Toronto is where I call home. It is a great city. We are diverse and welcoming. The city is busy for those who want to be productive with work yet the people are kind and friendly. And the Raptors are starting to get close to the finals. But like any city, we have our problems. There is a housing crises for one. The average house in this city is a million dollars. But minimum wage, at the date of October 1st, 2017, is only $11.60. Housing is not the only cost getting too high, transit is up to $3.25 for one way and your cell phone, hydro, cable, and internet can add up. The city, although growing like crazy, still has areas that have a lot of potential, such as around the airport and the waterfront.
Enter Google. According to the article, Google will bring both housing and employment to the area and maximize how the land should be used. But it won't stop there. There is mention of being more connected, wifi hub and cars that drive themselves. Even air conditioners that are more efficient. The word they are using is 'smart city'. Toronto has the population to be a solid sample to see if these ideas work. And with the dollar at what it is, Google can get more done for this.
Personally I am 100% on board with this. More tech the better. We can build a city with less waste and less costs. This can help identify what we need and where we need it. Plus the perks. I want an air conditioner that knows when I'm feeling just a little hot and turns up the power. I want cool holograms and to buy things with my cryptocurrency by using my thumb print. I went a bed that knows how I like to sleep and a kitchen that cooks food for me. I have no trouble keeping busy so I'm not worried about turning into those overweight humans like in Wall-E. Tech really can make our lives easier if we let it. And if we don't let if get out of hand. We don't want Orwell's book to be a documentary.
I will be keeping an ear open for this. I have not heard much about just came across it in Google. But, if this gets approved, it is big news and it can lead to a lot of changes around me. Hard to avoid kind of thing. If I start seeing adsense pop up on public buses I will know why.
Here is the link if you want to read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/google-smart-city-toronto-1.4123289
How do you feel about a smart city?
*my upvotes/rep disclaimer: @whatageek/my-steemit-account-where-i-stand-on-bots-self-votes-and-multiple-account