June 10, 2010 - Connecticut’s cities can become engines of economic growth and fiscal strength, if local, state and federal governments can align to support comprehensive neighborhood revitalization, said a wide variety of experts at the Lyceum May 26 for Urban Housing & Community Development: Place-Based Strategies to Revitalize Neighborhoods. 

This was the fifth and final installment of the 2010 Housing as the Hub of Public Policy forum series, presented by the Partnership for Strong Communities, the CT Dept. of Economic and Community Development and the CT Housing Finance Authority.

The forum attempted to cast urban revitalization in a new light – away from thinking of our cities purely as a collection of expensive problems to solve, and toward tapping their potential to lift our economy, increase public revenues and solve a myriad of policy problems.

Watch the Event Online

The forum was recorded and aired by the Connecticut Network (CTN).  It can be viewed on their site here. 

Media Coverage

The morning before the forum – May 25 – CT Public Radio’s Where We Live with John Dankosky featured the same urban revitalization issues as the forum.  Guests were Tim Bannon of the CT Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) , Andrea Pereira of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and John Simone of the CT Main Street Center. This show is archived for listening online or downloading here.

An excellent Hartford Courant article by Dan Haar, titled “Thriving On New Models For City Housing”, ran on May 27.  It covered both the event and progress on the Billings Forge development across the street from the Lyceum in Hartford, where the event took place.  Forum participants heard a presentation on Billings Forge and its progress. 

Materials

• Event agenda
• Briefing memo
• “Here Comes the Neighborhood” by Christopher Leinberger.  In Atlantic Magazine, June 2010 Special Edition “The Future of the City”
• “Metros As Keys To Our Future: But Will Cities, Suburbs Collaborate?” by Neal Peirce.  May 21, 2010. Washington Post Writers Group. 
• “The Reinvented City” by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, May 4, 2010.

Presentations

• Presentation by Lee Cruz – Community Foundation for Greater New Haven 
• Presentation by Cary Wheaton – Billings Forge Community Works 
• Presentation by John Simone – Connecticut Main Street Center

Summary

The first panel addressed how revitalizing urban neighborhoods to make cities a magnet for residents, businesses and investment is critical to reducing auto travel and encouraging transit, protecting open space, saving energy, mitigating climate change, and improve the local and state economy and fiscal outlook. 

The panel also described how this turnaround is completely feasible, if federal, state and local governments use a place-based approach to funding and policies in many policy areas.  This would allow governments to target scarce resources instead of spreading them thinly, to create local momentum and coordination that sparks a private market where there is currently low demand. 

The panel consisted of David Kooris of the Regional Plan Association, Andrea Pereira of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Connecticut Office, Suzanne Piacentini of the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development’s Connecticut Office and Atty. Rolan Young, board chair of the CT Housing Finance Authority.

The second panel consisted of presentations by four people involved in urban revitalization “on the ground”.  Lee Cruz of Community Foundation of Greater New Haven described the Chatham Square neighborhood in New Haven, where residents have formed stronger relationships and worked jointly on home maintenance, beautification of public areas, entertainment, events and other quality of life matters.  It is now a better-looking neighborhood with stronger connections between neighbors, resulting in more demand to buy or develop housing in that neighborhood, and increased home values. 

Erik Johnson of the City of New Haven’s Livable Cities Initiative described New Haven’s approach to boosting its downtown, involving shortened permitting processes, more flexible zoning and other regulations, and encouraging mixed-income housing.  John Simone of the Connecticut Main Street Program illustrated how local Main Street programs are bringing together diverse stakeholders to plan coordinated development and supports, and foster a healthy mix of housing, retail, offices, transit and other development. 

Cary Wheaton of Billings Forge Community Works showed how multiple interacting activities can have a synergistic effect for residents and the neighborhood.  Billings Forge is helping improve Hartford’s Frog Hollow neighborhood, with a mix of housing, a restaurant, a café, community garden, farmers market, performance space and artist housing.

In the third panel, local and state officials agreed that urban areas that are conducive for growth and willing to grow should be top priority for a wide variety of state funding, and that with a focused place-based approach, state resources can be invested more efficiently, with better outcomes and for greater economic and fiscal gain. 

While acknowledging the complexity of planning compact mixed-use neighborhoods, they believe that by managing many neighborhood factors in a comprehensive way, housing can be a major driver for urban revitalization.  The panel consisted of State Representative Andres Ayala (Bridgeport), New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart and New London Planner Harry Smith.