Canadian smart community is the "city of the future"

A Canadian town is being transformed into a smart community by combining fibre optics, autonomous vehicles and drone ports within a rural setting.

Toronto-based architecture studio Partisans have come up with the plans for the town of Innisfil, about 60km from Toronto.

Innisfil has been described by Partisans as being “renowned for thinking big” as it currently accepts cryptocurrency payments for municipal taxes and fees as well as being one of the first places to pilot the Uber app.

The project, called ‘The Orbit,’ will aim to transform Innisfil into “the city of the future.”

The Orbit is our vision for a complete, cutting-edge community

"The Orbit is our vision for a complete, cutting-edge community where small town and rural lifestyles are enhanced by the benefits and attributes of urban living," said Partisans.

"We have also discussed the possibilities of the following: state of the art health and wellness campus connected to larger hospitals in the region by technology, drone ports on top of the station for last-mile delivery, autonomous driving infrastructure and more," said Partisans co-founder Alex Josephson.

The Orbit stretches over 40 million square feet (four million square meters) and is designed to accommodate a population that will grow from 30,000 to 150,000 people in Innisfil. It is just one of a number of plans for smart cities across North America. These include a smart forest in Mexico and a blockchain-powered community in Nevada.

"Through intelligent and superior architectural design, the Orbit seamlessly consolidates and reduces sprawl, while providing communities with a closer relationship to nature while reducing pressure on infrastructure," said Partisans.

Community comments

Latest News

Webinar Replay: BIM’s Role In Product Specification

Posted 27.03.2024

Introduction to BIM Webinar: BIM’s Role In Product Specification
Play VideoPlay Video

This webinar series was curated especially for an audience concerned with the Australian built environment. A range of industry pioneers revealed how BIM & Revit content is going to transform the world of construction there. It featured practical tips and real-life experience from knowledgeable experts. In this second episode, hear from Adam Ward, CTO of Space Group. This very accessible session is for people at all stages of their Building Information Modeling (BIM) journey. He will take you through BIM and its role in product specification.

Hamworthy Heating: The benefits of Stainless Steel in hot water generation

Posted 26.03.2024

With stainless steel becoming a popular choice for hot water products, our friends at Hamworthy Heating take a look at some of the key factors driving this trend.

Fire Protection Is Key for New FrameSafe FR Membrane

Posted 25.03.2024

Leading manufacturer Glidevale Protect has launched Protect FrameSafe FR - a new Class A2-s1, d0 flame retardant external wall breather membrane offering fire protection across low, medium and high-rise buildings.

CloseClose