Yo-Yo Ma once said “Good things happen when you meet strangers.” We agree.

Cities are hives of social activity, but sometimes they can also make us feel lonely. We want to change that.

We are taking the archetypal symbol of public space, the humble park bench, and dressing it up a little to improve social inclusion at a local level by encouraging conversations. With a little help from conversation starters, you can step outside your everyday, follow your curiosity and get lost in a conversation with a companion, whether stranger or friend.

Talking park benches can pop up anywhere and can be created by anyone; they can be temporary or permanent, themed or general.

Join our growing community of people passionate about great conversations, human-scale cities, urban mindfulness and social inclusion.