What makes a town? Is it the people that live within its borders? Is it the geography of the place? Is it the interaction of its people and its geography? The interaction of its people amongst themselves and the greater community?

The activities of this weekend placed these questions in the back of my mind only to grow unrelentingly, the root of my curiosity were the visits to the centers of three towns, Windsor, Middletown, and West Hartford and a subsequent conversation with a good friend of mine about economic longevity and viability on a local scale. Each town is unique in terms of geography, demographics, and overall economic activity but all share a common theme: independent vibrancy.

Independent vibrancy, in my mind, is a social and economic confluence where activity are aimed at the community and the subsequent support is derived from said community. This was a hallmark of the small town America so often invoked in political speech writing and social commentary, where citizens patronized local and independent merchants. It is often portrayed in highly romanticized manner as a the peak moment in the nation’s existence. There are innumerable forces, both social and economic contributing to the decline of town center as the heart of the community, advances in transportation and communication, preferences for market forces over legislating economic activity coupled with a national and global consolidation of business interests and several economic cycles as well as movement of people into the planned communities of the suburbs. In response, the past two decades have seen attempts across the nation aimed at re-vitalizing local communities with mixed success.

While I am no expert in social patterns and micro-economics, the aforementioned towns have seen varying degrees of success in bringing its inhabitants back to the downtown. Windsor in the last several years has seen a growth in the number of independent restaurants and cafés with a handful of retailers settling into the once vacant storefronts and along with a highly involved citizenry it is looking hopeful for Windsor Center to continue its growth. West Hartford is a model for re-vitalization with its strong independently owned restaurants and retail outfits has given rise to a vibrant pedestrian community where it is not unusual to see the sidewalks crowded with shoppers slowly winding their way from store to store to restaurant. The town’s slogan is befitting of the current situation, “Where city style meets village charm.” However, the question of its longterm viability still remains.

West Hartford is considering a proposal, Blue Back Square, that has polarized its citizens as well as those in the surrounding communities. The proposal is concerned with the development of town held properties for retail and residential purposes, which on paper sounds viable and in the best interests of the community. Tax revenue will increase as the new services will likely draw even more visitors to the town, however, tax dollars are only part of the equation. What of the dollars spent, will they remain in the community or will it there be a capital flow to a corporate center in some other city? Will there be controls on the current rents for existing businesses or will leasing costs out price the independent retailer leaving only the conglomerates remaining? My feeling is that Blue Back Square will operate like many such planned retail/residential developments with the primary goal being the maximization of revenue and that West Hartford center will be homogenized through the introduction of corporate retail and service entities. The result will be a drain on town resources as the incoming tax revenue would need to be directed at ameliorating strain on current services along with capital flowing out of the town.

The citizenry of West Hartford are presented with a very important decision, the possibility of a rapid burst of economic activity that will give the town a feeling of wealth but at the cost of loosing actual wealth or the uncertainty of economic longevity with lowered returns but the guarantee of independence. My feelings lie with taking the uncertain path as it is that very independence that gives a town its soul.