Connecticut’s planning regions, or councils of government, could soon become “county equivalents” for data-collection purposes.
Cities & Towns
Connecticut has 169 cities and towns. Keep up with their neighborhoods, their municipal governments and regionalization efforts here.
Posted inEconomic Development
Getting back to the river: A tale of two Connecticut cities
One postwar planning mistake was situating highways so they blocked cities from their waterfronts, as happened in Hartford and Middletown.
Posted inMoney
House passes measure making it easier for towns to merge services
The bill gives towns the option of merging services regardless of whether local charters appear to block such a move.
Posted inMoney
Bills to repeal motor vehicle tax and cap property taxes are in political limbo
The motor vehicle tax bill died in committee but could be revived; Property tax cap passed on party lines.
Posted inCities & Towns, Economic Development
Can opportunity zones revive struggling neighborhoods?
The federal tax incentive draws private investment to distressed neighborhoods, but there are problems with the program.
Posted inCities & Towns
Inclusive Growth: Is regional activity the state’s last option?
Regionalizing services could bring big cost savings, but Connecticut has historically maintained obstacles to greater cooperation between municipalities.
Posted inCities & Towns
Innovative program helps Lawrence, MA, get off the mat
A program that helps connect parents with jobs and skill-building is helping revitalize a historic mill town.
Posted inCities & Towns
Cities need ‘a better deal’ as Connecticut digs out of pandemic slump
COVID-19 has worsened already stark racial disparities in Connecticut. Inclusive growth could help ease them.
Posted inEconomic Development
Pandemic, tax issues give Connecticut a chance to reset economy, strengthen the region
With the coronavirus turning many commuters into at-home workers, Connecticut has a unique chance to reset its economy.
Posted inPolitics
The state’s waste management is in dire straits. Now, its Hartford plant overhaul is uncertain
By board vote, the facility managing a third of the state’s trash may not get the revamp it desperately needs.
Posted inCities & Towns, Economic Development, Energy & Environment, Money, Politics
Lamont unveils New London harbor deal as quasi-public debate heats up
While the governor celebrated a deal to develop New London harbor and an offshore wind center, the partisan battle over Connecticut’s quasi-publics intensified.
Posted inEconomic Development
Lamont offers two new job incentive programs
Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled his first legislative proposals Wednesday for 2020: a new incentive program for businesses to expand or relocate jobs to Connecticut and a revised small business assistance initiative.
Posted inCities & Towns, News
Louisville: Lessons from a regional city
As Connecticut struggles to shore up its cities, it might look to Louisville — where leaders created a thriving regional city.
Posted inCities & Towns, Economic Development
Lowell comeback: From textiles to tech, and maybe textiles again
Lowell hasn’t spun dross into gold or been blessed by some other miracle. The city of 111,000 has most of the same issues that challenge other urban areas. But it has steadily moved ahead since the 1980s.
Posted inNews
Colleges help drive urban revival, but town-gown relationships can be fraught
Colleges may not have “saved” the cities where they are located, but they advanced urban revitalization.