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All the cities that don't have skyscrapers or a skyline aren't filled with eyesores scattered all over the city though. A good looking skyline distracts from all messy, ugliness of the city.
For example, imagine Paris France having garages, ugly warehouses, factories, steam plants, ugly architecture like the Laurel and ugly single family homes scattered all over the city.
Paris would even be ugly if you add in the amount of ugliness you see in the city of Syracuse to a beautiful city.
Is that even true? What examples do you know of in the real world where this is the case?
The problem is that Syracuse doesn't have just those things and that still doesn't help the economy by simply building skyscrapers.
Again, the point is that skyscrapers doesn't help the economy alone and are a result of good economy, not the other way around. Those cities are examples of not having a bunch of skyscrapers, if at all, but offer vibrant areas that are popular with at least a niche segment of the population. So, those are real world examples of how building skyscrapers aren't necessary to be more "popular" or to attract people. Let alone the somewhat subjective nature of what is "ugly". As mentioned in another thread, here are some residential areas within the city that many wouldn't say are "ugly": https://www.city-data.com/forum/66585485-post19.html
Is there a US medium size or large city with lots blight, run down neighborhoods, ugly architecture from the last 70 years that isn't the nation's Capital that has a good reputation without an impressive skyline?
What I'm saying is Syracuse can have a better image and reputation faster with beautiful new architecture towering over the city.
Removing all the blight, relocating all warehouses and garages might take a lot longer...maybe decades of growth before the city leaders come to the conclusion that beauty is more important than a few more jobs and a little more money collected in taxes.
Is there a US medium size or large city with lots blight, run down neighborhoods, ugly architecture from the last 70 years that isn't the nation's Capital that has a good reputation without an impressive skyline?
What I'm saying is Syracuse can have a better image and reputation faster with beautiful new architecture towering over the city.
Removing all the blight, relocating all warehouses and garages might take a lot longer...maybe decades of growth before the city leaders come to the conclusion that beauty is more important than a few more jobs and a little more money collected in taxes.
The problem is that Syracuse isn't just blight and those other cities have their blight/rougher areas as well. Let alone that the first three are more strictly college towns or in the case of Madison, a capital city that was never a legacy city like Syracuse that for a period of time was a top 50 city in population or the other three which have neighborhoods that with their share of blight(not totally) and higher crime rates for at least 2 of the 3. So, again, just building skyscrapers does nothing for the "economic growth and quality of life in Syracuse" and to use other cities in this way doesn't address the topic.
Syracuse does not get a "better reputation" if they just build skyscrapers and again, your opinion is just that and subjective. Can't emphasize this any more, as this still doesn't address the areas that need the economic growth and improvement in quality of life the most. Especially given that your last sentence has things backwards.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-10-2024 at 12:03 PM..
Assuming your city has all the basics, good drinking water, grocery stores, and electricity etc.
Safety is number one priority for a successful city
Beauty is number two
It isn't subjective. People need inspiration in their daily life and if a city doesn't have anything inspiring or impressive people won't move there. If people don't move to your city, the economic development and quality of life will suffer.
Last edited by bellafinzi; 06-10-2024 at 06:39 PM..
Assuming your city has all the basics, good drinking water, grocery stores, and electricity etc.
Safety is number one priority for a successful city
Beauty is number two
It isn't subjective. People need inspiration in their daily life and if a city doesn't have anything inspiring or impressive people won't move there. If people don't move to your city, the economic development and quality of life will suffer.
I’d say the economy is 2, if not 1b for a city. People usually don’t get inspiration from buildings and no amount of towers of Babel are going to help people eat and have a quality of life they want, if they don’t see investment from a neighborhood and economic/job growth aspect. You need a hood economy to attract people, not the other way around. That is Basic growth 101.
I'm looking at the economy as a region. And I'm talking about the city of Syracuse.
If the warehouses and garages on the Northside moved to the Industrial areas in DeWitt not seen from the main roads, the jobs would still be local.
The city of Syracuse won't attract more residents and more tourists if the main points of interest are surrounded by ugly warehouses, old ugly factories, ugly steam plants and garages.
The few blocks around the baseball stadium should be a beautiful walkable neighborhood of apartments, not a mixture of residential and industrial.
The area around Destiny USA should be an entertainment and residential area, not a mixture of residential, warehouses, factories, garages and junkyards.
The steam plant for Syracuse University should have large tall buildings surrounding it so it can't be seen in the rest of the city.
The comprehensive plan for the city of Syracuse should focus on hiding every visible eyesore in the city or the relocation of the eyesore to a less visible location.
I'm looking at the economy as a region. And I'm talking about the city of Syracuse.
If the warehouses and garages on the Northside moved to the Industrial areas in DeWitt not seen from the main roads, the jobs would still be local.
