It?s early December. From Fort York, the skyline unfolds in blurry outlines and dim lights behind a thick afternoon fog. The temperature hovers around zero?it?s one of those anonymous wintery days that descend on Toronto anywhere from October to April?and parts of downtown still seem asleep. But underneath the Gardiner Expressway, ice is being formed into a snaking 250-metre track; something is stirring.
The park includes a mix of open spaces that can be used for larger gatherings, along with quieter gardens planted with indigenous species and equipped with seating areas.
Two weeks later, The Bentway skate trail opens for its second season, bringing fresh crowds to an outdoor gathering area that has been popular from day one. Part linear park, part event venue, and part public museum, The Bentway knits together the urban fabric beneath Toronto?s Gardiner Expressway, creating a vital and flexible space from the leftovers of the mid-century automobile infrastructure above. Designed by Toronto?s Public Work, The Bentway is perhaps the most unusual public space in the city. Conceptualized by urban designer Ken Greenberg and made possible by a $25-million donation from philanthropists Judy and Wilmot Matthews in 2015, The Bentway in 2019 is an impressive work in progress.
The highway supports, also known as ‘bents’ provide a grand, rhythmic frame for the park’s string of spaces.
Built on municipal land, the nascent public corridor has come to life quickly in a ...