Trinity College and Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance Strategic Plan for Renewal
Hartford
In 1997, Trinity College created a Master Plan prepared by Cooper Robertson and Urban Strategies (led by Ken Greenberg), as a strategic tool to guide the physical development of the campus over the next quarter century. In keeping with Trinity's stature, the plan proposed a compelling overall campus structure to restore buildings and grounds and make strategic additions on the campus. The Trinity College Master Plan also broke new ground in its emphasis on engaging the surrounding Southside neighborhoods. These had declined steadily and the College experience for students had eroded. As the City and region suffered serious economic stress, the potential competitive advantage of an urban setting had turned into a liability. The Master Plan identified a number of strategic moves to open up the College to the neigborhood and extend its influence outward. Following on the heels of the campus planning work, Trinity's Office for Community Relations, in conjunction with the Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) initiated the SINA Neighborhood Planning and Design Project led by Ken Greenberg, which builds on the Campus Master Plan with a focus on the surrounding neighborhoods.
A centerpiece of this effort has been the Learning Corridor, a $100 million educational campus immediately east of the College and now in operation. The Learning Corridor contains an Inter-District Montessori School and Family Resource Center, a Neighborhood Public Middle School, a Math, Science and Technology Magnet High School Resource Center, the Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts, the Aetna Center for Families and a parking garage with ground level retail stores. The Master Plan integrated the educational campus with the surrounding community and positioned it as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. The Learning Corridor: Southside Institutions Neighbourhood Alliance Plan was the recipient of the 2000 American Planning Association Outstanding Planning Award for a Special Community Initiative.