Mathematics and Transportation of Cities Draws New Research Analysis

UConn researchers have collaborated to develop a new index that will measure the sustainability of complex urban transportation systems.  The index will allow policymakers, scientists and the public to understand not just how congested cities’ transportation systems are, but the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the system as a whole.

A team of researchers in UConn’s departments of geography and civil and environmental engineering developed The Transportation Index for Sustainable Places, or TISP.  The new approach is part of the July themed issue of the journal Research in Transportation Business & Management, edited by  Carol Atkinson-Palombo, assistant professor of geography, Norman Garrick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Wesley Marshall, a former graduate student of Garrick’s who is now a faculty member at the University of Colorado, Denver.

“Policy in developed countries and in the U.S. in particular has tended to focus on relieving congestion and has largely ignored social and environmental impacts associated with expanding freeways,” says Carol Atkinson-Palombo. “This index takes a more holistic approach, which gives a comprehensive sense of the effects of the system.”

The TISP takes into account environmental factors like land use efficiency, minimizing natural resource consumption, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Social factors are also measured, such as meeting access needs, incorporating public health and safety and maintaining a community in areas served by transportation. These factors combine with economic measures, such as affordability, self-sufficiency, and efficiency, to create a comprehensive metric, UConn Today reported.

Garrick says that many people only think about transportation in terms of traffic. These so-called congestion indices, he says, are misleading because they are not necessarily about making the city better, but simply moving cars more efficiently.

“In many cities, only 40 percent of the people commuting are in cars,” he points out. “The majority of the people aren’t affected by the congestion index, yet this is the only measure of the impact of the transportation system that is ever discussed in the media.”

Mathematics of Cities

In another initiative aimed at taking a closer look at the function of cities, the view that cities are dissimilar and disordered systems has begun to change.  Patterns have emerged within the supposed chaos, and researchers in economics, physics, complexity theory and statistical mechanics have concluded that cities, mathematically speaking, might actually be basically the same. Though strikingly different in culture and layout, cities like London and Beijing, for example, share many properties with regard to infrastructure, social interactions and productivity.

The new conclusions – decades in the making - are part of a growing field dedicated to the science of cities, Science News, the magazine of the Society for Science & The Public, reports in its most recent edition.   Roughly 75 percent of people in the developed world now live in urban environments. While much of the research is in its early days, eventually it may serve as a powerful, widely used tool for urban planners and policymakers, the publication reports.

Physicist and complex systems scientist Luís Bettencourt of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico has developed a theory which captures the interplay between a city’s population, its area, the properties of its infrastructure and its social connectivity. His theory suggests that city planning should not involve grand, top-down projects, but perhaps well-considered smaller ones.

The mathematical work is rooted in and reinforces the view “that cities grow from the bottom up,” says Michael Batty, who trained as an architect, planner and geographer and went on to found the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London. “The diversity of life [in cities] offers greater opportunities for mixing ideas.”

The emerging mathematical theory of cities stands on four basic assumptions:

1. Cities mix varied people together, allowing them to reach each other.
2. Cities are networks that grow gradually and incrementally, connecting people.
3. Human effort isn’t limitless and stays the same regardless of urban size.
4.   Measures of the socioeconomic output of a city — things like the number of patents awarded or crime rate — are proportional to the number of social interactions.

 “In a nutshell, the city is the best way of creating a vast, open-ended social network that minimizes the cost of moving things in and around an environment,” Bettencourt says. “When people brush up against each other, that’s when the magic of the city happens — the social reactor begins to work.”

Cities Reshape Transportation Mix

At UConn, when the research team used the TISP index to look at transportation in the U.S., they found some not-so-surprising results: areas with higher rates of driving rather than public transportation have greater carbon emissions, and having more cars and highways increases traffic fatality risk.  But despite the prevailing perception, says Garceau, the researchers found that developing varied transportation systems that include a combination of roads and public transportation are more cost-effective than simply building highways.

Many cities have already begun to adjust their transportation planning. Some have begun dismantling freeways that run through their downtowns to reconstruct a truly urban atmosphere. New Haven is in the midst of doing precisely that in Connecticut, eliminating the Route 34 connector and replacing it with an urban boulevard that will reconnect city neighborhoods cut off for decades.

