Funding is the first theme because it dictates where a project will go, and gives insight as to how successful it will be. Land use is secondary, because how land is used is heavily dependent on the funding for a specific project. As these themes go hand in hand, they point to a major gap in the city’s efforts. Much of the funding iQuilt receives from donors goes to beautification and design projects, that are not focused on equity or sustainability. The iQuit plan can only call itself “sustainable” as it emphasizes walkability, and a decreased dependence on fossil fuels to travel throughout the city. Creating sidewalks for foot traffic encourages more sustainable activity than roads for vehicles. Some other sustainable projects include the recycled bike sculptures created by local artists. They’re sustainable in the sense the materials are being recycled and diverted from a landfill;, but at the end of the day, the sculptures themselves are frivolous, and not conducive to anything besides beautification. Yes, local artists were included in the process, but inclusion in an art project is a far cry from inclusion in local legislation or urban planning.
So far, evidence implies that Hartford and iQuilt’s efforts are advertised as more beneficial than they truly are. Winterfest is a prime example. So much time, planning, and funding goes into putting on this “cultural” event downtown, when it’s really just an event to showcase local businesses. The majority of resident’s culture is not represented in the event, just the culture of the small group of business people.
iQuilt’s website is also a bit misleading, especially their page on their Bushnell Gardens project. The page shows an illustrated version of the projects original plan, or what should have been a reality. As it stands now, the potential garden is simply empty land, for which streets had been moved for. Before I had conduced the interview, I assumed that illustration was the reality! More research will be done as to how exactly the project got to this point, and what(if anything) is being done to finish it.