Hartford Negativity

[JayHass]

I actually tend to agree with you here and recognize that every successful metro needs successful suburbs with suburban development. It works for me as well, although I pretty much do all of my shopping in Westfarms and other locations west of the river, I don't mind Buckland all that much. I do think it's about time to think about some degree of land preservation and incorporating some smart growth concepts but other than that my attitude is let the suburbs thrive and attract businesses. Greater Hartford needs it's suburbs to be desireable. The one thing I really would like to see is more attention payed to the older town centers. Manchester's currently is nothing special, but there's a ton of potential there IMO. A Manchester version of Blue Back Square would be welcomed in my opinion. Retail in the burbs is fine, but I do agree with Whaler0718 that something needs to be done to encourage the corporations to stay in the urban core.

[HartfordTycoon]

ctman987,

Nice post. I appreciate your perspective. I think a lot of people are nostalgic about the city, but they had to make wise choices, personally, and that involved moving out. I also appreciate what you note about the thriving town centers surrounding Hartford, and I totally agree and support that. A lot of research on "new suburbia" or the "new urban" (whatever you want to call it) emphasizes population clusters within a given region. You can achieve pretty good density in places like Glastonbury and West Hartford, promote neighborhoods, and walking, and tie those centers with others and, ultimately, with a hub (Hartford). I agree with Tycoon that thriving suburbs are, in general, good for Hartford, but I think it's important to define and channel that success.

On a side note, I enjoyed your aunt's story about her initial misgivings about Hartford, in part due to her car having been broken into. Within my first three months here, I had my car radio stolen ... and they did $800 of damage to the door by popping the lock. (The radio was worth about $125). Anyway, I got a removable face-plate after that, and continued to park my car in the same spot on the street for another two years without incident. I now have off street parking (and a new car ... fingers crossed!)

But it's true that a lot of people would have bolted. I'm a little stubborn and thick-skinned. My attitude, generally is, I want to live here and some drug-addict who needs a fix isn't going to push me out. For about three weeks after the radio was stolen, I pretty much woke up ever two hours to look out the window--I'm not sure what I would've done had I seen somebody breaking into my car, nothing or something stupid are the two things that come to mind. I have a colleague who lives on Columbia Street. She's even thicker-skinned and more stubborn; her car is broken into with some degree of regularity, but she loves her home and her neighbors. I appreciate the fact that not everybody is willing to deal with those risks, and I don't view it as a necessary byproduct of urban living. But for me, the positives of living in Hartford have far outweighed the negatives.

[JayHass]

There is a Target in downtown Brooklyn so you can put big box retail in the heart of an urban setting. Downtown Hartford used to be the main shopping destination for the region.

If you want to imply that Hartford is full of

[doz180]

This Utopia a lot of people seem to have in their head where we all walk and cycle everywhere we go is nuts!

[JayHass]

Show me where somebody suggested you walk or ride a bike everywhere you go.

[doz180]

Read the posts.

[doz180]

I thought I would share some of my family's backstory in Hartford.

[ctman987]

ctman987,

On a side note, I enjoyed your aunt's story about her initial misgivings about Hartford, in part due to her car having been broken into. Within my first three months here, I had my car radio stolen ... and they did $800 of damage to the door by popping the lock. (The radio was worth about $125). Anyway, I got a removable face-plate after that, and continued to park my car in the same spot on the street for another two years without incident. I now have off street parking (and a new car ... fingers crossed!)

But it's true that a lot of people would have bolted. I'm a little stubborn and thick-skinned. My attitude, generally is, I want to live here and some drug-addict who needs a fix isn't going to push me out. For about three weeks after the radio was stolen, I pretty much woke up ever two hours to look out the window--I'm not sure what I would've done had I seen somebody breaking into my car, nothing or something stupid are the two things that come to mind. I have a colleague who lives on Columbia Street. She's even thicker-skinned and more stubborn; her car is broken into with some degree of regularity, but she loves her home and her neighbors. I appreciate the fact that not everybody is willing to deal with those risks, and I don't view it as a necessary byproduct of urban living. But for me, the positives of living in Hartford have far outweighed the negatives.

[blink55184]

You have to think about this in the long term, 20 years down the line. Do you want CT to just be endless suburban sprawl?

[ctman987]

Connecticut doesnt have to be like this. If we look at some of the outer areas of NYC and some NYC suburbs we can see a lot of farmland retained, parkways with no shoulders and just room for driving, country life, etc. We have these huge highways tearing up much of the state when many of them could be parkways with just enough room for two lanes of cars...why do we need to tear up all this other space. There is the Mosholu Parkway, Pelham Parkway, Bronx River Parkway, etc...why do we only have the Merrit??..which just got expanded in Stratford outside of the Sikorsky headquarters.

