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By Kerri Provost, January 30, 2012 6:06 pm

You could spend all winter working on growing out your leg hair while watching reruns of 30 Rock, but why? Here are some alternatives to that scenario: Continue reading 'February Events'»

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By Kerri Provost, January 21, 2012 5:32 pm

Not enough snow to prevent local shops from opening and just enough for children to go sledding down hills like the one along Park Terrace. Continue reading 'Winter in Pope Park'»

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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 6, 2012 4:54 pm

With schools closed today for the holiday, many families lined Park Street to watch the small parade. The “three kings” riding camels were the highlight.

The parade began near SAMA (Spanish American Merchants Association) at 95 Park Street. Here, people could pose for photos beside the camels while waiting for festivities to get moving. Continue reading 'Feliz Día de Reyes'»

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By Kerri Provost,

Evidence of good dental hygiene is scattered across the city.

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By Kerri Provost, January 5, 2012 11:09 am

There will be another iQuilt presentation and public input session on the evening of January 10th from 5-7 at the Hartford Public Library. The iQuilt project deals with improvements to Downtown.

Archived articles about iQuilt (starting with oldest)

“Our Charmingly Irregular Quilt“

“A Somewhat Holey Quilt“

“iQuilt Phase II - 1“

“iQuilt Phase II - 2“

“iQuilt Phase II - 3“

“Whose Quilt?“

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By Kerri Provost, November 27, 2011 1:52 am

While last year’s opening of the Festival of Lights was met with scathing criticism, Friday evening’s unveiling of Winterfest received a more cordial welcome. Continue reading 'Looks Like Winterfest'»

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By Kerri Provost, November 26, 2011 5:46 pm

The excitement of Friday evening’s opening ceremony carried over into this afternoon:
Continue reading 'Sounds Like Winterfest'»