The Bentway

The Bentway
A section of The Bentway near Garrison Common in 2023
Length1.75 km (1.09 mi)
LocationToronto, Ontario, Canada
WebsiteTheBentway.ca
Trail map

Legend
to Exhibition Place
 Strachan
Garrison
Fort York
 Fort York Blvd
Iannuzzi
Bathurst
Housey
Dan Leckie
Canoe Landing
Brunel
to Spadina
This diagram:

The Bentway, formerly Project: Under Gardiner,[1] is a public trail and corridor space underneath the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is repurposed land that was in sections vacant,[2] rail lines, parking lots and outdoor storage.

History

A section underneath the Gardiner Expressway near Fort York in 2007, nearly a decade before work on The Bentway began

The initial idea to transform the underside of the Gardiner Expressway into a public space came from Judy Matthews, a local Toronto urban planner and activist. On November 17, 2015, after the city's mayor approved the park initiative, Matthews donated CA$25 million for the park to the City of Toronto government through the Judy and Wilmot Matthews Foundation. The donation represented one of the most significant gifts in Toronto's history, and it was hoped that it would inspire other Torontonians to make similar philanthropic contributions to city-building initiatives. Waterfront Toronto, a revitalization agency representing the governments of Toronto, Ontario and Canada, was brought on board to collaborate with the city, along with Ken Greenberg Consultants Incorporated and Public Work to manage project planning and design.[3][4][5]

The project was given the working name "Project: Under Gardiner". A public naming contest was launched in March 2016, and the public submitted 884 different name suggestions. A panel of 12 artists, policy experts and community leaders took the suggestions and whittled them down to a shortlist of four names: "The Artery," "The Bentway," "The Canopy," and "Gathering Place." The public voting between these four options occurred between April 28 and May 8, 2016. The Bentway remained a firm leader throughout the vote with The Artery behind in second place by 10 percentage points, but in the last hours before voting closed, Waterfront Toronto observed a surge in votes for The Artery. The legitimacy of the votes was questioned, and a second runoff vote was held between The Bentway and The Artery. On June 6, 2016, The Bentway was revealed as the new official winner of the naming contest.[1][6][7]

Construction of the Bentway was completed in phases, with the first phase opened on January 6, 2018, including a winter skating trail.[8][9]

Layout

Bentway Staging Grounds near Canoe Landing Park

The conceptual vision of The Bentway consists of a 1.75 kilometres (1.09 mi) long multi-use trail between Exhibition GO Station to Spadina Avenue. It hosts activities such as farmer's markets, gardens, performances, ice skating and festivals, spanning three main sections.[10] The Bentway spans six Toronto neighbourhoods with a total of 77,000 residents: Liberty Village, Niagara, Fort York, Fashion District, CityPlace, and Harbourfront.[10]

Staging Grounds

Bentway Staging Grounds, located at Dan Leckie Way and Lake Shore Boulevard, opened in September 2023.[11] To the south of Canoe Landing Park, Bentway Staging Grounds includes a network of ramps and elevated walkways for pedestrians and cyclists.[12] This public infrastructure blends art, public space, experimentation, education and environmental regeneration.[13] Designed by Agency—Agency (New York City) and SHEEEP (Toronto),[14] Bentway Staging Grounds collects and leverages runoff water from the highway into oversized planters in the space below.[15] These planters support the growth of diverse, native plant species. Water filtration and retention helps to reduce the risk of flooding.[16]

Winter Skating

The Bentway is converted into a public ice skating trail during winter

In the winter, part of The Bentway is converted into a public ice skating trail and exhibits public art by local artists.[17] During the 2022-2023 season, Shellie Zhang's installation Beacons was on display.[18][17] During the 2023-2024 season, Canadian artistic duo Yi Zhou and Carlos Portillo’s installation The Gateway is on display. [19]

References

  1. ^ a b "Waterfront Toronto renames Under Gardiner project as the Bentway". Parkdale Villager. InsideToronto. June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "Grand Opening: Experimental Gardens under the Gardiner Expressway". The Bentway. September 18, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  3. ^ Keenan, Edward (November 16, 2015). "Matthews generous with ideas, energy — and cash — for Toronto". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  4. ^ "FAQ - Learn More About The Bentway". The Bentway. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  5. ^ "EX10.7 - Staff Report - Private Donation to Animate the F.G. Gardiner Expressway from Approximately Strachan Avenue to Spadina Avenue" (PDF). City of Toronto. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Fraser, Laura (May 9, 2016). "Vote-rigging suspected in naming of future Gardiner Expressway park". CBC. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  7. ^ Goffin, Peter (April 28, 2016). "Help choose a name for new-look land under Gardiner Expressway". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Bozikovic, Alex (July 5, 2017). "Highway art: The Bentway defines the next wave of urban public spaces". The Globe and Mail.
  9. ^ "'It's very Canadian': The Bentway skating trail under Gardiner opens this weekend". cbc.ca. January 5, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "WHAT IS THIS PROJECT?". Project: Under Gardiner. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  11. ^ "New Bentway installation uses rainwater runoff from Gardiner Expressway to nurture plants". CBC News. September 18, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "Bentway Staging Grounds introduced under Gardiner Expressway". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "Bentway Staging Grounds Brings Plant Life to Gardiner | Designlines". Designlines Magazine. September 22, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Novakovic, Stefan (September 29, 2023). "Infrastructure/Ecology: Staging Grounds Extends The Bentway". Azure Magazine. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Klein, Kristine (September 22, 2023). "Staging Grounds repurposes infrastructure as an educational garden". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Staging Grounds — SHEEEP". sheeep.studio. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Attention, Toronto artists. Local landmarks are looking to exhibit your work". CBC News. January 25, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  18. ^ ""First Winter" Programming at The Bentway". The Bentway. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Fujio, Tim (December 5, 2023). "Northern Lights in the City: The Gateway at The Bentway". Setting Mind. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  • White, Richard (2003). Urban kids infrastructure and urban growth in the Toronto region, 1950s to the 1990s. Toronto, Ontario: Neptis Foundation. ISBN 0973331402.