meetings at Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park on May 3, 2018.

Residents were asked to participate in a facilitator-led discussion of questions grouped under three broad headings: responsible data use, mobility, and housing affordability. Residents were also encouraged to post comments on information panels that were displayed in the hall and to engage with Sidewalk Toronto staff circulating through the crowd. A full transcript of all comments can be downloaded as an Excel file from the Documents section of our website.

Several key themes emerged in the course of these discussions and from the posted comments:

• Responsible Data Use. Residents felt that the Responsible Data Use Policy Framework addressed some of their concerns, but insisted that language around privacy and accountability be strengthened and prioritized. Many residents were adamant that data should be housed in Canada.

• Mobility. Residents often felt that they were dependent on their cars for some of their daily activities that could not easily be accommodated by Toronto’s transit system or that involved travel to areas that were poorly served by public transportation. Residents expressed interest in alternative planning and transportation technologies that could enable them to move beyond the model of individual car ownership. Residents also supported the creation of new technologies that could improve pedestrian safety, promote the use of autonomous vehicles, or introduce new forms of public transportation.

• Housing Affordability. Many residents were concerned that too much of the affordability discussion has been focused on housing affordability exclusively. Residents hoped that affordability would be expanded to include discussions around mobility, community services, and other project areas. Residents discussed flexible and innovative living arrangements and housing that could both improve affordability and strengthen communities.

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Presentation Summary

John Brodhead of Sidewalk Labs emceed the project update presentations at the May 3 public roundtable, opening with an overview of the topics discussed at the previous roundtable meeting and outlining the key feedback captured in the event’s summary report. Elder Garry Sault of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation then delivered a land acknowledgment.

Meg Davis of Waterfront Toronto and Rit Aggarwala of Sidewalk Labs provided brief updates on the project. They gave progress reports on several consultation programs, including the Residents Reference Panel of 36 Torontonians, the three neighbourhood meetings attended to date, and the formation of six expert advisory working groups to help advise Sidewalk Toronto during the planning process.

Meg and Rit also updated the attendees on the release of the Sidewalk Toronto Responsible Data Use Framework, the upcoming launch of a new office and public visiting centre at 307 Lake Shore Boulevard, and several new studies and partnerships undertaken by the project working groups. Members of the Sidewalk Labs engineering team then gave updates on two open-source prototypes: OldTO and the newly released Toronto Transit Explorer.

The presentation then moved into the three topics meant for further discussion during the roundtables: responsible data use, mobility, and housing affordability. Several Sidewalk Toronto team members introduced these core project areas and outlined some of the key questions the teams wrestle with as they work toward an innovative development plan.

The responsible data use team explained the newly released framework and welcomed feedback on its guiding principles, privacy commitments, and open questions. The mobility team sought input on ideas such as reduced car-ownership, new mobility services, and self-driving technology. The housing team posed questions around mixed-income living, mixed-use neighbourhoods, and ownership vs. rental structures.

The presentation concluded with 15 minutes of audience questions. You can watch the presentation here and view the slides here.

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What We Asked

01 Responsible Data Use Are the principles appropriate for this project? Are there others that we should be considering?

Are our commitments appropriate and sufficient?

Does the decision-making framework enable us to strike a good balance between enabling innovation and safeguarding privacy?

Which elements of the framework are most important to you?

What outstanding concerns should we work to address?

02 Mobility Do you own a car? If you do, how often do you use it, and why? If you don’t own a car, are there times when you wish you did own one?

Are there new services—such as car-sharing or ride-hail—that could lead you to decide to give up your car? What would they need to offer to make you comfortable doing that?

In a neighbourhood like Quayside that is close to downtown, do you think it is feasible to reduce parking so people who live and work there find it easier to walk, bike, or take transit than to drive? What are the benefits and the downsides of such a decision?

Do you think self-driving technology will improve urban life or make it worse? How can we ensure that self-driving cars make the city better?

03 Housing Affordability Sidewalk Toronto believes that complete communities must be affordable to people with a range of incomes. How important is it to mix incomes at the building level? The neighbourhood level? Both?

What factors would make renting an apartment appealing to you? What factors make owning a home or condo appealing? How would you weigh these factors in making a housing choice?

How do you feel about living in a building that also contains a wide mix of uses, such as retail shops or office space?

What shared amenities (in a building or on a block) would make you feel comfortable living in a smaller, lower-cost home? How can these homes still address the needs of growing families?

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What We Heard

01 Responsible Data Use

Principles and Commitments Are the principles appropriate for this project? Are there others that we should be considering? Are our commitments appropriate and sufficient?

• Many residents expressed comfort with some data use—for example, maximizing energy efficiency—but expressed discomfort with overly invasive uses of personal information.

