How can we reposition shade as an essential resource in our cities?
How can public spaces serve as first-responders to extreme heat?
Cool by Design: The Power of Shade in Public Space presents research from The Bentway’s 2025 Sun/Shade initiative, a collaboration among artists, designers, researchers, and policymakers that builds on the City of Toronto’s Thermal Comfort Guidelines. The project explores how design, culture, and community engagement can help cities respond to heat, reframing cool public spaces as vital elements of public health and social infrastructure.
The Bentway’s unique site beneath Toronto’s longest urban canopy, the Gardiner Expressway, serves as inspiration for the research and offers practical lessons for the city’s future, showing how artists, designers, and everyday residents can help shape a cooler, more connected urban life.
Special thanks for the invaluable contributions from artists, designers, The Bentway Sun/Shade Advisors, and community partners. Much like the public realm itself, this work relies on trust, accountability, and reciprocity.
Sun Safety Partner
David Cornfield Melanoma Fund
Seasonal Supporters
Balsam Foundation
City of Toronto
Government of Ontario
TD Bank
Program Supporters
YZD
Toronto Dance Theatre
Government of Canada
McLean Foundation
Ontario Arts Council
Office for Contemporary Art Norway
Indigenous Cultural Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones (ICCA)
Royal Norwegian Embassy
Save Your Skin Foundation
Manulife
Publication Supporter
School of Cities – University of Toronto
Season Advisors
Danielle Paterson, David Cornfield Melanoma Fund
Dorsa Jalalian, DIALOG
Fadi Masoud, University of Toronto