Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs has massively scaled back its plans for its smart city development in Toronto, from 190 acres to just 12 acres at Waterfront Toronto. Still dependent on a public consultation, this setback shows the critical importance of quicker, streamlined city approvals to enable any kind of wireless infrastructure for smart cities. Sidewalk CEO Dan Doctoroff said he was “encouraged by the decision by the Waterfront Toronto board and are pleased to have reached alignment on critical issues with Waterfront Toronto”. But the citywide project could still be scuppered by municipal rejection, encouraged by a public campaign run by a group named Block Sidewalk. Nonetheless, the board of the Waterfront Toronto – a group set up by the national…