• Many residents were concerned about the structures that would govern and monitor Sidewalk Toronto’s use of data.

• Residents also wanted Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs to disclose its partnership agreement in order to clarify issues around intellectual property and data ownership.

• Some residents were concerned that the decision-making framework didn’t fully outline how the development will be governed given the rapid pace of technological change.

• Some residents were hopeful that this conversation would encourage provincial and federal governments to proactively create a legislative framework for responsible data use.

• Residents wanted to see a more detailed plan showing how the city would benefit from the Quayside development.

Data Governance and PrivacyDoes the decision-making framework enable us to strike a good balance between enabling innovation and safeguarding privacy? Which elements of the framework are most important to you?

• Residents expressed significant concerns about the version of the Responsible Data Use Policy Framework released prior to the event.

• Many residents felt that the framework was unclear and could use more specific and stronger language. Residents asked about the definition of beneficial purpose (one of the framework’s guiding principles), and who would establish and monitor that threshold.

• Many residents expressed concern about how the principles set out in the framework were going to be applied.

• Some residents felt that in the framework, building trust should be the first principle.

• A number of residents expressed concerns that they did not have enough information to adequately judge the appropriateness of the principles set out in the framework.

01: Responsible Data Use

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What We Heard

01 Responsible Data Use

Outstanding Concerns What outstanding concerns should we work to address?

• Many residents advocated for consensual data collection. This includes clarifying whether data collection would only apply to Quayside residents or would apply to all individuals who visited the community.

• Many residents felt that they were largely powerless to have an impact on data governance and that, across the world, this issue was being decided in closed conversations largely hidden from the public.

• Many residents prioritized a  commitment to data being housed in Canada, reiterating comments made at the previous roundtable.

• Some residents asked how data collection and privacy would affect Torontonians who might be undocumented, or for whom the collection of personal information could affect them negatively.

• Residents raised concerns about the monetization of data by Sidewalk Labs and Alphabet and felt that more information was needed about Sidewalk Labs’ business plans.

• Residents participating in the roundtables and asking questions of the presenters asked how Sidewalk Toronto could work towards a data protection regime that would safeguard personal information in the face of potential threats from outside organizations or agents.

01: Responsible Data Use

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What We Heard

02 Mobility

Car Ownership Do you own a car? If you do, how often do you use it, and why? If you don’t own a car, are there times when you wish you did own one?

• Many residents owned cars, for reasons that include: not living in downtown Toronto and needing to get around, moving children and hockey equipment, or visiting family and friends not easily accessed by public transit.

• Some residents without cars would like to own one for similar reasons.

• However, some residents who didn’t have cars also didn’t want one, citing environmental concerns and frustrations with driving and parking around the downtown core.

• Most residents were happy with the prospect of moving from individual car ownership to other, more innovative mobility options.

New ServicesAre there new services—such as car-sharing or ride-hail—that could lead you to decide to give up your car? What would they need to offer to make you comfortable doing that?

• While many residents were positive about new services, they felt these services currently couldn’t accommodate different community needs—for example, child car seats or specific mobility needs.

• Residents felt that it would be useful to have more information on innovative transit options.

• Some residents felt new services like car-sharing increased or maintained a dependence on cars, rather than seeing greater investment in public transit.

02: Mobility

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What We Heard

02 Mobility Promoting Other Forms of Transit In a neighbourhood like Quayside that is close to downtown, do you think it is feasible to reduce parking so people who live and work there find it easier to walk, bike, or take transit than to drive? What are the benefits and the downsides of such a decision?

• Many residents were optimistic about a car-free community, and were in favour of reduced parking spaces.

• Some residents wanted to repurpose existing parking into greenhouses and public spaces. Some residents saw a reduction in cars as an opportunity to funnel investment formerly spent on road and parking maintenance to new forms of public transit.

• Some residents expressed concern that reduced parking was not feasible year-round because of poor winter conditions.

• Some residents were concerned about reduced parking leading to increased inequality between those able to live in the downtown core and those not able to, who may rely on cars because of a lack of public transit.

New Technologies Do you think self-driving technology will improve urban life or make it worse? How can we ensure that self-driving cars make the city better?

• Many residents were positive about the opportunities that autonomous vehicles (AVs) offered. However, some residents were concerned that a focus on AVs still kept us in a car-first mindset.

• Many residents were unsure how AVs could be useful to the wider Greater Toronto Area, and not just to those living in Quayside.

• Some residents were concerned about how AVs could work in practice—for example, managing volume of shared vehicles in peak versus off-peak times.

• Some residents were hopeful that AVs could improve road use and safety for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.

• Some residents were interested in new technologies that could improve other forms of transit: for example, heated bike lanes and footpaths.

