The Bentway: Moving Forest

City dwellers have long appreciated trees for their beauty, but these familiar green features are often undervalued as critical urban assets – they help cool the environment, protect against flooding, capture carbon, and provide essential shade. Trees are also a barometer of equity in an urban setting. Too often, new communities are built with insufficient space for planting and without the necessary resources to ensure that trees can mature and thrive.  Recognizing the need for more tree cover and thoughtful placement The City of Toronto has set an aggressive goal of raising its tree canopy by 40 percent by 2050, but it is important that the distribution of these new plantings extend the benefits trees offer to all corners of the city.

NL Architects’ Moving Forest (Amsterdam, NL) calls attention to the critical physical and mental health role that urban trees play. The playful installation sees a flock of 50 trees strapped in shopping carts travelling throughout the city, stopping to create impromptu canopies in several exposed plazas. Over the course of this 8-week project, Red, Silver and Sugar Maples mingle with Autumn Blaze. The project reminds us that as our cities continue to warm and densify, we must ensure that we are prioritizing green infrastructure along with grey.

Moving Forest is also a powerful point of connection, linking established and evolving public spaces throughout the city. The forest begins its journey at YZD, illustrating the role that trees will play in the revitalization of the former Downsview Airport lands. It then touches down at The Bentway Studio before journeying across the waterfront, enlivening and sheltering large-scale plazas at both the Waterfront Neighbourhood and Harbourfront Centres. In each location, the public is welcomed to join readings and performances beneath the forest leaves or simply seek relief from the summer sun. The mobile trees are reconfigured daily in response to the changing angle of the sun. At the end of the season, the trees will be planted permanently in public spaces across the GTA.

This summer, The Bentway invites you to follow the forest on its travels throughout Toronto to and celebrate the urban trees in your neighbourhood.

What to expect:

• A mobile project featuring 50 trees planted in shopping carts, traveling across Toronto.
• Public events, such as readings and live music performances, will activate the project at each destination – see each stop’s event webpage for details.
• Benches and seating available nearby for those who require.