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Today, The Bentway Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Toronto, has announced the start of design work on The Bentway Islands, a significant expansion of public space beneath the Gardiner Expressway. New York’s Field Operations and Toronto’s Brook McIlroy have been selected for the design team.
Situated between Dan Leckie Way and Spadina Avenue, the site encompasses three traffic islands that will be transformed into inclusive areas for recreation and community engagement. UrbanToronto spoke with Calvin Brook, principal architect, urban designer, and co-founder of Brook McIlroy, to learn more.
Field Operations and Brook McIlroy were selected through a competitive international call for proposals, evaluated by a jury including representatives from The Bentway, the City, and an Indigenous engagement advisor.
For Brook McIlroy, the project represents a culmination of long-standing interest in transforming the underutilized spaces beneath the Gardiner Expressway. "It's the first time that building under the Gardiner Expressway is going to be explored and hopefully implemented," Brook told UrbanToronto. "I think that's a game changer because it provides a permanent presence on the site."
Serving as a "sister site" to The Bentway's Phase 1, stretching from Strachan Avenue to Fort York Boulevard, The Bentway Islands will provide further outdoor space for Toronto's growing population. As the first project of the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan, approved by City Council in April, 2024, this project unfolds a comprehensive vision developed by The Bentway and the City of Toronto.
The Bentway Islands project focuses on reimagining three specific areas under the Gardiner Expressway: a 2,400m² triangular median at Dan Leckie Way, a 1,500m² wedge accessible from Lake Shore Boulevard, and a 7,800m² island near Spadina Avenue. The goal is to convert these spaces into destinations that promote retail, play, culture, and biodiversity, while addressing the needs of diverse user groups, including local residents, businesses, and unhoused people.
The design process builds off of lessons learned from six years of operations at The Bentway's Phase 1 and other off-site projects, incorporating insights from Indigenous communities and the City’s technical experts. A significant aspect is the collaboration with Indigenous communities, facilitated by Brook McIlroy's Indigenous Design Studio.
"Indigenous principles that have guided the work we've been doing for the last 10 years are based on the concept of an inclusive circle," Brook explained. "In the Bentway Islands, we want to create spaces that speak to those principles of inclusivity, listening, acceptance, empathy."
The site holds particular historical significance, as Brook noted that it was once the original shoreline of Lake Ontario in the pre-contact era. "This is a chance to perhaps make that narrative very tangible, whether it's through design or public art," Brook added, emphasizing the opportunity to reflect Indigenous histories and connections to the land and water.
Bentway Islands also presents unique challenges due to its location under a major expressway, especially with noise pollution from surrounding traffic. "The acoustics are a challenge because there is so much vehicular traffic on all sides," Brook noted. "We're going to be looking at creative solutions for acoustic attenuation." To address this, the design includes the creation of quiet interior spaces within new structures, offering respite from the bustling environment.
Aiming for low-carbon landscape design, the protective canopy of the Gardiner allows for the use of sustainable and recycled materials in innovative ways. "It's an incredible opportunity to show how to address stormwater runoff, which is magnified here because it's being captured on the Gardiner Expressway and the Lakeshore," Brook said. He also noted the potential for further sustainable measures: "Because we will have these buildings, we could use geothermal energy and integrate photovoltaic panels into the sides of the highway, so from an electrical energy perspective, this whole project is creating sustainable energy."
Looking ahead, initial design concepts are scheduled for 2025. Construction is planned to align with the multi-year rehabilitation of the Gardiner Expressway, scheduled between 2028 and 2030.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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