If you need a dose of schadenfreude today, walk around Downtown and observe as motorists react to the removal of parking spaces. 

The good news: those parking spots are about to be reclaimed for people.

The bad news: there’s no indication that this is more than a one-day move.

Image courtesy of Rebar/PARK(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day, held on the third Friday of September, is a global event with a mission that might sound especially radical to some in the Greater Hartford area: “to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!”

In Hartford this Friday for the limited hours of 11am-3pm, the temporary parks will be open to the public. Earlier that morning passersby can watch as sod and art are installed in these spaces. This will be the first year that Hartford is participating in PARK(ing) Day.

Map provided by Greater Hartford Arts Council and Hartford Business Improvement District

The map above has marked in green the approximate locations of these temporary parks. Trumbull Street, pictured below, will host several spaces, including in front of the Starbucks in City Place.

Artists including Gil Scullion, Anita Gangi Balkun, Nina Salazar, David Borawski, John O’Donnell, Carol Padberg, Lori Robeau, and Melissa Ralston-Jones will be participating. KNOX, Greater Hartford Arts Council, and Hartford Business Improvement District are the presenting organizations. The Hartford Police Department and Hartford Parking Authority are on board as supporting organizations.