Others cities are moving forward with light rail and bus rapid transit systems (such as CTfastrak between Hartford and New Britain, now under construction) and encouraging walking and bicycle use by building compact, mixed-use communities that focus on pedestrians rather than cars.  Garrick points to Cambridge, Mass., Portland, Ore., and New York City as U.S. cities that have taken strides toward sustainable transportation. On a smaller scale, he cites Storrs, the home of UConn’s main campus, for developing a walkable town center from scratch, and planning for greater bus access as the newly-minted downtown area unfolds.

First McCarthy and Comey, Now Schwartz and Handelsman: Four CT Nominees for Obama Administration

All roads have been leading to Connecticut lately as President Obama has sought top talent for his administration.  Among key Presidential appointments announced by the White House last week was Linda Spoonster Schwartz, as nominee for Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning, in the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Schwartz is the fourth Connecticut resident and second who previously led a Connecticut agency, to be nominated recently by President Obama.

Linda Schwartz, a disabled veteran, has led the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs through Republican and Democratic administrations since 2003.  She concurrently serves as an Associate Clinical Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing, where she has been on Faculty since 1999 and was appointed Associate Research Scientist and Scholar.  From 1980 to 1993, she taught at several University and College Schools of Nursing and held leadership roles in Nursing organizations in Connecticut. Her nomination was sent to the Senate for confirmation on Aug. 1.

The White House also announced last week that President Obama intends to nominate Jo Handelsman of Yale University as Associate Director for Science, Office of Science and Technology Policy.

 Dr. Jo Handelsman is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Frederick Phineas Rose Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University, a position she has held since 2010.  Previously, she served on the University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty as a Professor in Plant Pathology from 1985 to 2009 and Professor and Chair of the Department of Bacteriology from 2007 to 2009.

“The extraordinary dedication these individuals bring to their new roles will greatly serve the American people.  I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come,” President Obama said in the formal announcement.

On July 17, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Gina McCarthy as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  McCarthy, whose nomination was held up for a time amidst political wrangling in Congress, has served as Connecticut’s Commissioner of Environmental Protection  prior to heading to Washington to join the EPA as assistant administrator earlier in the administration. McCarthy, is a 25-year veteran of state and local government in New England where she worked for Republicans including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell.

The Boston Globe reported that the newly confirmed McCarthy told an audience at Harvard Law School that cutting carbon pollution will “feed the economic agenda of this country” and vowed to work with industry leaders on shaping policies aimed at curbing global warming.

In June, the President nominated James B. Comey, Jr., of Westport, to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a term of ten years.  Comey was confirmed as the seventh director of the FBI on July 29 by a vote of 93-1 in the Senate.  He served in the Justice Department official in the Bush administration.

“To know Jim Comey is also to know his fierce independence and his deep integrity,” Obama said in making the nomination. “He’s that rarity in Washington sometimes: He doesn’t care about politics, he only cares about getting the job done. At key moments, when it’s mattered most, he joined Bob in standing up for what he believed was right.”

Before serving as deputy attorney general, Comey was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he helped bring down the Gambino crime family, and served as the managing assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the Richmond Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia, according to news reports.

Handelsman is currently President of the American Society for Microbiology.  In 2011, Dr. Handelsman received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring.  From 2002 to 2010, Dr. Handelsman was the Director of the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching.  In 2004, Dr. Handelsman co-founded the National Academies Summer Institute on Undergraduate Education in Biology.  She received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Handelsman will help advise President Barack Obama on the impact of science on both international and domestic affairs.  “This is an enormous opportunity that I felt I just could not pass up,” she told the Yale  News.

“In addition to being a superb biologist, Jo Handelsman is nationally recognized as an exceptional mentor of young scientists and an effective champion for increasing diversity in the scientific work force,” Steven Girvin, deputy provost for science & technology at Yale told the News. “Her energetic devotion to improving science education is of critical importance to the nation.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal released a statement calling Schwartz "a champion of veterans and a national star."  From 1979 to 1980, Schwartz was a caseworker in the Office of the Field Director of the American Red Cross at Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany.  Dr. Schwartz served in the United States Air Force (USAF) Nurse Corps from 1968 to 1986, both on Active Duty and as a Reservist.  She retired as a Flight Nurse Instructor, with the rank of Major after sustaining injuries in a USAF Air Craft accident.

In 2001, she served on the Board of Directors of the American Nurses Association and was elected to the American Academy of Nursing.  From 1996 to 2000, she served as a Member and Chair of the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.  She received a B.S. from the University of Maryland, an MSN from Yale University School of Nursing, and a Dr.P.H from the Yale University School of Medicine.

