Downtown Hartford Wayfinding System
This low-cost, high-impact strategy uses existing infrastructure to help people navigate downtown Hartford on foot.
Hartford’s Downtown Wayfinding system is installed at approximately 45 Central Business District and Capitol area intersections and consists of over 260 “Pedhead” signs and 135 “MiniMaps,” the system provides directions and estimated time on foot to the city’s cultural, civic, historic, and entertainment destinations. The wayfinding system’s core innovation is its use of existing pedestrian signal boxes for the mounting of 90% of the signage, reducing the project’s cost by half. All destinations are indicated with directional arrows and distance in minutes on foot which encourages walking and ultimately promotes a greener city and healthier residents and visitors.
This downtown-wide project was preceded by two pilot installations which also included transit stop signs, street name signs, and district banners. The inspiration for the look and feel of the system was born from the subtitle cues found in some of the landmark buildings, monuments, and colors of the downtown district. Hartford, CT is home to the state capitol building, its gold dome capping the landscape of Bushnell Park and serving as the cue for the gold color band that unifies the system.
On behalf of Suisman Urban Design