The city of Syracuse won't attract more residents and more tourists if the main points of interest are surrounded by ugly warehouses, old ugly factories, ugly steam plants and garages.
The few blocks around the baseball stadium should be a beautiful walkable neighborhood of apartments, not a mixture of residential and industrial.
The area around Destiny USA should be an entertainment and residential area, not a mixture of residential, warehouses, factories, garages and junkyards.
The steam plant for Syracuse University should have large tall buildings surrounding it so it can't be seen in the rest of the city.
The comprehensive plan for the city of Syracuse should focus on hiding every visible eyesore in the city or the relocation of the eyesore to a less visible location.
There is a plan for development, but to keep saying skyscrapers will do this doesn’t make sense. Again, this is where infill comes along in the Inner Harbor, neighborhoods with gaps, redevelopment of warehouses like the Moyer Lofts, etc. are things that are being done or has interest for development. How often do you go into the city or other parts of town? I ask, because there is development occurring in all parts of town to some degree.
You also have to consider if other towns will take on having warehouses moving into there town due to zoning and a NIMBY spirit. Think about why certain types of housing and industry is largely concentrated within the city, as those are a couple of things that come into play. Let alone you would then move more work further away from people that are more likely to need it.
To be honest, the stadium should have been put Downtown or in the Inner Harbor. So, that wasn’t necessarily good planning. Same even with Destiny USA, which didn’t meet its projected development plans. Both had to do with people that have/had ties to that side of town, as to why both were put there.
With the steam plant, it is essentially in an area with public housing and some SFH’s just down the hill from the university. Even building taller buildings there would only bring about potentially other issues like environmental issues or a concentration of poverty that the city is looking to distance itself from. Let alone the gaps in built environment nearby. People may not know, but SU has or had a scholarship for people that live in close proximity to the Steam Station and that is likely due to environmental and economic factors involved.
Also, there are plenty of cities with warehouses/factories within city limits that get tourism and visitors due to events that attract people. In terms of the area, you must not be aware of events such as the Syracuse Nationals, the State Fair, SU sporting events, the many festivals(2 Jazz festivals, Blues Fest, Juneteenth, Polish, Irish, Italian, Greek, Oktoberfest, Taste of Syracuse, etc.), conventions and other events that bring people to the city/area. So, the area gets plenty of visitors and that is why the hotel development aspect is such a big deal.
Again, if we are talking about the actual title of the thread, buildings only do so much. So, there needs to be a practical and comprehensive plan for economic development that includes people in neighborhoods that need more investment and opportunity.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-11-2024 at 06:05 AM..
The main point is how many of the people that visit Syracuse are impressed by it to consider it as a possible place to live.
If you focus on beauty first, every visitor becomes a promoter of Syracuse or a possible future resident or investor in Syracuse
There is nothing to lose by Syracuse looking attractive and lots to lose by the cluttered messy vibe that is most of Syracuse outside of Meadowsbrook, downtown and Syracuse University has.
Ever walk into a house and there is clutter everywhere? That is the same vibe I get from most of the City of Syracuse.
Clean up the clutter and Syracuse can start living up to it's potential.
The main point is how many of the people that visit Syracuse are impressed by it to consider it as a possible place to live.
If you focus on beauty first, every visitor becomes a promoter of Syracuse or a possible future resident or investor in Syracuse
There is nothing to lose by Syracuse looking attractive and lots to lose by the cluttered messy vibe that is most of Syracuse outside of Meadowsbrook, downtown and Syracuse University has.
Ever walk into a house and there is clutter everywhere? That is the same vibe I get from most of the City of Syracuse.
Clean up the clutter and Syracuse can start living up to it's potential.
Are they visiting for the event or as a place to live anyway? People move to places due to things such as job opportunities or may have family in the area. So, if they are coming for an event, they aren't likely thinking of necessarily moving to the area. That goes for visitors of other cities as well.
Beauty is good, but again, if you are actually touching on the thread topic, there are other things that are a bigger priority, all things considered. How much of the city have you been to, if you think only Meadowbrook, Downtown and SU are the only nice areas of the city? Especially when I gave a bunch of other examples within city limits.
You can look "beautiful", but be of no substance, which in this case would be would be economic opportunity and housing opportunity/infill development. Skyscrapers and all the fancy stuff comes when those things are in place.
Franklin Square is nice too. Probably the only impressive high vibe place in Syracuse not on the SU campus.
The point is I believe all the eyesore small businesses in the Lakefront neighborhood should relocate somewhere else in Onondaga County, including all the car dealerships , repairs shops, warehouses, garages, and factories from Crouse Hinds (it can stay) all the way to 690. Everything between 81 and 690 should go to make room for a walkable new attractive neighborhood.
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