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By Kerri Provost, January 11, 2012 2:55 pm

rendering courtesy of iQuilt

As barrels of trash heaved into the pond in Bushnell Park remain there for nearly a week and as the water feature in the playground nearby continues to be broken for years on end, residents and stakeholders were presented with the iQuilt’s dream plan of bring flowing water through the park.

Using identity strategy and enculturation to rally support, those leading this project dismissed skeptics as lacking vision. As much was said twice yesterday at a mini-presentation during a Rising Star Breakfast and in the evening before the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The presentation included codewords,  as several supporters described selves as “believers” and even went so far as to say that bring flowing water back into the park would be good for our “souls.”

The presentation included visual appeals to nostalgia and romance. The lovely, verdant design renderings seduced the participant into imagining a pristine urban paradise in which those seeking recreation can choose to wade across a 50-100 foot wide brook, meander through pop up studios and greenhouses, or linger on any of the nine bridges that would be added to Bushnell Park.

Urban design presentations, as a whole, dazzle those from whom they want support, but fail to provide real answers that concerned residents have about what is slated to happen in our backyards.

Prior to the presentation, Real Hartford readers submitted questions they had about this project, which are marked in bold and are direct quotes, unless noted otherwise.

Who is doing the planning?

The iQuilt, in the works for several years now, is described as a “culture based urban design plan for Downtown Hartford.”

The iQuilt is a private/public partnership which receives support from various institutions including the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, Bushnell Park Foundation, CIGNA, City of Hartford, State of Connecticut, MDC, Riverfront Recapture, Connecticut Light & Power, Northeast Utilities, Travelers, and United Illuminating. Suisman Urban Design has been leading the iQuilt design team. A 501(c)3 was formed recently. Continue reading 'iQuilt: Dotting i’s'»

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By Kerri Provost,

There was a lot of buzz yesterday about the iQuilt project, which many had not heard of despite it being in existence since 2008.

One space this plan focuses on is Bushnell Park.

The photos below were taken on Tuesday, the same day as when Doug Suisman of Suisman Urban Design shared many ambitious ideas about how the iQuilt plan can impact the park. These photos are taken from the perspective of a pedestrian/cyclist commuter, though an effort was made to include some of the park’s attractions. These photographs show the range of conditions and maintenance in Bushnell Park as of January 2012.

Part of the East Coast Greenway runs between the Armory and the Legislative Office Building. This path continues over a highway on-ramp, along the railroad tracks and viaduct, and into Bushnell Park. Sand continuously covers part of this path because of poor maintenance. None of the neighboring entities (Bushnell Park, State of Connecticut, Amtrak, etc.) take consistent responsibility for dealing with the erosion issues.

Continue reading 'Walking Tour of Bushnell Park'»

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By Kerri Provost, January 4, 2012 11:44 am

Thought the new year moved civilization forward, toward more compassion, mindfulness, and understanding? Headlines from this week demand we rethink how those in Connecticut view ourselves.

First, we have two examples of blaming a murder victim for his death. The Republican American headline reads:

In the rehashed version of the story published by the Courant, the title remained equally distasteful:

screenshots taken because headlines change

Words matter.

Headlines are first impressions and frame the story. The message here is not that the person who brutally murdered another is to blame, but that the victim’s alleged sexual advance triggered this. The headlines announce that a perceived or real advance is the cause, not someone’s homophobia.

Then, when we wonder what kind of climate would permit such crime and thoughtless use of language to describe it, we gain some answers by reading about compassion in sheep’s clothing, Continue reading 'Welcome to 1912 Connecticut'»

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By Kerri Provost, December 6, 2011 10:38 am

The tents are still up at Turning Point Park, but Occupy Hartford has shown few signs of life in recent weeks. After a strong showing at their kickoff march in early October, active participation has waned. There has been high turnover of activists, both those living in the tents, and those dropping by or showing support from afar.

The declaration of its impending death comes from those who have worked closely with the group, saying that those still involved in the encampment “don’t even know they are on a sinking ship.” In recent weeks, there have been hints that Occupy Hartford was on the verge of imploding.

