Syracuse Urban Planning in Progress

Zoning is the process of dedicating areas of land for a specific usage. Starting during the late stages of the industrial revolution due to smog and pollution from large factories being located next to tenement buildings. They noticed a massive drop in life expectancy and mandated that heavy industrial factories must be separate from residential buildings. This idea of separation has been taken to its extreme. Nowadays separating low income housing from medium and high income households, homes from stores, offices, and communities. The impact is lower funding for schools and other resources with more crime in poor neighborhoods creating intergenerational poverty.

Current Syracuse Zoning Map

I love the project rezone syracuse as a whole because its plan is to bring back better models casted away in most of America for the sake of innovation and prejudice. The plan will allow for more housing options in more places instead of one size fits all. This will also have a byproduct of making alternative transportation options viable, making Syracuse's plans for the future head in a great direction, better than most states could. By adding mixed income it will decentralize poverty and create less housing inequality and crime centers. Mixed usage will become more convenient to get needs with less emphasis on driving, reversing induced demand and making smaller stores and walkable neighborhoods viable and making car ownership less of a necessity.

I feel it is a great idea as long as it is executed and executed properly. This proposal is miles better in my perspective than the current layout of syracuse. At the public hearing held on June 7th I learned of a couple issues. I think there should still be more affordable housing in the Syracuse market. Currently the requirement is 10% and people are advocating for 30%. I feel 15-20% would make enough of an impact to compromise the issue as housing would increase because of the proposal though with high competition. I also feel safeguards to prevent gentrification are also important due to the building of the Micron factory. All in all I think the new plan should pass regardless for the betterment of Syracuse, New York.

Proposed Syracuse Zoning Map

Darian Barber recently graduated with a associate degree in general studies from Onondaga Community College. Darian is currently seeking a new role in the Syracuse community to make a difference.