How do you build a city that makes people feel like they belong? 

In this episode of Strangers Need Strange Moments Together, Mouna and Melissa sit down with Ilana Altman, CEO of The Bentway, an ambitious public space and civic organization transforming the land beneath Toronto's Gardiner Expressway into a laboratory for urban life. 

They dig into The Bentway’s landmark research into loneliness and the city, and how public programming and design for public space belong in conversations about public health. From a life-size domino trail snaking two and a half kilometres across the city of Toronto, to a post-pandemic season at The Bentway that reimagined play for adults, this episode is about what happens when the potential of existing city infrastructure is harnessed to build community in unexpected ways, and turn people into active participants in their public spaces. 

Topics covered: 

Urban loneliness, public health and public space, interactive art, participatory design, play in cities, collective memory, civic programming, community resilience, infrastructure and urban transformation. 

Find out more about The Bentway: 
https://thebentway.ca/ 

Walk Walk Dance, our artwork presented at the Bentway in 2021: 
https://www.dailytouslesjours.com/en/work/walk-walk-dance 

Buy Strangers Need Strange Moments Together, the book: 
https://www.setmargins.press/books/strangers-need-strange-moments-together/ 

Find Daily tous les jours online: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailytlj 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dailytouslesjours 

Website: https://www.dailytouslesjours.com/en 

When was the last time you laughed with a stranger? 

In this first episode of Strangers Need Strange Moments Together, Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat, cofounders of art and design studio Daily tous les jours, introduce the philosophy behind their 15 years of work in public space and the ideas that shaped their new book. 

They explore why joy is not frivolous, how collective experiences build trust, and why cities need “infrastructure for the human spirit.” From post-pandemic isolation to the role of music, play, and participation in urban design, this episode sets the foundation for a podcast about cities, connection, and designing for togetherness in real life. 

Topics covered: 

Public art, urban design, community resilience, collective joy, civic engagement, interactive installations, social connection, cities and public space. 

Find Daily tous les jours online 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailytlj
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dailytouslesjours

Website: https://www.dailytouslesjours.com/en

Buy Strangers Need Strange Moments Together: https://www.setmargins.press/books/strangers-need-strange-moments-together/