Join the Creative Communities Commons at the School of Cities for a compelling presentation by Ilana Altman (CEO The Bentway Conservancy & School of Cities 2025-2026 Urbanist-In-Residence).
In this talk, Ilana Altman, CEO of The Bentway, shares how one of Toronto’s most divisive pieces of infrastructure has been reimagined as a bold platform for public life, creativity, and connection. Located beneath the Gardiner Expressway, The Bentway challenges the notion that infrastructure must be purely functional or fixed in purpose, instead asking how legacy structures can evolve alongside the cities they serve.
Drawing on The Bentway’s distinctive, creative-led approach, Altman shows how artists are embedded as city-builders—working alongside planners, engineers, policymakers, and communities from the outset. Through participatory and experimental projects, The Bentway unlocks hidden spaces, tests new ideas, influences policy, and reshapes how people experience the city. The talk makes a compelling case for leading with creativity to transform foundational structures into shared social and cultural assets—and to reimagine what city-building can be.
