Real Hartford

It’s Only 9-to-5 If You’re Not In It

Today, to what must be the hurrah’s of many, the Courant writes:

 Keep an eye on downtown Hartford. Its transformation from a 9-to-5, roll-up-the-sidewalks city center to a 24-hour clean and safe neighborhood with a vibrant nightlife is moving fast.

At the Bullish discussion, a woman in the audience commented that she had moved downtown to reduce her negative environmental impact, and discovered that Hartford keeps the party going well into the wee hours of morn. Other residents can testify on this, yet our experiences are ignored. It’s frustrating to be constantly undoing the reputation damage that the media and ignorant naysayers are inflicting every time they imply that the city is either dead or dangerous. Life’s dangerous; get over it.

I’m all for making the city cleaner and prettier, but I am puzzled as to why all the energies are going into downtown when downtown is already fine. Enough rolling out the red carpet for that special chosen demographic, who gets lured in by the promise of a 24-hour city. Meanwhile, Hartford wants to make sure the bodegas close down during the night. Is there somewhat of a contradiction here?

Are We Talking About the Same Event?

Either this exemplifies bad reporting, the problem with “unbiased” reporting, or both.

In this week’s Hartford Advocate, Daniel D’Ambrosio writes about the “Bullish, Bubble, or Bust” discussion in his piece titled “Signs of Life.”

His write-up sounds like he wasn’t even in the same room. Brief reports featuring sentences like the following do nothing to enlighten the public:

There was plenty of bad news to go around in the discussion–Constitution Plaza was a mistake; the city’s youth are leaving in droves because they don’t see a future here; crime is still a huge problem.

Misuse of the semicolon aside, D’Ambrosio gives no context for such assertions, and makes it sound as if those statements all went unchallenged. I, for one, disputed this idea of youth hauling out of Hartford, and even had statistics to back that up. For some reason, the writer doesn’t mention people, namely planners, knowing nothing about Constitution Plaza’s history, or why it might be considered a mistake. The talk of crime was almost non-existent. I’ve checked through my notes from the event a few times, and can’t find any mention of crime, so, I have to ask why it was big enough of a deal to the Advocate writer to even mention it.

This News Briefs section in the paper appears to be new. Maybe the Advocate should stick to what they do best: provide inaccurate dining and entertainment listings (I’m still wondering how the Alley Cat Cafe can occupy the same space as the Center Squeeze), spiteful reviews, and rants that show a complete lack of rhetorical prowess.

“Bullish, Bubble, or Bust” Reportback

Tonight the Hartford Public Library provided a venue for a large audience who would witness a range of opinions regarding the city’s revitalization. The audience, though not all white, clearly did not fairly represent the ethnic diversity of Hartford. The panel, even less diverse in terms of race, had some distinct ideological differences.

The atmosphere was insular, with an undertone of sucking up (to whom, I’m not sure). It was not cozy so much as exclusive-feeling. Either you were following their conversation for years and on a first name basis with everyone, or you couldn’t get a microphone to ask a damn question for over an hour.

Rather than go subject-by-subject, I’d like to pull out a few gems from what individual panelists said. I’ll begin with comments from Chuck Coursey, who is the spokesman for Northland Investment Corporation, “downtown Hartford’s largest private property owner,” which happens to own Hartford 21. Spoiler: the cliche, “those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it” fits well here.

Coursey remarked early on that Hartford 21 is “already” over 1/3 leased out, which means that Hartford 21 is ahead of their schedule. In explaining his adaptation of Reaganomics, Coursey mentioned how in the future, he’d like to see the developments that began in downtown to move “south toward Hartford Hospital,” and then later toward the north. He acknowledged the problems created by the physical barrier of I-84, and even began to sound progressive by suggesting that some parking lots downtown be razed and made into “entry level housing.” Too bad the clientèle for that entry level housing is an afterthought in all this, coming in behind the nouveau riche who now get to “tower above the rest.” Continue reading “Bullish, Bubble, or Bust” Reportback…

Today: Gentrification in the 21st Century

Hartford’s Next Generation of Development:Bullish, Bubble, or Bust?

The road to Hartford’s current revitalization has been marked by many successes as well
as many challenges. From the era of the “Bishops” and Constitution Plaza, to the Six
Pillars, including Adriaen’s Landing and other major projects, to the current Hartford
2010 planning process, development in Hartford has often depended on key events,
relationships, and lessons learned. And what is on the horizon in the next five, ten, or
twenty years? This program will include a discussion of these important issues with
business, community, and government leaders.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Light Refreshments 5:30 pm
Program 6:00 – 7:30pm

Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street

Moderator:
John Motley, Partner, MotleyBeup Group, LLC
Panelists:
Oz Griebel, MetroHartford Alliance
Chuck Coursey, Northland Investment Corporation
John O’Connell, Former Hartford City Councilman
Yolanda Rivera, Hartford Construction Jobs Initiative
Marilyn E. Rossetti, Hartford Areas Rally Together
For more information or to register please call or email Richard Frieder, 860-695-6365,
rfrieder@hplct.org

The discussion is free and open to the public. Anyone who questions the “if we build it, they will come” mentality that is prevailing in the city right now, it wouldn’t hurt to come by and openly challenge that idea. Having seen people displaced for the latest incarnation of revitalization (read: YMCA closing and conversion of Colt artists’ studios to Colt “upscale living”), I have my doubts about any long-term positive effects.

Analysis of Hartford’s Renewal

In the Hartford Undercurrent journal expected to get to press this month, local writers will investigate Hartford’s urban renewal–then and now. Additionally, the journal will include a comparison chart for many of the new rental units, luxury and otherwise. Additionally, there is expected to be a look at the new publications that have been appearing in Hartford lately, all of which are thought to be catering to the population that revitalization people are attempting to attract.

Contributing writers are historians, community activists, and city residents.

Talk on Renewal at Hartford Public Library

Wednesday, April 18th from 6-7:30 pm, Jim Boucher will moderate a public discussion on “Hartford’s Next Generation of Development: Bullish, Bubble, or Bust?”

To register, email or call Dulcie Giadone at giadd001@hartford.gov or 860.522.4888 ext. 6104.

Refreshments are served at 5:30.