New Leadership at UConn's Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

There is new leadership at the helm of UConn’s Roper Center for Public Opinion Research - the leading educational facility in the field of public opinion. Paul Herrnson takes over this week as Executive Director of the Roper Center, and joins the faculty as a Professor of Political Science. The Roper Center, which was founded in 1947, promotes the intelligent, responsible and imaginative use of public opinion in addressing the problems faced by Americans and citizens of other nations. Dr. Herrnson comes to UConn from the University of Maryland, where he was a Professor in the Department of Government and Politics and recipient of outstanding teaching awards from the University and the American Political Science Association. He was also the Founding Director of the Center for American Politics and Government at the University of Maryland.

The Roper Center is an archive—it preserves the data from polls conducted by many leading survey organizations for the use of researchers, students, and journalists. Its collection now includes 18,000 datasets and continues to grow by hundreds of datasets per year. In total, it includes responses from millions of individuals on a vast range of topics.

Since its beginning, the Roper Center has focused on surveys conducted by the news media and commercial polling firms. However, it also holds many academic surveys, including important historical collections from the National Opinion Research Corporation and Princeton University's Office of Public Opinion Research.

Today, the Roper Center Facebook page includes current polling data from around the world, including questions culled from recent surveys on breaking news and topical events.

Herrnson is a well-published scholar whose research papers have appeared in the leading journals. His recent books include: Interest Groups Unleashed (2012), and the 6th edition of his widely used text, Congressional Elections (2011). According to the University of Maryland web site, Herrndon’s “dedication to civic responsibility and the political process fuels a number of activities on local and national levels.” He has provided expert testimony to the Maryland legislature, U.S. Congress and federal courts in the areas of voting technology, ballot access and campaign finance.

When the Center was launched, Elmo Roper and others in the emerging field of survey research recognized that the information they were gathering should be preserved for future generations of scholars, students, and journalists. Since that time, the Roper Center has continued to acquire and archive public opinion data.

Since its founding, the Center has maintained two key objectives: (1) to preserve the voice of the public in the form of public opinion polling data and maintain these data in the most current formats possible, and (2) to re-disseminate the data in detailed and complete form via intuitive access tools.

Most of the surveys in the Roper Center are national samples, but there are also some state and local surveys, as well as a number of surveys of special populations of interest. Nearly all of the surveys are based on representative samples drawn according to the best practices of the time. The Roper Center now focuses on data from the United States, but continues to acquire some surveys from other parts of the world, particularly Latin America.

The Roper Center contributes to education at the University of Connecticut.  Although the Roper Center does not offer any degree programs, it works with a wide range of programs-including the departments of Political Science, Sociology, and Statistics—in giving employment and research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.

Told You So, Nader's Latest Title, Replays Past Columns

In the beginning, Ralph Nader was often right.  In 1965, the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed changed the face of the automobile industry and made his a household name. The Winsted, Connecticut native became synonymous with consumer activism, and earned the designation time and again, revealing alarming and potentially harmful corporate actions and alerting consumers and government agencies to perils unknown.  That was last century.

As the current century got underway in earnest, Nader was campaigning for the office of President of the United States, appearing on the November 2000 ballot in states across the country, most notably New Hampshire and Florida, as it turned out.  Because in those states, Nader’s vote total exceeded the margin by which George Bush defeated Al Gore.  And, so the argument goes, had he not been a “spoiler,” most of those votes would have gone to Gore, who would then have won the Electoral College outright in addition to the popular vote, avoiding the Florida recount debacle and the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ultimately decided the election’s outcome for Bush.

The rest, as they say, is history.  And a whole lot of columns.  (For the record, Nader received 22,188 votes in New Hampshire; Bush’s margin over Gore was 7,211 votes.  In Florida, after the aborted recount, Bush won the state by 537 votes out of 5.9 million votes cast.  Nader received 97,488 votes.  On the ballot in 43 states, he won 2,882,995 votes, or 2.74 percent of the popular vote.)

Fast forward to 2013, and Nader’s latest book, which is neither modest in length, title or time period.  The book tour for “Told You So:  The Big Book of Weekly Columns,” which is hefty if not heavy, brought Nader, at age 79, to the Barnes & Noble at the Shoppes at Farmington Valley in nearby Canton on July 13, where stories were told, books were sold, and advice offered.

