The latest venture from Alphabet (Google) is a company called Sidewalk Labs. Sidewalk is in the process of opening bidding to counties and states for the construction of a “digital district.”
Google is planning a futuristic mini-city to demonstrate and experiment with state-of-the-art projects, such as high-speed internet and self-driving cars, according to The Information and Re/Code. The project reportedly involves a hundred city planners, researchers and futurists, including Lennar CEO Stuart Miller.
The company is even considering building out an entire city. Sidewalk is looking at sections of Denver or Detroit for this phase.
Speculation has it Google wants to use these high-tech areas to demonstrate the superiority of its city management software. Also, revenue from appreciating land values could generate sustainable growth. [Re/Code, The Information]
