近年的经济危机为哈特福德市的公园系统带来了不少难题：市政府难以维持面积庞大、使用率高的场地，市民也对其安全性存有疑虑，公园的资源和活动无法被各个社群最大化利用。本项目意图寻回公园系统的设计初衷，通过在公园和城市之间建立联系，按缓急先后确定投资策略，以及减低维护需求，将整个系统重新定位为高品质、多样化而且相互连通的公园网络。

为提高连通性，本方案计划改善康涅狄格河及帕克河沿岸生态环境的连接，并制定目标优化市内以及公园之间的步行和自行车路线。规划期望通过这些策略从全方位为城市带来更优质的自然环境，让居民享有更健康的生活，并为公园系统创造更稳健的财政条件。

本项目还为城市和社区在未来数十年间妥善打理公园系统提供了各种途径。除了具体的设计构思外，项目也在建立伙伴协作关系、促进系统管理、创造收入以至管理运营等方面提出策略措施，目的是在资源有限的情况下尽可能使项目得以成功执行。虽然如此，照料和保护公园系统的责任始终落在政府部门和市民大众身上。操作指南的规划方案将各方的角色整合，希望借此改变公园系统的既有模式，每个人都成为不可缺少的参与者，大家将共同创造一个安全、管理妥善、联系互通而且向全民开放的公园系统。其中，公园系统的平面规划即是以提高知名度以及加深市民大众对公园资源的兴趣和认识为目标而制定的。

总体而言，哈特福德首府城市公园总体规划方案囊括了为期十年的行动计划、公园概念规划、伙伴协作方案、管理运营建议、连接路径系统地图与分期策略、创收途径、装修布置导则以及移动通行标准。

To enhance connectivity, the plan provides for improved ecological connections along the Connecticut and Park Rivers, as well as a city-wide initiative to improve walking and bicycling links around the city and between parks. Through these strategies, the plan seeks to improve the environmental health of the city’s natural assets, the physical health of its residents, and the fiscal health of the park system as a whole.

The plan provides tools to help the city and the community nurture their park system over the coming decades. While the plan recommends physical design ideas, it gives equal value to strategies to foster partnerships and stewards of the system, generate revenue, and govern and sustain the plan and parks system—all with the goal of achieving more successes with constrained resources. The responsibility for taking care of the system belongs to both the city departments and the community. The manual integrates all roles, in hopes that the Capital City Parks System can change existing patterns so that all are meaningful participants in the creation of a park system that honors its legacy, is safe, well-maintained, better connected, and accessible to all. The graphic design of the plan is intended to raise the visibility of and community interest in the parks system, helping everyone to better understand the resources available.

The Capital City Parks manual includes a 10 year action-plan, park concept plans, partnership matrix, governance recommendations, connectivity system map and phasing strategy, revenue generation opportunities, and furnishing guidelines and mobility standards.