The Table of Contents – which runs 11 pages – indicates that “Big Book” is no euphemism.  The final column, circa 1972, is listed in the “Golden Oldies” category and begins on page 507.  The bulk of the entries, however, were written in the Bush and post-Bush era, between 2002 and 2012 – in other words, after the extraordinary 2000 election.

The book’s publisher says it provides a “panoramic portrait of the problems confronting our society and provides examples of the many actions an organized citizenry could and should take to create a more just and environmentally sustainable world.”  Nader continues to criticize those in power and corporations, and raise issues including increasing the minimum age.

Certainly a great many subjects are covered substantively in the book, and Nader spoke easily and expansively to a substantial audience of the curious and the book-buying snaking through the Barnes & Noble aisles.  (Autographs, of course, were free.)  Any rear-view mirror retrospective on Nader, however, cannot help but be seen through the prism of 2000 as well as 1965, and the consumer action organizations he launched.  Which may explain the volume of columns since his 2000 presidential run, and as the cover boldly states, the reminder directed to the reader (or even the passer-by), that Nader “Told You So,” even lately.

Connecticut Resident Selected as Presidential Innovation Fellow, White House Announces

A Connecticut resident is one of 43 “incredible Americans” selected as new Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIFs), to serve 6- to 12-month intensive “tours of duty” in the US Government, where they will work hand-in-hand with top government innovators to develop solutions that can save lives, save taxpayer money, and help fuel private-sector job creation.

Nayan Jain is a Presidential Innovation Fellow working on the MyData Initiatives (Blue Button) at the Department of Health and Human Services.  Jain is an engineer and healthcare hacker with a passion for developing software that is able to simplify complexities by reducing noise and finding patterns in data.  His career in health IT began as an undergraduate with a design for an administrative database for the Department of Neurosurgery at Emory Hospital.

The Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program was created in 2012 to tackle five inaugural projects—each focused on making a part of the Federal Government work better for the American people.  Each team of innovators is supported by a broader community of interested citizens throughout the country. Presidential Innovation Fellows put aside their jobs and day-to-day home lives to offer their skills and expertise in collaboration with Federal agency teammates to create huge value for the American public.

The 1st round of five projects was launched in August 2012 with 18 inaugural Fellows. The first round selections included Nick Bramble, Director of the Law & Media Program, Information Society Project at Yale Law School in New Haven.  Bramble is a lawyer with a strong interest in improving how governments release data and promote engagement by citizens and startups.

The 2nd round of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program will include ten projects,– four that are the second phases of Round 1 projects and six new projects. Presidential Innovation Fellows have a unique opportunity to serve our Nation and make an impact on a truly massive scale.  The MyData Initiatives seek to spread the ability for people to securely access to their own data while spurring the growth of private-sector applications and services that a person can use to crunch his or her own data for a growing array of useful purposes.

After graduating and a stint writing applications for back-office propane systems, Nayan Jain  joined the DC-based startup, Audax Health.  While serving as Director of Mobile Technology at Audax, he helped build the core Zensey mobile and web platforms that aim to drive behavior change through consumer engagement and social game mechanics.  He collaborated to build MedTuner, an artificial intelligence that alerts its followers of important health events using techniques in machine learning and natural language processing, which was awarded first place at the 2012 Health 2.0 Developers’ World Cup in San Francisco, CA.

Most recently, he selected by Google to be a Glass Explorer and is looking forward to building wearable experiences that will help improve lives and patient outcomes.  He graduated with a BS in Computational Media, primarily focused on Human Computer Interaction and Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He currently lives in Connecticut, but spends his spare time in New York, according to the PIF announcement.

Jennifer Pahlka, Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer for Government Innovation reports that some of the tech innovators and change-agents who comprise the new class of Fellows will work on second phases of Round 1 PIF projects such as Blue Button (which is helping veterans and others across the country gain secure electronic access to their own personal health records); Open Data (which is making more and more government information like car safety ratings and hospital pricing available for use by the American people, including entrepreneurs and software developers who are turning those data into useful products and services); MyUSA (which is greatly simplifying the Web interface that citizens can use to find what they need from the Federal Government); and RFP-EZ.

For Round 2 of the PIF program, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have partnered with the US General Services Administration (GSA).  Through this new partnership with GSA, which already works with every agency in the Federal Government, the prototype solutions that PIFs build will spread more efficiently throughout Government, enabling the program’s positive outcomes to reach more people more quickly.

For example, through Blue Button – a growing initiative across the public and private sectors – patients can download their own health information from a growing array of organizations (the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health system, private-sector health care providers, etc.) and securely share their medical histories with caregivers, import their prescription histories into mobile reminder apps, and more.

