A unanimous vote by the city's executive committee affirmed a recommended review of Sidewalk Labs' master plan, which is slated for release later this month.

Google's urban-innovation offshoot also said 40 percent of residential units in its Quayside development will be priced at below-market rates, but a housing expert said that won't solve Toronto's housing problems.

The technology partner for the smart city project has been quiet on data storage and privacy issues in the past.

The group released an updated development plan earlier this week that reveals a much smaller development area than what was originally sought.

Groundbreaking developments near Toronto, Boston and Phoenix are revealing early challenges around data privacy, social stewardship, and understanding the intangible qualities that entice people to move to a new city.