Edmonton’s Buddy Benches

https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/for_communities/buddy-benches.aspx

The City of Edmonton is hoping more citizens will sit down and chat with a stranger on their new Buddy Benches, which were unveiled Tuesday and will be placed throughout the city.

“It’s for people like me who get lonely when they retire and they don’t have anybody to talk to,” said Dianne Kuntz, whose grandchildren came up with the idea.

The benches are part of a pilot project partnership with CITYlab and were unveiled at Churchill Retirement Residence on Tuesday.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/06/27/urban-isolation-to-take-a-back-seat-with-new-buddy-benches.html

 

 

Other Edmonton works –
Yellow is for Hello/  The Friendship Bench – http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/03/24/university-hopes-benches-spark-mental-health-discussions-.html

 

BART Swings (SF)

Commuting on BART, the Bay Area’s overcrowded, often filthy subway system, isn’t something that most people would describe as fun. But a handful of riders last week had a different experience when an artist temporarily installed a swing that commuters could play on as they rode.

“It’s such a ripe environment for some sort of joy or fun or connection to take place, just because it’s such a mundane experience and often seen as a negative thing,” says San Francisco-based artist Hunter Franks. “People see it as slow or noisy or dirty, so it seemed like an ideal place to add some vibrancy and some fun.”

Great work c/o Fast Company – https://www.fastcoexist.com/3063483/would-you-take-a-ride-on-a-swing-on-the-subway/7 

Montreal’s Familar Strangers

A great article showing data about bus user frequencies and the possible social nature of different bus routes.

‘Familiar strangers are people we encounter often, but ignore. Even in enormous cities, our regular routines have us running into them all the time. But while the “concept” of familiar strangers is interesting, it’s rather difficult to quantify. Still, we wondered: is it possible to retrace the steps of an entire city to figure out who met who? Yes — it is.

https://medium.com/@transitapp/montreal-s-familiar-strangers-6b224f3cc9c3

(Hattip to David)

Feeding Friendships (on buses)

via popupcity

The Feeding Friendships campaign was developed by marketing agency Mark+  and is targeting the unsocial environment by placing stickers that encourage the passengers to meet the people occupying the seats right next to theirs. This “social experiment” is being conducted in Pelotas, Brazil.

Bench Diary Project

Bench Diary is an experiment seeking to collect thoughts and to find out what people are willing to share anonymously when they happen upon a diary tied to a bench.  Bench Diary aims to will connect people both on small scale within cities and public places, as well as on a large scale across continents (with over 20 participating cities)

Funny fake London Underground signs

Genius! Many great fake and funny “priority seat” signs in the London Underground

See all via Prosign> http://prosign.tumblr.com/post/33766157596/someone-has-made-fake-london-underground-signs-and

Squats for free Moscow transit

VIA PSFK :
As part of its campaign to promote the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, which opens in February 2014, and promote a healthier lifestyle, city officials are offering free subway rides in exchange for 30 squats. A single ride costs 30 rubles, thus the 30 squats.

To get their free tickets, passengers have two minutes to do the squats in front of a vending machine designed to count the squats. The special machine bears the Olympics logo and is placed next to the standard electronic vending machines at the subway station.

http://www.psfk.com/2013/11/subway-fitness-free-rides.html

Take A Seat & Make a Friend

 

Subway “flight” attendants (Toronto)

Adding more to the public transport experience, Improv in Toronto took to the subway equipped as “flight” attendants ready to serve weary travellers.

“Our mission was simple, transform the old every day nature of riding the subway into a luxury flight experience, making it more a comfortable, enjoyable, and eventful ride …We went and offered these amenities to each of the riders, hopefully making this particular subway ride, a memorable one.”

Via BlogTO.

Talking Stumps

Via Pop-Up City: Talking Stumps – Starting Conversations in Public Spaces

Two stump-like structures outfitted with walkie-talkies inside and a button on top that implores the passerby to ‘press to talk’ to a complete stranger on the other side of the park.

‘Branch Out’ is a lovely reminder of the importance of strangers and our interactions with them: most of the people we encounter on a daily basis are completely new to us, and it’s worth remembering that our conversations with them are important, too.