The inexcusable mishandling of the sexual assault on site may have been the final straw for many who had previously offered their support for the local incarnation of the Occupy movement.

The move away from Occupy Hartford appears to be taking two forms Continue reading 'Occupy Hartford: Post Mortem'»

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By Kerri Provost, December 5, 2011 9:05 am

Most violent crime happens between individuals who know each other. Despite statistics showing this, an unreasonable fear about urban violence exists among those who are not involved in circumstances that would most likely lead to violence. Women, especially, have been fed the fear of being ambushed and raped by the stranger in the parking garage or looming in the bushes. And in almost every case, these fears of assault-by-stranger are unfounded. Women are most likely to experience an attempted assault, assault, or worse, at the hands of someone with whom they have had an intimate relationship.

The exception to this is women who are homeless.

According tot he Plan to End Homelessness, “Homeless women experience sexual assault approximately 20 times more than women in general.” Continue reading 'Occupy Hartford: Not Happy Campers'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 8, 2011 7:51 am

The recent totally-unscientific-but-fun poll told me a few things: nobody buys all groceries from one vendor, Whole Foods is very popular, and people want food to be local and fresh. While digesting this data, I visited four stores in Hartford to see which ones most closely met your criteria of the ideal store; I looked at other aspects, including whether or not I could reasonably shop for basic food and household items. I looked at the two most popular grocery stores in the city, along with two that fewer people shopped at. Continue reading 'A Tale of Four Markets'»

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By Kerri Provost, September 6, 2011 10:24 am

A memorial bench has been added to the bridge that connects the Connecticut Science Center side of the Riverfront Plaza with that of the Marriott/Connecticut Convention Center. It invites pedestrians to sit and linger on this walkway which offers a nice view of downtown and the Connecticut River. The bridge extends the space used for strolling and jogging. Rollerblading seems to be making a comeback and fits in with the environment. The bridge itself has already experienced a professional rope skipping demonstration.

But wait! Continue reading 'Mixed Messages'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 26, 2011 9:51 am

On Tuesday, Connecticut residents were preoccupied with the earthquake, which did little damage here. On Twitter, people sounded frantic about the possibility of aftershocks. This concern was rarely for/by those near the epicenter, where some property damage occurred. For perspective, a Richmond news site had no stories about the earthquake “above the fold” that evening, while every mainstream news outlet in Connecticut had it posted as the top story.

As Hurricane Irene became a formidable threat, again, the news jumped on it, making it a top story. Announcements, such as the one that Malloy declared a “state of emergency” are rarely accompanied with information about what this actually means. All people see is the word “emergency” and get their emotions stirred further. When it is declared, it means a disaster is believed to be imminent, or, it has already occurred; but, the intention is to secure funds and temporary powers to assist with the situation. Remember when a State of Emergency was declared last winter after all that snow fall? Nobody was out rioting in the streets, but removing all the snow cost a lot of money. The declaration was to help defray the cost.

Here is an explanation of the Declaration of Emergency, from the Governor’s website:

For those constantly tuned in for news updates, they are barraged with “breaking stories” — often of marginal importance — lots of red, flashing, scrolling data, dramatic music, and even graphics prepared for the occasion. Something that should be treated with attention and concern is converted into a spectacle of obsession. Continue reading 'Preparation without Panic'»

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By Kerri Provost, August 25, 2011 11:32 am

About half the seats were filled at the start of Wednesday’s forum; by the end, only a few dozen people remained, and many of those were candidates’ families, or, candidates running with the Republican and Working Families parties. Two of the ten Democrats running for City Council did not attend. It was a rare event that finished early in spite of many questions from the audience.

The forum provided Democrats with the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the other candidates; few bothered to do so. Instead, candidates were quick to agree with each other, rarely adding anything meaningful to previous comments; a few candidates gave rambling responses to most questions, stumping the audience as to the point being made. Continue reading 'Council Primary Candidates Forum'»

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By Kerri Provost, July 22, 2011 2:12 pm

Because the Hartford Democratic Town Committee convention did not start on time, there was opportunity to check out the fashions. Continue reading 'Is this what Democracy Looks Like?'»