Healthy Northeast Initiative

Hartford, Connecticut

Robert Wood Johnson FoundationRoadmaps to Health Community Prize Application

June 7, 2012

A Vision For a Safer, Healthier and more Prosperous

Northeast Hartford

Healthy Northeast Key Collaborators

• Donaghue Foundation• Connecticut Health Foundation• Conway School of Landscape Design• Ebony Horsewomen Children’s Program• Friends of Keney Park• Hartford Catholic Worker• Hartford Foundation for Public Giving• Husky Sport• Hartford Housing Authority• Journey Home• Judah House• Martin Luther King School• NAACP • North Star• Northeast Neighborhood Partners, Inc.• Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Zone• Peacebuilders• Salvation Army• Smith College• Three Generations Navaehn• United States District Attorney Office• Urban Alliance• Vine Street Blockwatch Group

• City of Hartford• Department of Health and Human Services• Burgdorf/Bank of America Health Center• University of Hartford College of

Education, Nursing and Health Professions• University of Connecticut

Center for Public Health and Health Policy• Central Connecticut Area Health Education Center • Community Solutions• Saint Francis Primary Care Center

and Health Equity Center• Hartford Food System• Catholic Charities• Center for Children’s Advocacy• Chrysalis Center• Community Health Center, Inc.• Community Health Centers

Association of Connecticut• Community Health Services• Community Partners in Action• Community Renewal Team/Generations• Center/Hartford Childhood Wellness Alliance• Connecticut Community Care

By connecting vulnerable populations to the supports they need, and strengthening the social

and economic fabric of their neighborhoods, people can remain stably housed within the

context of their own communities

Hartford Connecticut

Downtown Hartford

At $75,086, Hartford had the highest per-capita GDP in

2011 of the 200 largest metropolitan economies in the

world

Northeast Hartford’s estimated median household income is

$20,389 and the neighborhood has a poverty rate of 38%

Northeast Hartford

The Northeast NeighborhoodPopulation: 10,137•Foreign Born 892: (8.8%)•Black, Non-Hispanic: 8,039 (79.3%)•White, Non-Hispanic: 142 (1.4%)•Other Race: 30 (0.3%)•Hispanic: 1,926 (19%)

KeneyPark

Keney Park makes up 40% of the neighborhood

Community Asset Map

We mapped everything in the neighborhood that was not a house to determine what assets and resources already existed in the neighborhood and where there were gaps.

Community Resource DatabaseWe converted the information gathered on the map into a database of all existing

resources serving the neighborhood. We are partnering with Hartford Public Library and Hartford Department of Health and Human Services to make the database a user-

friendly online resource for the whole neighborhood.

How do we address Northeast Hartford’s

challenges and leverage its assets for positive

change?

The remediated factory complex will be renovated to provide space for light industry, entrepreneurs, artisans and food production,

creating 50 jobs and serving as a catalyst for economic development throughout the neighborhood.

The Swift Factory Swift Factory

Five-Corners FarmIn partnership with Hartford Food System and Knox Parks Foundation, we

transformed the open space on the Swift factory site into an urban farm that is in its second growing season.

Strengthen the Economic and Social Fabric of the Community

Anchor Neighborhood Revitalization

Swift Factory Redevelopment

Create 50 Jobs

Grow Healthy

Food

Supportive Housing

Integrated Health, Employment & Social

Services

Northeast Neighborhood

Residents

Enhance walkability and

physical connections

between neighborhood

assets

Keney Park

Interior of the Swift Factory

Address Neighborhood

Conditions & Health Issues

Build Partnerships and Social

Connections

Parker Memorial Community Center•Brand new multi-million dollar facility with Gymnasium, Pool & Computer labs

Westland StreetWestland Street

Nelton Court Public Housing•Recently torn down•Will be replaced by 80 new low-income rental units4New entrance off of Westland Street will add activity to the street and could connect to PMCC

Exit Only DrivewayExit Only Driveway

Brackett Park•Open greenspace•New playscape and shelter slated for construction

New Private Low-Income Housing•Construction has begun for new homes on land that was part of Brackett Park

Churches are a sourceof social capital•23 churches in the neighborhood•Already active communities

Building a visible public life in the

neighborhood

Swift FactorySwift

Factory

5-Corners Intersection5-Corners Intersection

KeneyPark

KeneyPark

Urban Hope Church

Urban Hope Church

“We used to go to services and afterwards everybody gathered in Keney Park, the place to meet.”