02: Mobility

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What We Heard

03 Housing Affordability

Inclusive of IncomesSidewalk Toronto believes that complete communities must be affordable to people with a range of incomes. How important is it to mix incomes at the building level? The neighbourhood level? Both?

• Residents hoped that Quayside could be developed in such a way that would reflect Toronto’s diversity beyond mixed income, to include age, family and living arrangements, and other demographic considerations.

• Many residents thought it was very important that Quayside mix income levels at the floor-, building-, and neighbourhood-level. In particular, some participants wanted to make sure there was no way to identify the different income levels.

• Many residents also suggested exploring other methods of mixing cultures and communities, and not only depending on mixed-income housing.

• Residents asked if Sidewalk Toronto would be looking to existing models like Regent Park, ACORN, and Toronto Community Housing.

• Residents felt that discussions around the affordability principle were very positive and could create important opportunities for improving affordability throughout Toronto.

Housing TenureWhat factors would make renting an apartment appealing to you? What factors make owning a home or condo appealing? How would you weigh these factors in making a housing choice?

• Many residents felt that renting is the only financially viable option for many people, but there is not much government support for renting and the idea of home-ownership is the expected norm.

• Some residents preferred renting, as it meant they had more mobility and were not tied to a large investment. However, some residents preferred to own so they could rent out rooms and have flexibility over the design and layout of the house.

• Many residents prioritized safety and location in choosing where to live currently, although they would like to see greater emphasis on building community and “making a city feel like a village.”

• Residents wanted to ensure that there would be an appropriate mix of rental and owned housing.

03: Housing Affordability

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What We Heard

03 Housing Affordability

Mixed-use BuildingsHow do you feel about living in a building that also contains a wide mix of uses, such as retail shops or office space?

• Residents were excited about the prospects of mixed-use buildings in building local communities.

• Residents suggested that flexible retail could support local businesses, including spaces that would be available for different uses at different times of day. This would enable the creation of dynamic spaces that would spend very little time empty.

• Residents asked how affordable housing principles and the housing mix in Quayside could support flexible home working.

• Residents hoped that any development would be home to independent retailers and businesses, and that it would avoid having only franchised commercial units.

• Some residents were concerned that having mixed-use apartment blocks may lead to safety concerns and lack of community.

• Residents were hopeful that Quayside could be used to change paradigms and models around conventional land use and property ownership.

Shared AmenitiesWhat shared amenities (in a building or on a block) would make you feel comfortable living in a smaller, lower cost home? How can these homes still address the needs of growing families?

Resident ideas included:

• Creating co-living spaces like dormitories, shared residences for young people and senior citizens, or mixed communities like L’Arche;

• Shared workspaces in apartment buildings;

• Access to amenities like daycare and affordable groceries;

• Rooftop gardens and access to green space;

• Shared dining and cooking options;

• Spaces for activities like music, art, and exercise; and

• Shared services, like Toronto Tool Library.

03: Housing Affordability

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What We Heard

04 Other Considerations

• Some residents hoped that Sidewalk Toronto would widen its consultation process to ensure that it seeks out residents who are unaware of, or unable to participate in, the public roundtables.

• Some residents wanted the Sidewalk Toronto partnership to disclose its framework document.

• Residents hoped that this project could help develop a larger vision for Toronto’s future.

• Residents were concerned that the reliance on technology would increase power consumption.

04: Other Considerations

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Following the roundtable, we emailed an optional event feedback survey to registered participants to help us evaluate the program and find ways to improve. To view the full survey results, as well as additional comments made by respondents, download the Excel file from the Documents section of our website.

We asked additional questions about improvements to the meeting format, which will be used to improve future meetings.

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Other includes word-of-mouth recommendations and to explore potential business opportunities.

Why did you decide to come to this meeting? (Multiple selection permitted)

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Roundtable 02 Survey

40 72.7%

I wanted to learn more about the project

24 43.6%

I wanted to learn more about Sidewalk Labs

20 36.4%

I wanted to add my perspective to the project

19 34.5%

I follow Waterfront Toronto’s projects

1629.1%

I came to the first roundtable and wanted to know how the project has progressed.

