Regional CEDS - "ACT GREATER HARTFORD"
Every five years, a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS, is required to be prepared and updated. When CRCOG’s last CEDS plan was published in 2019, projections anticipated a period of growth, with a strong insurance and financial sector, resurgent advanced manufacturing, emerging biotech and other strengths. The COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy in unexpected ways, forcing both governments and businesses to shift their focus to reconfigure ways for businesses operate and recruit workers, households to adjust to sudden job losses (and gains) and adapt to a new normal.
In June 2022, CRCOG began working with Camoin Associates and various partner organizations to update the CEDS for 2024-2029. We recognized recovery from the economic disaster of a pandemic required more than strategies and a plan, but also specific actions and committed partners to implement the strategies identified. ACT Greater Hartford – A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for Growth and Equity in the Capitol Region is the result.

Summary of CEDS Goals & Initiatives
GOAL 1 Adapt the physical environment to meet current and future needs
- Focus on adaptive reuse of buildings in urban and suburban core areas
- Reshape the regional housing market
- Advance RiverLink and related East Coast Greenway projects
GOAL 2 Break down barriers for entrepreneurs and small businesses
- Take the pulse of the entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Grow youth entrepreneurship opportunities
- Create a front door to the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Expand access to capital for entrepreneurs and small businesses
GOAL 3 Hyperfocus on existing businesses
- Significantly expand business retention and expansion (BRE) efforts
- Prioritize investment into training and retaining the future workforce
- Support industry-led workforce development efforts for business-driven outcomes
- Establish consistent messaging that is regionally shared
- Launch a ‘smart’ data-driven talent attraction campaign
- Focus business attraction on emerging opportunities
GOAL 4 Create equitable economic opportunity
- Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) regionally
- Take a collaborative, place-based, neighborhood-scale approach to development
- Fix the broken rung to advance women and underrepresented employees into more senior roles
GOAL 5 Restructure the CEDS implementation framework
- Restructure the CEDS Implementation Committee
- Procure multi-year funding to hire an experienced executive
Partners
We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their support in the preparation of the Capital Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS):
Ron Angelo, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology
Chip Beckett, Small Business Owner
Reports
The final draft of Act Greater Hartford is now available. This document, produced by CRCOG, the MetroHartford Alliance, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving provides an overview of the report as well as a snapshot of the region. It will be updated annually.
The final version of the Metro Hartford Future Project report has been published. You can find the final document below, which includes a new section detailing comments received during the public comment period. The full text of written comments we received is available from Maureen Goulet.
Previous Plan
- November 13, 2018 Advisory Committee Meeting
- October 11, 2018 Working Group Meeting
- July 31, 2018 Working Group Meeting
- May 22, 2018 Advisory Committee Meeting
- May 17 Working Group Meeting
- March 19, 2018 Advisory Committee Meeting
- February 15, 2018 Working Group Meeting