Happy New Year!
We’ve completed our post-conference report for Smart Growth in CNY 2024! This is available both below and at syracuseurbanism.org/sgcny. Some of the ideas discussed at the event and listed in this report will inform our work over the next year.
The Syracuse Urbanism Collective has also been busy preparing for 2025, and we’d like to invite you all to collaborate with us on some of the projects listed below, both continued from last year and brand new. If you’d like to work together on other topics not listed here, please still reach out! To get involved in these projects, visit syracuseurbanism.org/join or email us at contact@syracuseurbanism.org.
- I-81 Viaduct Project Recommendations: We’re advocating for a series of suggestions for improvements to the NYSDOT I-81 Project designs in Syracuse. Managed by Baxter Hankin.
- Onondaga Creekwalk Wayfinding: We’re on track to improve wayfinding along the Onondaga Creekwalk via signage painted on the ground this spring. Managed by Javier Zavaleta.
- SWAG Bike Festival: The Syracuse Urbanism Collective held our city’s first Women’s and Gender Nonconforming People’s Bike Fest in June 2024. We’ll be hosting again in 2025! Managed by Jaynelle Nixon.
- Mini Meadows: The Syracuse Urbanism Collective is currently working on a program to place native plantings in public spaces throughout the city. Managed by Kevin Race.
- Urbanist Book Club: We’ll be reading collectively chosen books relevant to urbanism and discussing these at regular cafe meetups around the city of Syracuse. Our first book will be Walkable City by Jeff Speck. Managed by Michael John Heagerty.
- Regional Planning Policy Platform: We’re making regional planning recommendations in anticipation of growth and change in Central New York. Managed by Baxter Hankin.
- Design Team: A team of designers who create visuals of imagined futures for Syracuse and Central New York. Managed by Tori Shaw.
- Public Policy: A project team focused on writing, recommending, and advocating for public policy from within the Syracuse Urbanism Collective. Managed by Baxter Hankin.
- Funding Team: A group to share and collaborate on funding opportunities, including grants, sponsorships, crowdfunding, and more! Project manager TBD.
- Public Hearings: This group will organize our official comments on public hearings and major projects in the region, and represent the Syracuse Urbanism Collective at important meetings. Project manager TBD.
- Community Streets 2025: A group putting together an application to the City of Syracuse’s 2025 Community Streets Program. Managed by Javier Zavaleta.
- We’ll have a few extra projects coming soon!
Regards,
Baxter Hankin
President of the Syracuse Urbanism Collective