People don’t generally go around giving compliments to each other or wishing random strangers a nice day. But when Improv Everywhere put a podium in a New York park with a bullhorn and the words “Say Something Nice,” that’s just what happened.

A city is often considered a more anonymous place, where people rush by each other and don’t interact. New York has that reputation more than most. Little touches, though, can make a difference in the way people feel about urban spaces. Performance art projects like this one show one of many ways to do that.

by David Alpert