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> got shut down by the locals That's not what happened though. Google was free to continue the project but decided not too, using Covid-19 as a fig leaf. I a

> got shut down by the locals That's not what happened though. Google was free to continue the project but decided not too, using Covid-19 as a fig leaf. I agree with the thrust of your comment (we need more experimentation with cities, not less) but this is Google doing what Google does: changing it's mind and abandoning projects.

tenpies 7y ago
And let's be thankful that it abandoned it now, instead of in 15 years when it would have created a horrible slum.
rising-sky 7y ago
Hard to say that wasn't a factor in shutting it down. After several missed deadlines, major controversies around trust and privacy, scope creep such as attempts by Sidewalk Labs to alter to the project scope, for example, redevelopment of 350 acres in the Port Lands area which was nearly 30 times the original proposal, withdrawal of key advisors, and proposals that were simply political explosive, etc. It seemed almost inevitable that the project was destined to fail or largely be a shadow it's lofty original goals. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-wants-a-cut-of-toronto-taxes-for-smart-city.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-want... https://betakit.com/ann-cavoukian-still-has-problems-with-sidewalk-labs-approach-to-data-with-quayside/ https://betakit.com/ann-cavoukian-still-has-problems-with-si... https://betakit.com/sidewalk-labs-announces-it-will-no-longer-pursue-quayside-project/ https://betakit.com/sidewalk-labs-announces-it-will-no-longe...
- Tsarbomb 7y ago
  How can you say it was going to be a shadow of its original goals if was unable to scope creep.
  - rising-sky 7y ago
    As an observer, Sidewalk initially proposed grand plans which were supposed to cost $ millions, and overtime on one hand, they would get pushback on some parts of the proposal, on the other hand, they would get approval for some part and need to alter the proposal to assuage the opponents. These alterations usually featured some additional proposals ballooning to an estimated cost in the $ billions (scope creep), that seemed even more controversial... The whole process seemed like a tug-of-war, a game of cat and mouse, or whack-a-mole. They would cede a part of proposal, propose another, only to have some sort of new outcry. From Ars' article published today https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/05/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-scraps-its-ambitious-toronto-project/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/05/alphabets-sidewalk-l... > But Sidewalk Labs’ vision was in trouble long before the pandemic. Since its inception, the project had been criticized by progressive activists concerned about how the Alphabet company would collect and protect data, and who would own that data > The partnership took a bigger hit last summer, when Sidewalk Labs released a splashy and even more ambitious 1,524-page master plan for the lot that went well beyond what the government had anticipated, and for which the company pledged to spend up to $1.3 billion to complete. The redevelopment group wondered whether some of Sidewalk Labs’ proposals related to data collection and governance were even “in compliance with applicable laws.” It balked at a suggestion that the government commit millions to extend public transit into the area, a commitment, the group reminded the company, that it could not make on its own.
kinkrtyavimoodh 7y ago
Google abandons projects when they don't make business sense. Or perhaps you think Google is a charity that just keeps randoms apps running on servers? Maybe it should be funded with tax-dollars then.
- mcphage 7y ago
  > Maybe it should be funded with tax-dollars then. That's kinda what they were going after.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Unless they abandon an infrastructure project after ruining miles of city streets.... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/02/google-fiber-exits-louisville-after-shoddy-installs-left-exposed-wires-in-roads/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/02/googl...
  - dodobirdlord 7y ago
    It’s impossible to take seriously that some 2-inch deep trenches and some stray cables are “ruining” streets.
    - scarface74 7y ago
      https://www.wdrb.com/news/belknap-neighborhood-residents-concerned-over-sloppy-installation-of-high-speed/article_4bc2a61e-8640-57f0-aba9-3dd4cb3d39e5.html https://www.wdrb.com/news/belknap-neighborhood-residents-con... https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/google-fiber-to-pay-nearly-4-million-to-louisville-in-exit-deal/article_d4c86640-5f85-11e9-8876-9f013c02d337.html https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/google-fiber-to-pay-nearly-4-m... Google Fiber prepares to pull the plug on Louisville customers tonight, the tech company has agreed to pay Metro government $3.84 million to fix damage to city streets, Mayor Greg Fischer’s said Monday. The payments, to be made over 20 months, will cover removing fiber cables and sealant from roads, milling and paving streets “where needed” and removing Google’s above-ground infrastructure, according to a news release from Fischer's office.