Churches

Baseball Fields

•Active and visible from the street

• Cricket, baseball and basketball are all popular activities in the park

h

Swift Factory

Swift Factory

Edge of Park

The Simpson-Waverly School

• 10 schools within a half-mile of the park

• Keney Park has a rich biodiversity, and could serve as a valuable educational resource.

h

Swift Factory

Swift Factory

Edge of Park

0

Pedestrian Entrance at Love Lane

•Entrances are not clearly marked or welcoming

Pedestrian Entrance near Keney Pond

• Dense forest and undergrowth prevent clear site lines and makes the park feel more dangerous Park Entrances

Swift Factory

Edge of Park

Gully Brook

•Illegal dumping occurs here and throughout the park

•Park maintenance is restricted by a limited budget

Swift Factory

Edge of Park

Keney Park Pond House

• Keney Pond and West Meadow are the most active areas in the park

• There is no sidewalk so pedestrians entering from the street are forced to share the driveway with cars

• New playground• Swimming pool• Pond• Summer camps

Swift Factory

Edge of Park

Guiding Principles for Safe DesignTaken from crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and

prospect and refuge design theory

•Natural Surveillance

•Control and Choice

•Legibility & Coherence

•Maintenance

•Territoriality

•Known entrances and exits•Ability to escape

•Knowing where you are and where you’re going•Familiarity & ability to read your environment

•Public areas that are unmaintained invite criminal behavior

•Devote resources fully to smaller areas and expand only as more resources become available

•Places need to “belong” to somebody. Care shows ownership.

•Visibility of others and visibility by others

Pedestrian Entrance to KeneyPark on Edgewood Street

Observations:

•The entrance is unmarked•Visibility is limited by vegetation•Not wheelchair accessible

Recommendations:

•Create a managed forest edge with no underbrush near the trail.•Add inviting signage that lets people know where they are and where the trail leads.•Add a bench or plantings to formalize the entrance and show that it is cared for.•Add a curb cut for accessibility

Proposed Park Edge Greenway

Keney Park

Keney Golf Course

Keney Pond

Gully Brook

Swift Site

Vine Street

Edgew

ood

Ebony Horse Women

Westland

Street•5 new pedestrian entrances

Holcomb StreetLove Lane

Greenfield

•Pedestrians experience woodswhile being visible from the street

• More inviting walking environment than the street

•Safer park = more peoplemore people = safer park

Park Edge Greenway Parking Bike Lane Bike Lane Parking Sidewalk

Cross Section of Park Edge Greenway on Vine Street

Park edge on Vine Street Park edge on Vine Street

Why is Walkability Important?People at the lowest end of the economic stratum are particularly vulnerable to

economic or social disruption

Access to supportive social and health services can be the difference between a family or individual becoming

homeless or staying in their home

43% of households in Northeast Hartford do not own vehicles

The people who most need services, frequently have the most difficulty traveling to them.

Safe Pedestrian Crossings

Clearly marked crossings

Curb Extensions

•Make pedestrians more visible & shortens walking distance•Narrows street, causing cars to naturally slow •Expands right of way and provides more space for trees, stormwaterinfiltration or street furniture

Inviting Streets

Repair Sidewalks•Degraded sections of sidewalk are barriers to mobility

Main Street south of Battles Street

•Lighting•Trash Cans•Bus Shelters & Benches

Kuo and Sullivan, 2001

•Studies in poor urban neighborhoods have shown that vegetation that does not block visibility can actually reduce crime and help residents feel more hopeful about the future. Westland & Barbour Street

Add Street Trees & Vegetation

Parker Memorial Community Center

& Brackett Park

Swift Factory

Site

KeneyPark

Future Urban Farm

Westland Street

Earle Street

Love LaneRisley Street

•The 0.6 mile journey from the PMCC to Keney Park would be through green space and quiet residential streets.

•Crosses directly through the Swift Factory’s Urban Farm

•Avoids the higher traffic and criminal activity of Westland Street.

Keney Park Swift Factory PMCC

Future Homes &

Street Extension

Green & Residential Corridor to Keney Park

Vacant Lots• Invite crime and illegal dumping

• Cause decreased property values

•Cost money for city to maintain

•Enhance ecological health of neighborhoods

•Increase property values by as much as 30%

•Foster community connections & interactions

•Provide food and educational opportunities

•Provide green space for passive and active recreation

‘Green’ Strategies for transforming vacant lots:

Stabilize Lots

•Shows that a space is cared for •Deters criminal activities•Increases property values

•Enhances ecosystem health

Stabilize

Green Strategies for transforming vacant lots: •Community

Gardens•Pocket Parks

Public Art

Recreational Sites•Market Gardens•Urban Farms•Nurseries

Vacant Lot on corner Garden & Westland Streets

Potential Pocket Park

•Highly Visible

•Centrally located near Swift, in between Keney Park and Parker Center

•Low cost solution with large impact

•Increases bus stop safety and neighborhood safety

Plan view of intersection

Swift

Vacant lot

“That intersection of Love Lane, Garden & Westland Street had all the conveniences, from a barber shop,

Lasoff’s Bakery, a cleaners, and First National Grocery (which later became a Stop & Shop), to a

shoe repair, kosher meat market, and Shvetz Home Circle Grocery.”

Swift FactorySwift

Factory

5-Corners was once a vibrant

commercial intersection

In the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s:In the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s:

5-Corners Intersection5-Corners

Intersection

Swift SiteThe southernmost corner of the Swift site is a very visible, prominent space that could be transformed into a way-station or green oasis, as well as a destination that could actively engage the community before the building itself is renovated.

5-Corners Intersectio

n

Swift Factory

•Multi-use structure•Moveable furniture (hay bales)•Farm stand•Pocket Park•Outdoor movie nights•Performances

Possible Uses:

These diverse ideas will contribute to an ongoing conversation with residents about how

they envision their future

Building upon a Vibrant Northeast Hartford