Others will work on new projects, such as developing tech tools to support disaster relief and recovery efforts; working with private-sector innovators to create consensus tech standards for the “Internet of Things,” which will connect a wide range of devices with embedded sensors and control systems, with big potential efficiencies and cost-savings; and helping Federal agencies save money through better, more cost-effective financial accounting systems.

Details on the entire class of Presidential Innovation Fellows is available on the web, and details about current and future rounds of the PIF program is at whitehouse.gov/innovationfellows,

 

Students From West Hartford, Fairfield and Southport Among Top U.S. Winners at National History Day Competition

Over 2,000 Connecticut students recently ended the school year with a sense of accomplishment and a better understanding of the world around them thanks to History Day in Connecticut – and ten students from the state earned national recognition last week for their efforts.

 Through this rigorous annual academic program for grades 6-12, 2,000 students developed school history projects across the state. Of those, 1,250 went on to participate in District Contests across Connecticut, and over 400 competed in the State Contest on April 27 at the Old State House in Hartford.  Connecticut’s program is coordinated by the Old State House.

 The 2013 theme was “Turning Points in History:  People, Ideas, Events.”

 The 69 students who placed 1st or 2nd in various age groups at the State Contest represented Connecticut at the week-long National History Day Contest, held at the University of Maryland, June 9 - 13. Students competed in various categories, and according to age group (junior and senior divisions).  Categories included documentaries, exhibits, websites, papers, and performances.

 The top three finishers in each category at the national contest were recognized, and included  three Connecticut entries that including participation from nine students:

 Junior Group Exhibit - Second Place

Madeline Langdon, Claire Langdon, Emma Langdon Fairfield, CT, Greenfield Hill Girls School Teacher: Gina Ludlow Entry - The Connecticut Effect: How the Hartford Circus Fire Changed a Nation

Junior Individual Exhibit – Second Place

Samuel Porcello West Hartford, CT, Sedgwick Middle School Teacher: Jennifer Hunt Entry - The Hartford Circus Fire: A 10 Minute Turning Point Sparks Lasting Change

Senior Group Performance – Third Place

Pierce Barry, Annabel Barry, Isabella Altherr, Jaden Esse, Quinn Barry Southport, CT, Pequot Homeschool Teacher: Alison Barry Entry - The Tet Offensive: Turning Point in Vietnam, Turning Point in Journalism  

In addition, student Timothy Cohn from Southbury received the organization’s “George Washington Leadership in History” award for his Senior Individual Exhibit, “Washington and the French:  A Turning Point in the American Revolution.”  His teacher is Sharon Wlodarczyk.

Organizers say the History Day initiative is important because “students who think critically, understand how the past shapes the present, and know how to plumb history for answers to current issues make better citizens.”  Also, studies have shown that History Day participation helps students out-perform peers on standardized tests and develop the skills needed to succeed in work and college.

The Connecticut League of History Organizations and ConnecticutHistory.org encourage students to explore state history through their projects with help from local historical societies. The Connecticut Historical Society runs workshops and helps run the contests. Connecticut Humanities provides the major funding needed to provide 2,000 students with a rich and lasting academic opportunity.

 History Day in Connecticut is one of 54 affiliate programs of the renowned academic National History Day Program.  National History Day (NHD) correlates to the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and the Technical Subjects.

Changing Highway Exit Numbers in Eastern CT: Been There, Done That

There was a time when the best-known highway exit on the road to UConn was Exit 100 from Interstate 86.  Then everything changed.  It will be déjà vu all over again for Eastern Connecticut drivers during the next couple of years, as another set of prominent exits receive new numbers, courtesy of the state Department of Transportation (DOT).  The city of Norwich and the Mohegan Sun casino will be at the center of the changes.

DOT recently announced that it is planning to change Interstate 395 exit numbers as part of two projects totaling $9 million that will update road signs in accordance with U.S. government mandates for highway exits to match mile markers.

Under this plan, as reported in the Norwich Bulletin, thirty exit numbers along the interstate from New London County to the Massachusetts state line will change by the fall of 2015. Among the revisions are the northbound and southbound exits for Route 82/Downtown Norwich (Salem Turnpike) in Norwich, being changed to exit 11 from their current exit 80.  The well-known exit to Mohegan Sun, currently exit 79, would also receive a new exit number.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2014. The former exit numbers will remain on the new signs for at least two years, the DOT said last week.  Concerns about the costs to businesses to revise advertising, printed directions, and related materials have been raised.  We’ve been down this road before in Connecticut, as long-time residents will remember.

