Ilana Altman is a designer, cultural planner, and city-builder with a background in art and architecture. As CEO of The Bentway, she leads one of Canada’s leading public space organizations, advancing a bold vision for transforming urban infrastructure into vibrant places for culture, recreation, and civic life. Through strategic partnerships, innovative programming, and city-building initiatives, she works to unlock new opportunities for public space while fostering more inclusive and resilient communities.
As a 2025–2026 Urbanist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, Ilana is explored how new forms of funding and governance can help shape a distinctly Canadian approach to hybrid infrastructure, that leverages public investment to deliver multiple social, cultural, environmental, and civic benefits.
Prior to joining The Bentway team, Ilana worked on a number of educational, residential and cultural projects for a series of notable architectural firms including Studio Daniel Libeskind and Diller Scofidio + Renfro in New York and KPMB Architects in Toronto. She has led the curation and design of exhibitions and installations at many international institutions, including the SFMOMA and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. In 2014 Ilana founded the Artful City, a Toronto collective that aims to advance public art research, policies, and imaginations.
Her practice is diverse in scale and scope, yet in her various capacities she has consistently championed the importance of cities and their creative potential. Through ongoing practice, advocacy, teaching and writing she works to ensure urban centres remain thriving, innovative and accessible places.