Our Mission
To be the collective voice of Hartford residents and stakeholders working to strengthen and grow our community’.
Bringing Residents Together
We are one of the few organizations that brings residents of the entire city together at one table.
Coalition of Neighborhood Revitalization Zones
Hartford NEXT is a coalition of NRZs and the City of Hartford. We join together to share ideas, resources, and information and to work cooperatively together to revitalize Hartford’s neighborhoods.

What is a Neighborhood Revitalization Zone?

In 1995, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act 95-340 “An Act Establishing A Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Process.” Neighborhood Revitalization Zones, more commonly known as NRZs, allow communities to revitalize their neighborhoods, particularly those with significant numbers of abandoned, blighted, foreclosed or deteriorated properties. The NRZ process is a mechanism to revitalize neighborhoods where there a significant number of properties that are abandoned, blighted, foreclosed and/or deteriorated. The NRZ legislation makes available certain benefits, including expanded powers of eminent domain and waivers of state and local environmental, health, and safety codes. To establish an NRZ, a neighborhood must define its boundaries, form a NRZ committee composed of all stakeholders in the NRZ, and prepare a strategic plan. The city’s Common Council adopts the strategic plan by ordinance and the plan then governs activities within the NRZ. Fifteen NRZs were established under this legislation: Asylum Hill, Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, Sheldon-Charter Oak, Frog Hollow South*, North Frog Hollow**, MARG (Maple Avenue), Northeast, Parkville, South End, South Green***, South of Downtown (SODO), Upper Albany and West End.

*Now Southwest/Behind the Rocks
**Now Frog Hollow
***Dissolved and incorporated into MARG and Frog Hollow

Hartford 2000/Hartford NEXT

In 1996, the city of Hartford applied for State Urban Act funding which was earmarked for capital projects. Included in this application were the most critical needs and the strategies to address them that were created by the NRZs. NRZ members, with the assistance of several city staffers, joined together to create a strategy to educate the Connecticut General Assembly about the stabilization and revitalization activities included in the city’s application. Their strategy included hosting a reception for state and local officials at which neighborhood leaders described their revitalization needs, explained the initiatives underway, and outlined how an infusion of state funding would advance the revitalization agendas. After extensive discussion and negotiation, $7 million was approved by Governor John G. Rowland and the State Bond Commission.

Prior to this collaboration, Hartford neighborhoods were often more competitive than cooperative. Neighborhood leaders now appreciated the value of the collaboration. Neighborhood leaders began to meet monthly and were provided meeting space in City Hall and the city’s Assistant Manager, Linda Bayer, voluntarily served as a liaison with the city. From these meetings came the organization of Hartford 2000. The organization obtained its 501(c)(3) nonprofit designation in 2006. The organization’s name was changed in 2019 to implement a more contemporary vision to provide the NRZs, its membership, and all Hartford residents opportunities to effectively participate in the civic processes that generate true change in our neighborhoods and the City at large.