Nearly 30 years ago,  in 1984,  a more dramatic change re-wrote the exit landscape east of the Capital City, on what was then I-86 heading east from East Hartford.  The change eliminated I-86, changing the roadway’s designation to I-84, and requiring a renumbering of exits between East Hartford and the Massachusetts border, including the well-known exit 100, which led to Route 195 and UConn.  Today, it’s known as Exit 68 off I-84, the exit of champions.

In fact, I-84's intended east end has been changed twice, from the Mass Pike (I-90, Sturbridge) to Providence and back, according to the Connecticut Roads website. In late 1968, the Federal Highway Administration approved a new Interstate connection from Hartford to Providence, to be part of a rerouted I-84. The existing section of I-84 from Manchester to I-90 was redesignated I-86 (see map).

In 1970 and 1971, Connecticut built two isolated sections of the eastern I-84, in Manchester and Willimantic. Both were signed I-84. However, in 1982 Rhode Island canceled its portion of the highway, citing concerns over the Scituate reservoir, Providence's main fresh water supply. In August 1983, Connecticut canceled its portion, and the I-84 to I-86 numbering was rolled back.

The section of I-84 in Manchester became I-384, and the Willimantic section became part of US 6. This was made official on Dec. 12, 1984. The state is still trying to get an 11-mile freeway built between those two sections, from Bolton to Willimantic.

Also in the works for the coming years:  DOT has said the Route 2A exit numbers for Mohegan Sun Boulevard, the main road leading in and out of Mohegan Sun casino, will be changed.  Both the eastbound and westbound numbers will be changed to 6 from the current number 2, according to the DOT.

Remembering CT's Korean War Veterans, Advancing Opportunities for State Vets

Even as Memorial Day is observed throughout the state, many veterans and their families are looking ahead to July 27, 2013, which marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end the hostilities of the Korean War - often referred to as the Korean Conflict or the “Forgotten War.”

The armistice agreement, meant to be a temporary document until a peace agreement could be achieved, was signed by the United Nations, the North Korean People’s Army, and the Chinese People's Volunteers.  Even today, 60 years later, no peace agreement exists.

Through the remainder of 2013, commemoration events are planned in communities across the nation to honor and thank all veterans who served in the Korean War and the families who lost loved ones. Of the approximately 1.5 million Americans who served in Korea, an estimated 31,000 reside in Connecticut. 

The Veterans History Project at Central Connecticut State University and the Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs are partnering to host a special event for all Korean War veterans on July 26, 2013 at Camp Niantic (formerly Camp Rell) in Niantic.

The state's Korean War veterans are invited to attend a remembrance ceremony at Nett Hall at 11:00 AM to honor the 326 Connecticut men killed in action.  A picnic to celebrate and thank the surviving veterans will immediately follow the memorial ceremony.  Korean War veterans are invited to attend with a guest free of charge.  For details or to contact  860-616-3603 or Tammy.Markik@ct.gov by Friday, July 19, 2013. Connecticut citizens who would like to attend to show their appreciation can also purchase tickets.

The honorary chairs of the event include Mrs. Nikki O'Neill (the widow of former Governor William A. O'Neill), Command Sergeant Major Robert Moeller and General James H. Throwe.

To view historic photographs and hear fascinating first-hand accounts of combat in Korea from Connecticut veterans, visit the Veterans History Project website at http://www.ccsu.edu/vhp where one can choose from more than 50 oral histories to explore.

Business Building Opportunities in Hartford, New Haven

Connecticut Public Broadcasting’s Veterans Vocational Training Program was launched earlier this month, offering a free opportunity for veterans to train for a career in media arts and video production.  For the pilot, CPBN is transforming its Hartford television studio into a learning facility that will use the power of digital media technology to inspire learning, spark innovation and develop workforce skills in post 9/11 veterans.

Completion of the program leads to industry-specific certifications in digital arts or video production and includes portfolio development.

Participants gain experience working with media professionals on digital projects and productions, ranging from live broadcasts to studio operations to web services. To ensure veterans attain employment opportunities, the program also plans to partner with local businesses.