tenpies 7y ago

And let's be thankful that it abandoned it now, instead of in 15 years when it would have created a horrible slum.

rising-sky 7y ago

Hard to say that wasn't a factor in shutting it down. After several missed deadlines, major controversies around trust and privacy, scope creep such as attempts by Sidewalk Labs to alter to the project scope, for example, redevelopment of 350 acres in the Port Lands area which was nearly 30 times the original proposal, withdrawal of key advisors, and proposals that were simply political explosive, etc. It seemed almost inevitable that the project was destined to fail or largely be a shadow it's lofty original goals. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-wants-a-cut-of-toronto-taxes-for-smart-city.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-want... https://betakit.com/ann-cavoukian-still-has-problems-with-sidewalk-labs-approach-to-data-with-quayside/ https://betakit.com/ann-cavoukian-still-has-problems-with-si... https://betakit.com/sidewalk-labs-announces-it-will-no-longer-pursue-quayside-project/ https://betakit.com/sidewalk-labs-announces-it-will-no-longe...

Tsarbomb 7y ago
How can you say it was going to be a shadow of its original goals if was unable to scope creep.
- rising-sky 7y ago
  As an observer, Sidewalk initially proposed grand plans which were supposed to cost $ millions, and overtime on one hand, they would get pushback on some parts of the proposal, on the other hand, they would get approval for some part and need to alter the proposal to assuage the opponents. These alterations usually featured some additional proposals ballooning to an estimated cost in the $ billions (scope creep), that seemed even more controversial... The whole process seemed like a tug-of-war, a game of cat and mouse, or whack-a-mole. They would cede a part of proposal, propose another, only to have some sort of new outcry. From Ars' article published today https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/05/alphabets-sidewalk-labs-scraps-its-ambitious-toronto-project/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/05/alphabets-sidewalk-l... > But Sidewalk Labs’ vision was in trouble long before the pandemic. Since its inception, the project had been criticized by progressive activists concerned about how the Alphabet company would collect and protect data, and who would own that data > The partnership took a bigger hit last summer, when Sidewalk Labs released a splashy and even more ambitious 1,524-page master plan for the lot that went well beyond what the government had anticipated, and for which the company pledged to spend up to $1.3 billion to complete. The redevelopment group wondered whether some of Sidewalk Labs’ proposals related to data collection and governance were even “in compliance with applicable laws.” It balked at a suggestion that the government commit millions to extend public transit into the area, a commitment, the group reminded the company, that it could not make on its own.

kinkrtyavimoodh 7y ago

Google abandons projects when they don't make business sense. Or perhaps you think Google is a charity that just keeps randoms apps running on servers? Maybe it should be funded with tax-dollars then.

mcphage 7y ago
> Maybe it should be funded with tax-dollars then. That's kinda what they were going after.
scarface74 7y ago
Unless they abandon an infrastructure project after ruining miles of city streets.... https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/02/google-fiber-exits-louisville-after-shoddy-installs-left-exposed-wires-in-roads/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/02/googl...
- dodobirdlord 7y ago
  It’s impossible to take seriously that some 2-inch deep trenches and some stray cables are “ruining” streets.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    https://www.wdrb.com/news/belknap-neighborhood-residents-concerned-over-sloppy-installation-of-high-speed/article_4bc2a61e-8640-57f0-aba9-3dd4cb3d39e5.html https://www.wdrb.com/news/belknap-neighborhood-residents-con... https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/google-fiber-to-pay-nearly-4-million-to-louisville-in-exit-deal/article_d4c86640-5f85-11e9-8876-9f013c02d337.html https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/google-fiber-to-pay-nearly-4-m... Google Fiber prepares to pull the plug on Louisville customers tonight, the tech company has agreed to pay Metro government $3.84 million to fix damage to city streets, Mayor Greg Fischer’s said Monday. The payments, to be made over 20 months, will cover removing fiber cables and sealant from roads, milling and paving streets “where needed” and removing Google’s above-ground infrastructure, according to a news release from Fischer's office.