Category Archives: News
September 2021 News Letter
🍂Huge grants to claim from the EDA, new data tools, new plans, it’s all here in the September newsletter.
📜 https://mailchi.mp/8a564872a493/westcog-news-septemeber-2021
PUBLIC NOTICE FOR THE 9/14/2021 MULTI-STATE FREIGHT WORKING GROUP
The Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Forum announces the next meeting of its Multi-State Freight Working Group on September 14, 2021 at 10:00 am.
This meeting will be available as a webinar: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/179378989.
Continue reading PUBLIC NOTICE FOR THE 9/14/2021 MULTI-STATE FREIGHT WORKING GROUPJune 2021 Newsletter
🍉Summer is upon us and with that WestCOG’s seasonal staff! Also this month learn about WestCOG’s Water Testing Program and see the commuting patterns of the region on full visual display. All within this month’s newsletter!
Housing Trends in the Region and State
Housing productions varies substantially by region in Connecticut. WestCOG has produced maps and charts of recent trends in housing, including home building (total and multi-family) in the state’s regions, sizes and sales prices nationwide; and housing, household, and population statistics.
Relative Population Growth in Connecticut
Over the last fifty years, Connecticut has increased in population. However, this macro-level trend conceals substantial variation across time and space, with some regions and municipalities gaining people, some losing people, and some doing both (albeit in different decades). Population trends have an impact on housing: in areas that are growing, home values tend to rise, and new homes are built; in areas that are shrinking, home values tend to fall, and properties may deteriorate.
To highlight these patterns, WestCOG has produced maps comparing growth in the state’s municipalities to the overall rate of growth at the state level (relative growth).
Federal Register Notice for County Equivalency
At the request of the State of Connecticut, the Census Bureau has published a notice in the Federal Register regarding the treatment of Connecticut’s Planning Regions, which correspond to the state’s Councils of Governments (COGs), as geographic units equivalent to counties for Census statistical purposes. This change, which as also supported by all nine COGs and the Connecticut Data Collaborative would result in:
- The Census Bureau tabulating data by Planning Region from the year 2023, and
- COGs becoming eligible to participate in federal programs (such as grants) that are open to counties and county equivalents.
It is important to note that county equivalency is a statistical term of art and that application of this term to Planning Regions in Connecticut is not intended to and will not change government structure or authority in Connecticut. More information on county equivalency can be found in:
- Press release from the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management announcing the proposal (ct.gov)
- Frequently Asked Questions: Census Bureau County Equivalency Status for Connecticut’s Planning Regions (ct.gov)
Detail on the proposal, including how to submit comments during the 60-day comment period (which begins December 14, 2020) can be found in the Federal Register notice.
Residential Patterns and Trends by Race in the Northeast and the Nation
Recent events have driven a push to examine patterns and trends in household location. WestCOG is supporting this conversation with data, looking beyond the borders of Connecticut to compare the state and region to the Northeast and to metropolitan areas throughout the United States. WestCOG’s presentation draws on Census data and primarily quantitative methods.
