From City AM, Nov. 2:
The Mayor of London is tapping the former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg to boost the capital's plans to become a tech driven connected "smart city".Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs which is making a huge push into the data-gathering biz for Alphabet was formerly Deputy Mayor to Bloomberg.
Sadiq Khan will today announce that Bloomberg's consultancy which he launched after leaving office in 2013, Bloomberg Associates, will help draft a Smart London Plan that is expected to be unveiled next year.
The billionaire's firm advises cities around the world for free on tackling challenges such as transport, sustainability and infrastructure. London's strategy for using data and fostering digital innovation to improve the capital and its economy was originally launched in 2013 under former mayor Boris Johnson.
It comes as recently published research put Bristol ahead of London as the leading smart city in the UK and as the capital's record on transport innovation was knocked by several startups who have met with regulatory challenges....MORE
You may remember Doctoroff from such hits as :
Dec. 2016
No, Google's Sidewalk Labs Doesn't Want To Take Over Urban Transit. Yet. (GOOG)
No, they have bigger plans.
There is big money and big politics behind this stuff and this June 2016 article is a good primer on what's coming.
Dec 2016
"Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs is eyeing a contest to build its own internet city" (GOOG)
May 2017
"Google wants to build a city" (GOOG)
Oct. 2017
"Sidewalk Labs’ bid to build a smart city hub in Toronto may soon be a reality" (GOOG)
Oct. 2017
"Google’s plan to revolutionise cities is a takeover in all but name"
And many more.
