iQuilt: Dotting i’s

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'»


The decision to remove a second-generation
Removal of brush and dangerous limbs was underway this afternoon in Bushnell Park.
Although many areas in the state have experienced complete devastation, other sections were relatively untouched. A walk from Frog Hollow to the Connecticut River involved no fallen power lines, a few down trees, and many branches strewn about.

Damage could be seen on the State Capitol grounds, in parks, and in residential areas alike.
On Tuesday, Connecticut residents were preoccupied with the earthquake, which did little damage here. On Twitter, people sounded frantic about the possibility of 

