SoDo NRZ: South Downtown Hartford, CT

05/03/2026

Oh, Hi! 👋 This reel was filmed in our little neighborhood!

05/02/2026

S**o Spring Sunset.

05/02/2026

Some Spring beauty from here & there in the neighborhood.

04/13/2026

04/12/2026

Do you want a place for cars or a place for people?

This conversation occurred at a recent meeting

Someone said “Downtown’s biggest problem is a lack of parking.”

The next person said “Our biggest problem is a lack of walkabity.”

Really? I mean I get it, but let’s think through it.

So the center of a city doesn’t accommodate cars well enough, but it also doesn’t accommodate people well enough.

Those aren’t two separate problems. They’re the same problem pulling in opposite directions.

Do you want a convenient downtown, or a pretty and walkable downtown? Do you want to create an attraction or a drive-up district? Every accommodation you make for cars makes the place less walkable.

Do you want a place for cars or a place for people?

Because you can’t build both in the same space.

04/07/2026

Take the poll at the link below: Hartford officials are seeking state approval to delay the city’s next property revaluation by one year, arguing that rising home prices and declining office values could shift more of the tax burden onto residents.

Should Hartford delay its next property revaluation by one year to avoid shifting more tax burden onto homeowners?

Hartford officials are seeking state approval to delay the city’s next property revaluation by one year, arguing that rising home prices and declining office values could shift more of the […]

03/20/2026

I hear a lot of people blame phones as the reason young people aren’t out socializing, but whenever I come across quality public spaces, I find plenty of young people and don’t see many phones.

When public space is superior to scrolling home alone, people will utilize the public space.

03/17/2026

Do you think adding 10k more residents downtown is achievable? Take this Hartford Business Journal poll at the link below.

Business and civic leaders behind Hartford’s new “Vision Committee” say the city may need about 10,000 additional residents living downtown to support more restaurants, retail and potentially even a grocery […]

03/16/2026

T.S. Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, but in Hartford, it often feels like March deserves the title. Despite the Vernal Equinox on our doorstep, the cold lingers, dirty snow still hangs on in patches, and the last stretch of winter can leave people feeling isolated. Across the country, loneliness and disconnection are rising, and when people feel disconnected, they are less likely to show up for their community. The good news is that the antidote is simple. Checking in on a neighbor, meeting for coffee at Cafe Amore, sharing a drink at Sol y Luna, taking a walk through Bushnell Park, or gathering for a neighborhood event can strengthen the connections that make a community thrive.

This week offers two easy ways to connect with neighbors: our monthly S**o meeting on Wednesday and the upcoming Progressive Dinner.

Our next S**o meeting of the 2025-26 year will be Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 pm. We will have a short presentation from the City of Hartford’s Office of Violence Prevention. Other discussion topics will include reports from HPD, HFD, and other city departments, and our Community Engagement and Social Committees. Scroll down and mark your calendar with a list of additional meeting dates. Check out this month's newsletter for links to join the Meeting or download the Agenda, as well as more neighborhood news.

Only six tickets remain for the Downtown Progressive Dinner this Saturday, March 21. Join your S**o, Downtown, and Charter Oak neighbors for a fun, walkable evening of conversation, food, and wine, starting with a cocktail hour and ending with dessert after dinner in neighborhood homes. These final seats will go quickly, so be sure to get yours by 5 pm Tuesday, March 17. No tickets will be sold at the door. We hope you’ll grab one of the final seats and join your neighbors for this special evening.

https://mailchi.mp/a7234c87fac6/plans-for-pulaski-circle-progressive-dinner-date-5857672?e=ffa67d353b

03/14/2026

“If you want people to care about your town, you have to help them care about each other first.”

We have an isolation epidemic.

Between 25% and 45% of American adults report feeling lonely.
Loneliness increases your odds of premature death by 26%. It has the same health impact as smoking 15 ci******es a day.

This isn’t just a personal health crisis. It’s a civic crisis.

Isolated people don’t show up to council meetings. They don’t volunteer. They don’t support local businesses. They don’t fight for their community when it matters.

Cities keep investing in economic development, tourism marketing, and comprehensive plans, but nobody’s investing in bringing people together.

We demolished the third places where people used to gather. We made it impossiblke to walk to anything. We replaced front porches with backyard decks. We turned streets into highways.

Then we act surprised that nobody knows their neighbors anymore.
The social fabric of your community has completely unraveled. And it’s killing us in ways we don’t even realize.

If you want people to care about your town, you have to help them care about each other first.

Everything else follows from that.

02/22/2026

The City of Hartford has issued a snow parking ban beginning on February 22 at 12 pm and continuing into Monday, February 23.

Blue Light Lots will be open starting at 8am on Sunday to provide opportunity for residents to get cars off the street.

If you don’t want to have to clear your car off, here are two garages nearby with pre-paid parking for 48 hours (as of 12 pm 2/22).

Use the SpotHero app to reserve, pay, and scan at the gate.

Get 10% off your first reservation with code FIRSTSPOT10