The Bentway, formerly Project: Under Gardiner, is a public trail and corridor space underneath the Gardiner Expressway in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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, Canada. It is repurposed land that was in sections vacant , rail lines, parking lots and outdoor storage.

History

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 million for the park to the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the '' City of Tor ...

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 Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

contributions to city-building initiatives.

Waterfront Toronto Waterfront Toronto (incorporated as the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) is an organization that oversees revitalization projects along the Toronto waterfront. Established in 2001 as a public–public partnership between the Cit ...

, a revitalization agency representing the governments of Toronto,

and

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, was brought on board to collaborate with the city, along with Ken Greenberg Consultants Incorporated and Public Work to manage project planning and design. 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. Construction of the Bentway was completed in phases, with the first phase opened on January 6, 2018, including a winter skating trail.

Layout

The conceptual vision of The Bentway consists of a long multi-use

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

between

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Spadina Avenue Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods. Spadina Avenue runs south ...

. It also consists of 55 outdoor separate civic areas referred to as "rooms," which hosts activities such as

farmer's market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

s, gardens, performance

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

s and

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s, spanning three main sections. The Bentway spans six Toronto neighbourhoods with a total of 77,000 residents:

Liberty Village Liberty Village is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered to the north by King Street West, to the west by Dufferin Street, to the south by the Gardiner Expressway, to the east by Strachan Avenue, and to the northeast by the ...

, Niagara,

Fort York Fort York (french: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of t ...

, Fashion District, CityPlace, and Harbourfront.

West

The west end of The Bentway spans

Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...

and

, and is bisected by Strachan Avenue. The Hall of Making and the Innovation Hub, located west of Strachan Avenue, utilizes enclosed portions under the Gardiner that are used as storage space. A new green space to the north, Pioneering Green, includes a playground and

urban agriculture Urban agriculture, urban farming, or urban gardening is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around urban areas. It encompasses a complex and diverse mix of food production activities, including fisheries and fo ...

. At Strachan Avenue, the trail is grade separated underneath, but the Strachan Steps provide stair and switchback access to the street. The trail proceeds east through the Active Hub, which provide various arts and entertainment space.

Fort Central

The centre section of The Bentway spans the Fort York neighbourhood. The trail proceeds along the Fort Front, where natural and recreation spaces are provided. A bridge called the Iconic Crossing then carries the trail across Fort York Boulevard, immediately east of

June Callwood June Rose Callwood, (June 2, 1924 – April 14, 2007) was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was known as "Canada's Conscience". Callwood achieved acclaim and a loyal following for her articles and columns written for na ...

Park. The trail then enters the Passive Hub, a water-themed area, and then crosses Bathurst Street.

East

The east section of The Bentway stretches between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue. East of Bathurst, the Market Hub provides a market setting next to a former

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warehouse and headquarters. The trail then crosses Dan Leckie Way, and along the south end of Canoe Landing Park.

Winter Skating

In the winter, part of The Bentway is converted into a public ice skating trail.

References

* White, Richard (2003). Urban infrastructure and urban growth in the Toronto region, 1950s to the 1990s. Toronto, Ontario: Neptis Foundation. .

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentway, The Parks in Toronto 2018 establishments in Ontario Waterfront Toronto