Mark Paquette, of the Windham Regional COG, and Ken Livingston, of Fitzgerald & Halliday, at the 2012 National Rural Transportation Conference.

1. NADO
Rural Transportation Conference
Burlington, Vermont
April 2012

2. Project Location

4. Regional Characteristics
• 1,250 square miles
• 64 towns, 3 regional planning agencies, 2 tribal
nations
• Population 430,331
• Poverty Rate near 25%
• One out of three working households fails to meet
the self‐sufficiency standard in the region
• 25.5% of area adults have bachelor’s degree

5. How did this begin?
A Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant from:
• US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
• US Dept. of Transportation
• US Environmental Protection Agency
To develop a cohesive regional plan of sustainable
development for Eastern CT

6. Lead Partners
• Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board
• Northeastern CT Council of Governments
• Southeast CT Council of Governments
• Southeastern CT Housing Alliance
• Windham Region Council of Governments

7. Consortium Members
• 1,000 Friends of Connecticut • The Last Green Valley, Inc.
• The Access Community Action Agency • Thames Valley Community Council for
• City of New London, Connecticut Action
• City of Norwich, Connecticut • Town of Groton, Connecticut
• EASTCONN • Town of Killingly, Connecticut
• Eastern Connecticut State University • Town of Putnam, Connecticut
• Mohegan Tribal Utilities • Town of Windham, Connecticut
• Northeastern Connecticut Economic • Transportation to Work Consortium
Partnership • United Way of Central and Northwestern
• Norwich Community Development Connecticut
Corporation • Windham ARTS Collaborative
• Quinebaug Valley Community College • Windham Region Community Council, Inc.
• Southeast Area Transit District • Windham Region Transit District
• Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise
Region

8. What is the Project?
The creation of this plan will include an analysis to:
– Identify benefits of a fully integrated plan
– Identify current and future challenges the plan
should try to address
– Evaluate system issues contributing to the mismatch
between current plans

9. QUALITY OF LIFE
MOBILITY EMPLOYMENT HOUSING

10. Workforce development
Real Estate and
Other Services (excluding Rental and
Public Administration) Leasing Mining,
2% Finance and 1% Quarrying, and
Management of Oil and Gas
Insurance Companies and
Information Extraction
2% Enterprises
1% Agriculture, 0%
Administration & Support, 0% Forestry, Fishing
Waste Management and and Hunting
Remediation Utilities
1% 1%
3%
Wholesale Trade
3%
Construction
3% Health Care and Social
Transportation and Assistance
Warehousing 15%
3%
Public Administration
3%
Professional, Manufacturing
Scientific, and 14%
Technical Services
4% Accommodation and
Food Services
8%
Educational Services
13%
Retail Trade Arts,
10% Entertainment,
and Recreation
12%

11. Who works in region?
INTERNAL
INFLOW OUTFLOW
45,845 57,349
113,082
2010 Census OnTheMap

12. Transportation is a means to
an end‐
Housing, Jobs, and Retail

13. Affordable transportation?

14. Traditional solutions are not
the answer‐ need innovative
solutions based on
collaboration and
partnerships

15. Underserved are under
appreciated and not
communicated with

16. Reach out beyond your
traditional stakeholders

17. Create awareness of options
and opportunities

18. More Information
• www.sustaineasternct.org
• Follow us on Twitter @sustaineastct
• http://www.facebook.com/sustaineasternct
Ken Livingston, AICP Mark Paquette
Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. Executive Director
www.fhiplan.com Windham Regional Council of
klivingston@fhiplan.com Governments
860‐247‐7200 www.wincog.org
director@wincog.org
(860) 456‐2221

19. Real Life
“I know a lot of people looking and cannot find anything”
“No affordable housing for low income single mothers”
“There are not enough jobs in general”
“Minimum wage jobs – not even enough to cover rent –let along buy food”
“No buses to the towns where they have jobs”
“Public transportation doesn’t run often”
“Minimum wage doesn’t cover the cost of living”