Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • July 15, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 15 SPECIAL REPORT: CITIES PROJECT Hartford's skyrocketed by 208 percent. Both Arlington's and Cambridge's reductions were the result of decades- long efforts to favor buildings over parking and encourage the use of transportation options other than cars. "Beginning in the 1970s we went through extensive long-range plan- ning efforts to basically focus on transit-oriented development" around the D.C. Metro subway system, said Anthony Fusarelli, Arlington County's assistant director of community plan- ning housing and development. The goal, he said, was "to build the very walkable and active neighborhoods that we were seeking to achieve." Cambridge passed legislation in 1992 to de-emphasize driving and park- ing and reduce road congestion. It introduced measures like a pedestrian bicycle program, said Susanne Rasmus- sen, Cambridge's director of environ- mental and transportation planning. A few years later it passed another ordinance that required off-street parking owners to better manage their lots so that spaces don't go unused, and include things like indoor bike parking to encourage cycling, Rasmussen said. Both of those cities differ from Hart- ford because they are attached to a major subway system, and neither has ever been the kind of commuter city where people drive in for work, and drive home to the suburbs. Putnam said Hartford doesn't "have a transit system that is going to re- place cars anytime soon." However, Hartford is trying to encourage modes of transportation other than cars, Sara Bronin said. For example, planning and zoning is look- ing at the possibility of setting bike- parking requirements. Plus the CTrail Hartford Line that began making trips between Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, paired with the rapid transit bus system that runs between Hart- ford and New Britain, make it possible for more commuters to get around without a car. Putting more resources into such transportation efforts could shift habits over time, she said. "We need investments from the state and our regional partners to invest in public transportation as well as biking networks that can allow people to get in and out of Hartford without cars," Bronin said. "I think many people will find that commuting in and out of Hartford using a non-personal vehicle option is much more pleasant and safer than using a personal vehicle." Tumlin, the transportation-planning expert, said the fact that Hartford of- ficials are looking for ways to reduce surface parking bodes well. Cities like Grand Rapids, Mich., and Pittsburgh, currently have enviably dense and walkable downtowns, after starting at a more difficult position than Hartford currently finds itself, Tumlin said. And as a capital city at the center of a New England state, Hartford has the potential to develop into a lively, live-in city designed around people rather than cars. "It's the most urban place in the state," Tumlin said. "Hartford really should be the great capital of Connecticut, and not just some weird financial center halfway between Boston and New York." Parking? Lots! This chart shows how similarly sized cities changed parking distribution over a half-century. Attribute Arlington Berkeley Cambridge Hartford Lowell New Haven 1950s parking land (ft 2 per acre) 2,255 2,589 960 2,857 3,884 1,871 2000s parking land (ft 2 per acre) 2,901 2,437 1,334 7,373 7,312 6,590 Percentage change +29 -6 +39 +158 +88 +252 1950s surface parking as percentage of downtown 5.2 5.8 2.2 6.4 8.9 4.3 2000s surface parking as percentage of downtown 6.5 5.2 2.8 14.8 15.4 12.7 1950s structured parking as percentage of downtown 0 0.2 0 0.1 0 0 2000s structured parking as percentage of CBD 0.2 0.4 0.3 2.2 1.4 2.5 Source: UConn study "Effects of Urban Fabric Changes on Real Estate Property Tax Revenue." 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