In New Haven, there will be a free workshop for veterans on starting and growing a small business, on Wednesday, May 29 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Gateway Community College in Room S106.  To register (by May 27) call 203.285.2201 or email wparsons@gatewayct.edu  The workshop will feature experts sharing information on the first steps to start or grow a veteran-owned business in Connecticut, where to find start-up money, and how to use the discipline and planning s\kills that were learned in the military.

Women Veterans Documentary Airs Nationwide

A documentary by Connecticut filmmaker Lizzie Warren, produced with Connecticut Public Television, is receiving airplay nationally this weekend.  The program, WAR ZONE/COMFORT ZONE, will be seen on CPTV on May 26 at 10 AM, and on PBS affiliates around the country throughout the weekend.

Writing in the online publication Salon, Warren notes that homelessness among women veterans has riesn sharply in recent years, and that "women veterans are the fastest growing homeless population in the nation."

Here’s the program summary:  Women account for roughly 14 percent of the active-duty U.S. military and more than 24 percent of the National Guard, yet they often receive less than a hero's welcome upon their return to civilian life. Many face poverty, homelessness and joblessness; deal with the psychological and physiological effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from military sexual trauma and combat related injuries; and often receive poor service from a Veterans Administration ill-equipped and, in some cases, unwilling to help them.

The Emmy® -nominated documentary WAR ZONE/COMFORT ZONE uncovers the plight of these veterans through the intense and personal stories of four women veterans coping with life after their military service. Each seeks a sense of normalcy and peace without the benefit of a comprehensive support system. WAR ZONE/COMFORT ZONE weaves together intimate interviews with the story of two women - Shalini Madaras and Joy Kiss - struggling to establish transitional housing for homeless female veterans in Bridgeport, Connecticut, despite virulent community opposition.

Thriving Initiatives on State Main Streets Gain Recognition

Communities and organizations actively championing the revitalization and economic development of downtowns across Connecticut - through initiatives ranging from rebuilding and redesigning downtown spaces to working with local partners to provide fresh food for downtown residents- are gaining recognition for their efforts.

Initiatives and organizations from Hartford, Waterbury, Willimantic and Storrs Center and among those selected for 2013 Awards of Excellence, to be presented by the Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) at their annual awards gala, being held in Hartford for the first time on June 10.  The projects and programs range from Fireball Run and iQuilt to vibrant partnerships bringing business, education, municipal and community organizations together to advance new initiatives.  The recipients are:

• Main Street Partnership (sponsored by Webster Bank) - "Brass City Market on Field" Indoor Farm Market, to Brass City Harvest, Main Street Waterbury, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury Development Corporation and the City of Waterbury.
•  Economic and Business Development - "Make New Friends, but Keep the Old": Retention and Relocation of Existing Businesses during Development of Storrs Center, to Mansfield Downtown Partnership, UConn, Town of Mansfield, LeylandAlliance, Milone & McBroom, Cipparone & Zaccaro, and the Business Owners of Mansfield & Storrs Center.
•  Public Space Master Plan - The iQuilt Plan (Downtown Hartford), to iQuilt Partnership, City of Hartford, and Suisman Urban Design.
• Historic Preservation - End of an Era": Past Identity/Future Vision and the Portrait Project (Downtown Willimantic), to Harrison Judd, Thread City Development, Inc., Eastern CT State University, Windham Textile & History Museum, Town of Windham, TBS Properties, Windham Region Chamber of Commerce, ArtSpace Windham Gallery.
•  Downtown Event -  Fireball Run 2012 (Downtown Waterbury), to Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce, City of Waterbury, and Main Street Waterbury.
• Business Owner of the Year (sponsored by Webster Bank) - Dr. Richard A. Fichman, Fichman Eye Center, in the Upper Albany Main Street District, Hartford

In addition, the 2013 Nationally Accredited Main Street Programs - Simsbury Main Street Partnership, Upper Albany Main Street (Hartford), and Main Street Waterbury will be recognized, and The Connecticut Light and Power Company Award for Outstanding Contributions to Main Street Revitalization will be presented to longtime activitst Toni A. Gold of Hartford.

"Connecticut's city centers are critical drivers of commerce and competitiveness," said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. "I applaud the 2013 award winners for their efforts to make Connecticut's downtowns thrive. The collaboration to create more livable communities is to the benefit of all Connecticut's residents."

Connecticut Main Street Center is a statewide nonprofit that inspires great Connecticut downtowns, Main Street by Main Street. Its mission is to be the champion and leading resource for vibrant and sustainable Main Streets as foundations for healthy communities.

