Google CEO Larry Page just announced the launch of Sidewalk Labs, an “urban innovation company” that hopes to improve city life through the use of technology. Page says the new company will be “developing and incubating urban technologies to address issues like cost of living, efficient transportation, and energy usage.” Sidewalk Labs will be run by Dan Doctoroff, former CEO of Bloomberg LP and the “Deputy Mayor of Economic Development and Rebuilding” for New York City.
There’s a website up and running at sidewalkinc.com, which calls for a rethink of how we design cities. “By 2050, the population in cities will double, intensifying existing socioeconomic, public health and environmental problems. At the same time, innovations in technology can be used to design communities that are more efficient, responsive and resilient.”
