LEGO® Hartford Model

In 2016 I initiated and led a collaboration between non-profit leaders, volunteers including architects, urban planers, and a local LEGO® fan club to design and build a 20,000-piece scale model of downtown Hartford, Connecticut on weekends over a 10-week period. LEGO elements were donated by The LEGO Group, which was my employer at the time. This project created a centerpiece for the iQuilt Plan Innovation Center and a visualization of Hartford's urban core to inspire conversation about land use and transportation in the state capital.

The LEGO Hartford Model, housed in the iQuilt Innovation Center, served as a tangible tool for planners, architects, and the public to:

• Visualize connections between downtown areas
• Reimagine vacant lots and roadways
• Share renovation visions
• Understand urban challenges like highway division
• Engage in urban planning discussions

The model was composed of over 20,000 LEGO bricks, consisting of white and clear architectural elements accented by green and blue to represent parks, trees, and water. It was an accurate scale representation of downtown buildings, streets, and the interstate highways including landmarks like the State Capitol building, Bushnell Park, Gateway Arch, Travelers' Building, XL Center, and the recent DoNo development project.

The model became centerpiece of the iQuilt Innovation Center, providing an interactive urban planning tool, a tool for discussions among residents and public stakeholders. an educational resource for urban planning students. It highlighted Hartford's core infrastructure challenges, including I-84 and I-91's impact disconnecting the city from itself and separating residents from the riverfront. By nature of being LEGO bricks, it created an accessible entry point for public participation and built bridges between experts, policymakers, and residents.