On March 2^nd, Sidewalk Toronto had an open event in which they revealed some of the prototypes designed for Quayside, a smart neighborhood planned in Toronto. The neighborhood is a combined project by the company Sidewalk Toronto, which is the sister-company google, and waterfront Toronto.

In this open event were revealed some innovations that could help citizens to deal with the cold climate in Canada. The first example of such a product is the “Building Raincoat”- an adjustable overhang that will cover buildings and protect the sidewalk from rain, wind, snow, etc. The overhang is made from a substance that is called ETFE- a durable, highly transparent, lightweight plastic film.

Another example of such weather sensitive technology is the paving system. The pavement is made of individual precast concrete slabs, that could heat and melt snow and ice– which is more safe and comfortable. Another feature of this pavement is LED lights, that will provide illumination during the night and will help to signal changes in street use.

This sounds amazing, but a lot of the citizens in Toronto are actually worried about their privacy in such a neighborhood. Time will tell if this project will be a success or not.