The Bentway
Toronto, Ontario
With an act of great civic generosity from philanthropists Judy and Wil Matthews and in partnership with the City of Toronto, together with and Waterfront Toronto a remarkable new public landscape is being created beneath a section of the elevated Gardiner Expressway. The Matthews’ generous gift is funding the creation of more than four hectares (10 acres) of new public space and 1.75 kilometers of multi-use trail beneath the elevated expressway from just west of Strachan Avenue to Spadina Avenue. The Bentway, is transforming the areas beneath the expressway into vibrant community spaces that will play host to a range of cultural programming – creating a new outdoor civic living room for the use of the over 70,000 residents in nearby neighbourhoods and for visitors who use the many amenities and attractions in the area. Ken Greenberg has served as client representative for the project and lead urban designer, working with landscape architects Adam Nicklin and Marc Ryan of PUBLIC WORK, a leading urban design and landscape architecture studio. Together, they have established a framework for the project that will use key landmarks as anchors – Historic Fort York and its stunning new Visitor Centre, the new Fort York Library, and nearby green spaces such as June Callwood Park, Coronation Park, Garrison Common and the Toronto Music Garden on Queens Quay.
