Mission + Vision

Mission

The Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association (AHNA) empowers and connects residents and stakeholders to improve the quality of life in Asylum Hill.  AHNA acknowledges that Asylum Hill is on the traditional lands of the Poqonook, Sicoag, Tunxis and Wangunk tribes.

Vision

The Asylum Hill neighborhood is attractive and welcoming with a unique mix of historical housing stock, corporate headquarters, major health facilities, small businesses, museums, churches, schools, multi-unit housing, a library and public transportation. These assets put Asylum Hill in an excellent position for neighborhood growth and development that will keep pace with Hartford’s strategic growth plans. AHNA’s vision for the future of Asylum Hill is:
Asylum Hill will become a model urban neighborhood:

  • That is green and clean, with a large tree canopy, abundant gardens and a healthy Park River peacefully flowing along its western edge
  • Where everyone can live, walk and bike safely.
  • Where historic housing is preserved, and affordable housing is available to all income groups
  • Where art, culture and history of our diverse population is celebrated
  • Where businesses, small and large, thrive and hire neighbors to fill jobs
  • A high performance West Middle Elementary School that, with the Classical Magnet School and Hartford High School, attracts students and encourages families to move into the neighborhood.
  • An expanded, coordinated mass transit system including Union Station and CTfasTrak to bring people into the neighborhood safely, inexpensively and efficiently.
  • Beautification of the Farmington Avenue streetscape through new lighting, sidewalk repair, paving and medians.
  • Rezoning portions of the neighborhood to encourage owner-occupied homes and reduce population density.

Watch the video of AHNA's Vision for Asylum Hill below!

Strategic
Plan


Asylum Hill's last Strategic Plan approved by Hartford Court of Common Council in October of 2010. Neighborhood Strategic Plans are to cover ten (10) years, so in 2020 AHNA began the process of updating our Strategic Plan for Asylum Hill.

Click here to view or download a copy of the adopted Strategic Plan.

Utilizing survey results from the Hartford's survey of community need, AHNA created eight (8) Task Forces to work on key areas for improvement:

  • Arts & Culture
  • Economic Development
  • Employment
  • Environmental & Green Initiatives
  • Housing and Historic Preservation,
  • Human Services
  • Public Safety and Quality of Life
  • Youth Services

More than 75 residents and stakeholder representatives met during 2021 to identify priorities and develop recommendations for actions. The final draft was presented for a public hearing in Oct. 2021 and the final draft was adopted by the membership on March 7, 2022.

Click here to view the adopted Asylum Hill Strategic Plan.