15 27.3%

I had heard about the project in the media

14 25.5%

I have concerns about the project

3 5.4%

Other

Did you attend the previous roundtable? (55 responses)

2%

67%

31%YesNoDon't Know/Don’t Remember

Roundtable 02 Survey

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How frequently do you attend public meetings? (55 responses)

30%

22%30%

19% More than 6 a year3 - 6 each year1 - 2 each yearVery rarely

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Roundtable 02 Survey

Generally, how informed do you think you are about urban planning and waterfront development? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all informed Very informed

How would you rate communication before the meeting? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Poor Excellent

Roundtable 02 Survey

How would you rate the registration process at Daniels Spectrum? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all pleasant Very pleasant

How would you rate the venue at Daniels Spectrum? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all pleasant Very pleasant

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Roundtable 02 Survey

If you watched a presentation hosted by our project team members, was it informative? (53 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all informative Very informative

If you spoke to one of our team members at the information boards, were they informative? (49 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all pleasant Very pleasant

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Roundtable 02 Survey

If you tried the Old Toronto or Transit Explorer demo, was it interesting? (30 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all informative Very informative

What topics would you be interested in discussing at future events?

Detail: More details on new and different technologies, more information about smart cities, concrete plans, research and background on decisions being made.

Timelines: Estimated timelines for both delivery of the master plan and infrastructure development.

Evaluation: Measurement and evaluation of various initiatives, policies, and alternatives.

Public Realm: Safety and security, public and green space, city operations (waste management, utilities, lighting), public art.

Housing: Retirement housing, renting v. ownership.

Data: Best and worst case scenarios for data collection, how to understand and navigate data collection, and how open the data will be.

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Roundtable 02 Survey

In the presentation, we outlined our draft Responsible Data Use Policy Framework. Do you think our initial principles and commitments are appropriate? (52 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all appropriate Very appropriate

“Everything is too conceptual right now - we need concrete examples to run through the principles to test them before we decide.”

“Only addressed is the privacy of personal data. Nothing was said about data ownership, data location/storage, or the selling of aggregate data. Personal privacy is only one of many aspects of the governance of data.”

“I understand that you are still in draft mode so you cannot be more specific. I appreciate that you are taking the time to get it right.”

“There is still work to do. It is apparent from audience questions that concern exists regarding privacy issues and that Alphabet may not be coming completely clean.”

“[It is] understandable to me that this is not complete or firmly set yet, but seemed to be the major hot button issue at the meeting. Addressing issues such as data hosting locations and abiding by Canadian data privacy laws should be a priority.”

“The principles are good, but we’ll only know if they and the commitments are appropriate when we know what they’ll be applied to. Without that context, it’s just words.”

“Good in high level, but need more detail.”

Sample comments

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Roundtable 02 Survey

In the presentation, we outlined our approach to Mobility and the themes we are exploring. Do you think we are asking the right questions? (52 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Asking the wrong

questionsAsking the right

questions

“While Privacy Is being tackled, I didn’t get the feeling that Mobility is as advanced.”

“Little discussion of applying advanced tech to active transportation.”

“Principles were too generic, not specific enough about the actual site.”

“One critical way to improve mobility is reduce the need for it. That means treating mobility and affordability as two sides of the same coin. What drives the need for mobility solutions is the lack of diverse affordable housing and amenities in every local community.”

“The questions are overly broad and general and don't relate much if at all to the specific territory of Quayside or to the surrounding territory and mobility context of Toronto.”

“Ask more questions about using the waterfront and transportation via water.”

Sample comments

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Roundtable 02 Survey

In the presentations, we outlined our approach to Housing Affordability and framed the themes we are exploring. Do you think these are the right questions? (52 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Asking the wrong

questionsAsking the right

questions

Sample comments

“Housing is a business, or a service provided by the municipality. If it is neither, as in this case, it is confusing.”

"Let’s talk about how to build more subsidized housing.”

“In my opinion, housing affordability is one of the most important topics being explored by the Sidewalk Toronto project. […] If the project is to be inclusive, equitable, and grounded in current research/common sense, if not best practice as you claim, the idea of creating a mixed income neighbourhood is the bare minimum - not an innovation.”

“There is room to fundamentally question the nature of land/property ownership in this type of development.”

“Very vague and no clear strategy or action. It was more of a wishlist approach.”

“How affordable is affordable?”

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Roundtable 02 Survey

If you participated in a roundtable discussion, was it a good conversation? (31 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Poor Excellent

If you participated in a roundtable discussion, which topic(s) did your roundtable discuss? (select all that apply) (26 responses)

Housing

Mobility

Data Use

Other

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Roundtable 02 Survey

Were our staff in blue shirts pleasant and helpful? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all pleasant

and helpfulVery pleasant and helpful

How would you rate the format of the roundtable? (42 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Poor Excellent

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Roundtable 02 Survey

How likely are you to attend a future Sidewalk Toronto event? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all likely Very likely

How likely are you to recommend a Sidewalk Toronto event to a friend or colleague? (55 responses)

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1 2 3 4 5Not at all likely Very likely

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For more information, visit:

For general inquiries, please email:

sidewalktoronto.ca

hello@sidewalktoronto.ca