State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Sidewalk Labs' Role in Columbus Smart City Program Appears Limited For Now

Route Fifty: As a sweeping program to test new transportation technology in Columbus, Ohio gets underway, Google affiliate Sidewalk Labs is on track to have only narrow involvement—limited to a logistics system for non-emergency medical travel, according to program officials and a document the company submitted to the city.

One of Sidewalk Labs’ offerings is Flow, a data platform designed to use advanced analytics to help cities address urban transportation problems, such as traffic congestion and limited parking availability. There has been some hand-wringing in recent months over whether the platform might afford the company too much influence over areas like transit and parking enforcement.

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