The Connecticut Main Street Awards of Excellence, established a decade ago, recognize outstanding projects, individuals and partnerships in community efforts to bring traditional downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts back to life, socially and economically. Submissions were judged on criteria which included innovation, replication, representation, partnerships utilized, and outcomes.

Awards will be presented at the 2013 Connecticut Main Street Awards Gala on June 10th at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Downtown Hartford. Major Sponsors include Fuss & O'Neill, Webster Bank, Baywater Properties, Travelers, and Renaissance Downtowns.

Waterbury, Hartford, Simsbury Achieve National “Main Street” Recognition

Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) has announced that three Connecticut Main Street designated organizations have been accredited as 2013 National Main Street Programs for meeting organizational performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.  Simsbury Main Street Partnership, Upper Albany Main Street (Hartford) and Main Street Waterbury have been recognized for outstanding accomplishments toward the goal of revitalizing their historic main street districts following the Main Street methodology.  The announcement was made during the 2013 National Main Streets Conference in New Orleans.

"We congratulate this year's accredited National Main Street Programs for meeting our established performance standards," said Valecia Crisafulli, Acting Director of the National Trust Main Street Center. "Rebuilding a district's economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support, in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success."

National Main Street Program Accreditation is a partnership between Connecticut Main Street Center and the National Trust Main Street Center to establish standards of performance for local Main Street programs. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program's application of the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization, which includes Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Restructuring.

Evaluation criteria determine the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as development and commitment to mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing a stable operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving and bringing back to life historic buildings. These standards provide benchmarks and guidelines on how Main Street organizations should be functioning and serve as incentives for improvement.

Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) is a statewide nonprofit that inspires great Connecticut downtowns, Main Street by Main Street. Its mission is to be the champion and leading resource for vibrant and sustainable Main Streets as foundations for healthy communities.   Since the Connecticut Main Street program began in 1995, designated Main Street programs have generated over $1 billion in public and private reinvestment in their downtowns. Over the same time, 425 net new businesses have opened and 2,538 net new jobs have been created.

Connecticut's 2013 National Main Street Programs

Simsbury Main Street Partnership, designated in 1995, describes its focus as "forward-thinking economic development within the context of historic preservation, so that Simsbury's assets and legacy can be passed on to future generations." Designated a Preserve America Community by the White House in 2006, the Partnership works to integrate Simsbury Center's shopping, civic and entertainment activities into community heritage tourism opportunities. Through its partnership with the Town and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Simsbury Main Street Partnership has linked downtown restaurants and merchants to visitors to the Talcott Mountain Music Festival by establishing an outdoor vendor program where concert-goers can purchase food and drink and retail items. Simsbury was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destinations. More about Simsbury Main Street Partnership can be found at www.shopsimsbury.com

Upper Albany Main Street is "an economic development engine in Hartford working to improve the environment for small businesses, promote entrepreneurship, and establish Albany Avenue as a vibrant Afro-Caribbean neighborhood destination of choice." Designated by Connecticut Main Street Center in 2001, Upper Albany Main Street continues to position the organization to meet the socio-economic challenges of the neighborhood by addressing leadership development, and engaging residents in the entrepreneurial initiatives on the Avenue. Through its partnerships with the University of Hartford, the City of Hartford and the Metro Hartford Alliance, the Main Street program has developed the award-winning Micro-Business Incubator program, and a Public Safety initiative which has resulted in the Avenue being named a Weed & Seed Community by the U.S. Department of Justice. More about Upper Albany Main Street can be found at www.upperalbany.com

Main Street Waterbury, designated a Connecticut Main Street Community in 2003, has been guided by a commitment to building community consensus around the need to bring downtown back to life through a culture of collaboration. Forming a unique partnership with the City, the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Waterbury Development Corporation, Main Street Waterbury has been successful in bringing people back to downtown through its special events, community forums, and by focusing on a strategy of "Waterbury at Night"; recruiting restaurants and creating a downtown environment which encourages and complements activity around the existing entertainment destinations in downtown. Downtown Waterbury has seen the rehabilitation of a number of downtown's historic vacant and under-utilized mixed-use buildings, providing market-rate residential development on upper floors. More information about Main Street Waterbury can be found at www.mainstreetwaterbury.com

CMSC is supported by Founding Sponsors, the Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) and The Connecticut Light and Power Company, and by Growth Sponsors, The United Illuminating Company and the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office. For more information, visit www.ctmainstreet.org