[JayHass]

Connecticut doesnt have to be like this. If we look at some of the outer areas of NYC and some NYC suburbs we can see a lot of farmland retained, parkways with no shoulders and just room for driving, country life, etc. We have these huge highways tearing up much of the state when many of them could be parkways with just enough room for two lanes of cars...why do we need to tear up all this other space. There is the Mosholu Parkway, Pelham Parkway, Bronx River Parkway, etc...why do we only have the Merrit??..which just got expanded in Stratford outside of the Sikorsky headquarters.

[GHartford]

What's wrong with having good highways?

The NY parkways are forced to be that way just as the Merit is. Early planners has NO idea the automobile would change the world the way it has and become a staple in our lives. They have no choice because to expand would be a nightmare. Don't think they don't want to!

I like having a nice large freeway into Manchester etc. No traffic East of the River really. Taking up an extra 30-40' of "land" isn't going to change the world. I would be more concerned with the disappearing farms turning into sub divisions if you want to talk about the landscape - but even then I'm okay with it for the most part.

[Recchia]

Taking up an extra 30-40' of "land" isn't going to change the world. I would be more concerned with the disappearing farms turning into sub divisions if you want to talk about the landscape

[JayHass]

That extra 40' of land allows for more capacity on the highway, and more capacity means more incentive for building those subdivisions because they have such enormous access. So you can't not be concerned with a wide freeway and yet be concerned about farms being turned into subdivisions.

[MadVlad]

That is exactly what I figured you all would say...SO, riddle me this.

Why have all the places mentioned with "small" highways have burbs growing at exponential rates? I.E. Fairfield County and Westchester county. If people want to move to the burbs, a two lane road is NOT going to stop them - only cause more accidents and traffic nightmares.

I would give Charlotte NC the same scenario. They kept I77 two lanes into the Lake Norman areas and it's one of the fastest growing areas of the city. Go figure.

I guess it's all in who you believe. The crowd that say people are people and they should be free to live where they want - or, the cars are evil crowd and we should demolish all highways or seriously limit them.

P.S. I have no problem with farms being turned into neighborhoods unless there is some historic element that needs to be preserved. (I.E. The Nathan Hale Homestead)

[doz180]

I guess it's all in who you believe. The crowd that say people are people and they should be free to live where they want - or, the cars are evil crowd and we should demolish all highways or seriously limit them.

[blink55184]

Once again, no one suggested that cars are evil or that we demolish all highways.

[ctman987]

What's wrong with having good highways?

The NY parkways are forced to be that way just as the Merit is. Early planners has NO idea the automobile would change the world the way it has and become a staple in our lives. They have no choice because to expand would be a nightmare. Don't think they don't want to!

I like having a nice large freeway into Manchester etc. No traffic East of the River really. Taking up an extra 30-40' of "land" isn't going to change the world. I would be more concerned with the disappearing farms turning into sub divisions if you want to talk about the landscape - but even then I'm okay with it for the most part.

[doz180]

The drastic reduction of automobile use is one of the main themes in this discussion that we have touched on.

We've been talking about a pedestrian walkable environment where you do not drive 1 block from parking lot to parking lot.

And yes, a few posts by people in this discussion have referred and hinted to the overuse of automobiles as a negative thing

This point will take you nowhere

[blink55184]

Come on lets have an adult discussion here.

[JayHass]

A reduction in the use of cars is very different from banning the use of cars. You guys tend to simplify things too much, for example the map that says the vast majority of Hartford is ugly, or suggesting that people that support "smart growth" want to to demolish all highways. Come on lets have an adult discussion here.

Nobody wants to demolish all highways, that would be stupid. The question is how do you want CT to grow? A sprawl that goes on forever and ever? There is nothing wrong with suburbs or having some shopping located in those suburbs, but you are better off in the long run having the major shopping/work destinations in a centrally located urban area that has mass transit. If you want to drive to that urban center go ahead, it is a free country. We all know Hartford has enough parking lots to accomadate you.

Some people may not care about the few rural areas left in CT but I do, and I want them to be there for the next generation to enjoy.

[doz180]

So lets get some mass transit going so tycoon can jump on a train to buckland or I can drink all I want at the wolfpack game and not have to drive back to Manchester!

[redbaron]

Well, at least we are on the same page as far as that goes.

Think about what a powerhouse CT could be economically if we had a great mass transit system? Hartford is next to two major metros, NYC and Boston. There is no reason why CT can't attract more corporate headquarters like Jersey does if we were linked up to Boston and NYC by a fast, efficient rail service. As well as link up Bradley via rail to downtown Hartford.

But, this is CT we are talking about. Did you know the New Haven line is the most used commuter train in the US? Have you seen the condition of some of those trains???? CT needs to wake up and start planning for the future.

[Whaler0718]

Also, quick news flash. Hartford and CT are not exactly hotbeds of growth you know. I don't think you have to worry about the Atlanta syndrome here - far from it. I'll take any growth we can get at this point, inner city or burbs. People are leaving in droves - how about we fix that first?

[blink55184]

I think we are starting to wake up, Jodi has proposed or already has in the works over 1.5 billion dollars in rail improvements. It's a start.