Internet giant Google has created Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation company that will develop technology at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds to improve city life for residents, businesses and city governments.
While new technologies already offer cities and citizens a number of tools to tackle urban problems in real time, such as apps that tell people about traffic conditions or the prices of available apartments, cities still face major challenges related to efficient transport, cost of living, energy usage and government efficiency.
Sidewalk Labs wants to develop technology products, platforms and advanced infrastructure to make progress in those difficult areas, said Dan Doctoroff, CEO of the new company. Doctoroff is the former CEO of Bloomberg LP and former deputy mayor of economic development and rebuilding for the city of New York.
Google CEO Larry Page believes that better urban technology can significantly improve the lives of billions of people around the world. “With Sidewalk, we want to supercharge existing efforts in areas such as housing, energy, transportation and government to solve real problems that city-dwellers face every day.”
The company will develop solutions that can be implemented in cities around the world.
Photo credit: www.GlynLowe.com, flickr/Creative Commons
