Toronto The Bentway (was Under Gardiner) | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

What should be the permanent name for the park under the Gardiner?

  • The Artery

    Votes: 12 6.5%

  • The Bentway

    Votes: 77 41.8%

  • Under Gardiner

    Votes: 52 28.3%

  • None of the above

    Votes: 43 23.4%
  • Total voters
    184
onetoronto said:
I realize that more than you can imagine. The pictures above make me weep as I love this city.
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Whether you weep or not is irrelevant. You should know that the amount spent on this art (most of which isn't public anyways) pales in comparison to the amount of public funds that was spent on maintaining and indeed rebuilding this expressway. Fundamentally - unless the city decides to radically reshape the Gardiner - this level of constant degradation is unavoidable.

AoD
 
onetoronto said:
The Gardiner is crumbling. This 'art' is like a lipstick on a pig. The money would have been better spent on fixing up the highway.
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That was how I've looked at it till very recently. I've visited the Bentway a few times but my last visit after midnight during Nuit Blanche tipped me squarely to the other side. The columns in this section have been repaired, the super-structures augmented with coloured uplighting, the pedestrian thoroughfare is wide and inviting, and the installations were fantastic.

The paintings looming to the side in a sea of tall grasses were brilliant. I felt like I was at the AGO except the setting a fusion of industrial and nature. I heard many people make similar comments about how astonishing the space was. It was every bit as impressive as Millennium Park in Chicago or the High Line in NYC.

I wish I had photos to share but I've never been so impressed with Toronto as I was the 90 minutes I spent there. Rather than abandon the idea, Toronto needs to double down.
 
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isaidso said:
That was how I've looked at it till very recently. I've visited the Bentway a few times but my last visit after midnight during Nuit Blanche tipped me squarely to the other side. The columns in this section have been repaired, the super-structures augmented with coloured uplighting, the pedestrian thoroughfare is wide and inviting, and the installations were fantastic.

The paintings looming to the side in a sea of tall grasses were brilliant. I felt like I was at the AGO except the setting a fusion of industrial and nature. I heard many people make similar comments about how astonishing the space was. It was every bit as impressive as Millennium Park in Chicago or the High Line in NYC.

I wish I had photos to share but I've never been so impressed with Toronto as I was the 90 minutes I spent there. Rather than abandon the idea, Toronto needs to double down.
Click to expand...
It was dark and you weren't able to see all the shabbiness. Any street in Toronto looks beautiful at night as you can't see the uneven concrete sidewalks and the overhead wires. You hardly even notice the homeless.
 
isaidso said:
...... but I've never been so impressed with Toronto as I was the 90 minutes I spent there. Rather than abandon the idea, Toronto needs to double down.
Click to expand...

Apparently you posted this while rubbing the Genie's lamp:

www.thestar.com

The Gardiner is ‘divisive, derided, ugly’. A new plan for under it aims to change all that

The Bentway Conservancy hopes this plan will be funded in part by the city, private philanthropy and business interests.
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com

From the above:

Current:

1695726351701.png


Proposed:

1695726430044.png


Proposal coming from The Bentway:

1695726480829.png


***

1695726560467.png


***

1695726603709.png



And more, if you follow the link.

The underlying report will be public later today, likely with a lot more detail and goodies!
 
undergardinerprp.ca

Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan

The Gardiner Expressway is a defining feature of Toronto’s landscape. As the City of Toronto works to rehabilitate the elevated expressway and bring new life to surrounding communities, there is an opportunity to reimagine how this piece of infrastructure can connect, perform, and inspire.
undergardinerprp.ca undergardinerprp.ca
 
Those are excellent pictures, showing of a sense of strength and symmetry which is probably accidental but nice to see. It may clean up nice as they say. What's always made this pig uglier is the way infrastructure is strapped all over it in the most haphazard way. Can anyone comment on whether that's being improved as part of rehabillitation or Bentway?
 
One issue I have noticed is that due to the lack of rain, there is an accumulation of filth on some of the surfaces under the Gardiner. On a recent visit, I observed a fair amount of dogshit and urine puddles on the pavers near Bathurst. Maybe the area is lacking in pet relief areas, but I suspect many downtown pooches are trained to just defecate on the sidewalk. If this is the case, the area under the Gardiner needs frequent street sweeping to clean up the waste.

I do like the Bentway as an kind of open-air all weather public space. It can even take on cathedral vibes.
 
A Member Motion to next week's meeting of City Council seeks to authorize the allocation of $798, 970 from S. 37 monies to The Bentway to carry out design work on expanding Canoe Landing Park under the Gardiner Expressway as
part of the Bentway's expansion.

Agenda Item History 2023.MM11.11

Agenda Item History 2023.MM11.11
secure.toronto.ca

From the above:

1696513582635.png
 
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