Chair Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director, GSURR, World Bank
Presenter
Josh Sirefman, Chief Development Officer, Sidewalk Labs
Discussant
Deepak Mishra, Practice Manager, East Asia and Pacific (Mainland), GMTP1,World Bank
A subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, Sidewalk Labs describes itself as an ‘urban innovation’ company whose focus is leveraging technology and data to address big urban problems. In October 2017, Sidewalk Labs announced a new partnership with the City of Toronto to redevelop 800 acres of waterfront property into a new neighborhood that will be a hub for innovation and community. With this district, Alphabet will have its own “urban living laboratory” where it can experiment with new smart systems and planning techniques. It can study how these systems and techniques work in the real world and how people are affected.
Josh has spent his career at the forefront of the planning, negotiation and implementation of complex growth and development strategies across the public and private sectors. As founder and President of Sirefman Ventures, he led transformative development projects for a range of corporate, nonprofit and government entities, including Cornell University’s successful effort to build a new applied sciences campus in New York City, the University ofChicago’s transformation of Hyde Park through the redevelopment of a vibrant new mixed-use district, and the repositioning of the New York Public Library’s renovation of its flagship building. Prior to founding Sirefman Ventures, Josh was the Senior Vice President for U.S. Development at Brookfield Properties and managed a development portfolio of more than 15 million square feet across the country. Before joining Brookfield Properties, Josh held a series of high-level roles within the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding, and Interim President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Josh holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University. He has been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, University of Michigan and New York University, and sits on the boards of the Fist and Heel Dance Company, New York Restoration Project, the Lowline, and Spaceworks.
Calendar » [Slides posted] BBL Reimagining Cities from the Internet Up What would a ‘smart city’ look like, as imagined by Sidewalk Labs
[Slides posted] BBL Reimagining Cities from the Internet Up What would a ‘smart city’ look like, as imagined by Sidewalk Labs
Ede Jorge Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director, GSURR, World Bank
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