Home » Projects

Projects

The Knowledge Corridor Consortium was awarded a $4,200,000 grant from HUD’s FY 2010 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program. The Consortium will use these funds to carry out activities which will build on the work of the three metropolitan planning areas of the Hartford-Springfield Knowledge Corridor to advance opportunity, sustainability and livability in our combined regions. In all, 80 communities will benefit from the activities we will undertake.

By design, the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor work plan will blend core planning activities with tangible, on-the-ground projects and will rely on a transparent feedback loop to measure and track implementation progress and ensure that goals are achieved over time.

Explore the key components of our work by clicking on any of the boxes below.

  • Sustainablity Indicators - Coming Soon!
    We're working hard on an interactive dashboard of sustainability data indicators that will soon be posted on the website.  The dashboard will display data trends for the Knowledge Corridor in the following key sustainability goal areas:Strengthen the Region’s Economy and Foster Regional...
  • Changing times, economy spurs latest evolution into 'Knowledge Corridor'
    By Tim Brennan, Executive Director of the Pioneer Valley Planning CommissionAs decade two of the 21st century unfolds, the economic realities we face in the Pioneer Valley are vastly different than what was true 200 years ago when America’s Industrial Revolution took hold in New England.This...
  • Get More Information on What We've Done So Far
    The December 2011 status report on the work we’ve accomplished under the HUD Sustainable Communities Grant to date is now available.  This report details the progress we’ve made on each of our projects. We are one year into our three year grant and most projects are well underway.
  • Knowledge Corridor States Score Well in Energy Efficiency!
    Did you know that Massachusetts and Connecticut both score in the top ten most energy efficient states in the country and that Massachusetts ranked #1 in 2011?  It's true!  Check out the scorecard map and report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy to see how well we...
  • Upcoming Event - Green Infrastructure for Municipal Officials: Best Management Practices
    When: January 30, 2012, 1 to 3:30 p.m.Where: Holyoke Community College, Kittredge CenterHere's a preview of the planned presentations for this event.Green Streets in New EnglandKathleen M. Ogden, Project Manager/Senior Landscape Architect, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.By accommodating alternative...

  • Regional Planning

    Regional Planning for a Sustainable Knowledge CorridorFor the Future: Create a Sustainable Knowledge Corridor Regional Action PlanOne of the crucial end products of the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor initiative will be to create a regional action plan which will provide a road map of actionable...

  • Capacity Building

    The goal of the Sustainable Knowledge Corridor Capacity Building is to arm decision-makers with tools and information that supports ongoing sustainable development planning and implementation activities. This work will rely on a combination of training programs, model code development, market...

  • Metrics

    The Sustainable Knowledge Corridor metrics and information sharing initiative aims to facilitate the collection and dissemination of meaningful benchmarks that will measure the regions progress towards sustainability. A robust database to house these indicators and a dedicated page in this portal...

  • Civic Engagement

    The Sustainable Knowledge Corridor civic engagement aims to maximize stakeholder and community participation in the planning process. A broad spectrum of tools will be used to connect with the regions’ residents, including traditional outreach methods, as well as more modern adaptations, such as...

  • Catalytic Projects

    Six municipalities—Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Hartford, New Britain, and Enfield--will conduct planning projects that provide models of how place-based activities can work to enhance the livability of urban centers and villages. Each of these six municipalities will address specific issues...