The Bentway’s growing Safe in Public Space initiative broadens the definition of public safety, addressing new public health challenges and deep systemic inequities to build a new shared social contract for public space.
Ebti Nabag
Ebti Nabag examines how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
Explore curated Safe in Public Space content by topic…
A Settler’s Land Acknowledgement - Public Space is Colonized Space
A Settler's Land Acknowledgement is an exercise in destabilizing the colonial notion of the “public" by exploring the extent to which words and claims matter.
Stewards: Building Community Coalitions for Community Safety with Betty Yu
In this week’s Stewards piece we followed up with multimedia artist and activist Betty Yu to unpack how ideas of safety are rooted in systems of inequity, and how community based approaches present alternative opportunities for transformative justice and accountability.
Unhoused, Unwelcome? Public Space and the Stigma of Homelessness
Asante Haughton argues that public spaces need to be leveraged to support people experiencing homelessness.
Health, Housing, and the Supporting Role of Public Space
In this week’s Snapshot, we dive deeper into the interplay between housing and health as it relates to the complex issue of homelessness, while assessing the role that public spaces are playing (or can play in the future) in supporting the health, safety, and well-being of the people who are affected.
Photo of the Week
Ebti Nabag travels beyond The Bentway to examine how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
Stewards: Facilitating Healing in Public Space with Taboo Health
In this week’s Steward’s piece, we connect with Taboo Health founder, Maria Cheung, and collaborators, Chieng Luphuyong and Fran Quintero Rawlings, to understand the roles of art, co-creation, and continued learning in creating physically, mentally, and culturally safe spaces.
The Unequal Urban: Exploring Health Equity & Public Space Across Two Toronto Neighbourhoods
Join Nadha Hassen (via audio tour) as she explores public space in the city through a public health lens.
Stewards: Symbols & Systems of Representation with Monument Lab’s Paul Farber and Ken Lum
This week we reconnect with Monument Lab co-founders Paul Farber and Ken Lum to explore the need to engage Othered voices in reimagining symbols and systems of representation in public space.
Photo of the Week
Ebti Nabag travels beyond The Bentway to examine how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
Photo of the Week
Ebti Nabag travels beyond The Bentway to examine how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
New Monuments for New Cities
New Monuments for New Cities was a 2019 collaboration between five members of the High Line Network, who each invited five local artists to create proposals for new monuments for a 21st century city. A year later, New Monuments for New Cities still reflects the ongoing social and political circumstances of this moment by confronting controversial public monuments and the safety risks they pose.
Snapshot: Reflected in Public Space - Reimagining Monuments & Place Names
As monuments and place names are confronted, there is an opportunity to reflect shifting values by reimagining the symbols we use to signal whose legacies and presence we choose to protect in the public realm. In this week’s Snapshot, we highlight some recent efforts to take stock of and reimagine existing monuments, alongside approaches to introduce completely new forms of symbols in public spaces.
Photo of the Week
Ebti Nabag travels beyond The Bentway to examine how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
Unravelling the Measures of Safety: A Dialogue with PROCESS
We spoke with the team at PROCESS to discuss what it means to create inclusive and equitable community engagement.
Recap: Hypervisibility in Public Space
On Monday, November 2, 2020, Immony Mèn, Syrus Marcus Ware, Justine Abigail Yu, Ravyn Wngz and Kenya-Jade Pinto gathered virtually to discuss hypervisibility and the contributions of the Safe in Public Space creative project partners. The panelists shared personal stories, reflected on their work, and conversed about the importance of documenting and displaying the lived experiences of BIPOC individuals and the notion of ‘proof’.
Audio Tour: The Bentway
The Bentway’s Manager of Facilities & Visitor Experience, Lara Samuel, takes you on a virtual walking tour of our space, sharing site-specific insights, safety considerations and personal stories.
Stewards: Honouring Community Partnership Through Design with Krista Nightengale & Matthew Clarke
In this Stewards piece we discuss the value of community partnerships as a driving force behind reimagining safety in public space, with Krista Nightengale (Managing Director of the Better Block Foundation), and Matthew Clarke (Executive Director of Design Trust for Public Space).
Photo of the Week
Ebti Nabag travels beyond The Bentway to examine how ideas of safety manifest and are communicated in public space through borders and boundaries, signs and symbols, public space architectures, and delineations.
Radical Love - A digital exhibition
An audio soundscape about the future of our city and public safety by Ravyn Wngz, Monica Forrester and Chrys.
Snapshot: Organizing and Protest in Public Space
In this week’s Snapshot, we highlight the different ways movements can engage in protest and why public space acts as the ideal platform.