Nydia del Carmen, YTV Editor

Mayor Justin Elicker invoked competition with two other Connecticut cities last week to emphasize New Haven’s population growth and his aim of increasing affordable housing.

During his State of the City address last Monday, Elicker declared that New Haven was on track to become the state’s most populous city, with over 150,000 residents, by about 2034. Currently, only Bridgeport has more residents, with 148,000 to New Haven’s 139,000.

“While we wish Bridgeport success, I have news for you, Bridgeport: Watch out. New Haven is growing and we’re on the move,” Elicker said. “As we grow — and this is very important — we must grow inclusively, equitably and sustainably.”

New Haven’s population has grown by nearly 4 percent since the 2020 census, whereas Bridgeport’s has shrunk marginally in the same period.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim told the News in a statement that he hopes New Haven continues to increase its population but disagrees with Elicker’s prediction.

“It is inspiring to hear of mayor Elicker, enthusiasm and vigor for the city of New Haven — truly a great city,” Ganim wrote. “However it’s clear to me, that with our rapidly growing population and with the thousands of people moving into Bridgeport every year, that we will continue to be Connecticut’s largest city.”

In fact, Census Bureau estimates suggest that Bridgeport lost about 250 residents on balance between 2020 and 2022.

School of Management Emeritus Professor Douglas Rae, who served as New Haven’s chief administrative officer in 1990 and 1991, told the News that the city’s recent population rise largely comes down to “eds and meds” — that is, in part, biotechnology companies drawn by Yale investment.

He added that people looking to live in the region surrounding New York City might be attracted to New Haven more than Bridgeport because of scandals involving the latter city’s government, such as Ganim’s 2003 federal bribery conviction and alleged voter fraud in last fall’s Democratic mayoral primary.

“Nobody wants to deal with small-time corruption as part of a package for making a major investment,” Rae said.

Ganim’s spokesperson did not respond to the claim that local corruption impedes the city’s growth.

Elicker mentioned another intrastate rivalry when discussing the centerpiece of his State of the City speech, housing and how New Haven’s growth should not come at the expense of preexisting working-class residents.

A study last year by Connecticut’s Office of Legislative Research ranked New Haven second among Connecticut municipalities in the percentage of its housing units that qualified as affordable in 2022. In Hartford, the state capital, 40.8 percent of housing units met the standard, while the figure sat at 33.4 percent for New Haven.

“While we wish Hartford success, I have news for you, Hartford: Watch out,” Elicker said, echoing his warning to Bridgeport. “New Haven is growing, and we’re on the move.” 

Elicker has pursued several housing initiatives as mayor, including by changing the zoning code and using federal COVID-19 relief funds. In his speech, Elicker said 3,500 new housing units, including 1,400 affordable ones, are in the works.

In a statement to the News, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said he was proud of his city’s role at the forefront of affordable housing access in Connecticut.

“For Connecticut to be an affordable place for people to raise a family and age in place, we need every community to actively work to create more housing stock,” Arulampalam wrote. “I’m glad that cities like New Haven are making that a priority, and I hope that our suburban communities start working to meet that challenge head-on as well.”

In New Haven, the need for affordable housing has become particularly acute as wealthier residents drive rent prices up and neighborhoods like Dixwell gentrify.

“The growth we’re seeing now is based on parts of the workforce which are college-educated, or largely college-educated, and have housing expectations grander than the housing that is left over from the industrial era,” Rae said.

For now, when it comes to sheer population size and the proportional availability of cheap housing, New Haven remains at No. 2, leaving Elicker to promise that it will catch up.

Spokespeople for Governor Ned Lamot and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz did not respond to the News’ request for comment about how the state’s largest cities compare.

Connecticut has a population of 3.6 million.