Creative placemaking is a tool for community revitalization and Syracuse University has been recognized as a national leader in creative placemaking by national organizations including Artplace, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, Living Cities, the Kresge Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as other federal and state organizations.  One reason that our approach is unique in that it is place-based, but also framed by engagement projects that bring together academic pedagogy and industry expertise, blending praxis with practice.  From public art to technology innovation, to great public design and programming that activates new complete green streets, and unique partnerships and coalition-building, the Connective Corridor is a model that is being studied by other communities and universities.

Here are ten ways the Connective Corridor is a great example of creative placemaking:

1. Green streets. The Connective Corridor has some of the most sophisticated green infrastructure (GI) in the country, helping capture and manage 26 million gallons of runoff annually and addressing sewer overflows into Onondaga Lake and its tributaries. Planners from around the country have come to Syracuse to learn from this complex urban GI project. The green infrastructure was made possible through Onondaga County and Save the Rain, with technical assistance from the Syracuse Center of Excellence and project engineers. The Connective Corridor just won the U.S. DOT/Federal Highway Administration’s Environmental Excellence Award.

2. Green bike lanes. The Connective Corridor is one of the first projects in the country to implement new federal standards for green as a universal bike lane color. A handful of communities simply painted their asphalt green, but Syracuse was among the first to install a long-term solution. Corridor bike lanes are a new generation resin, Methacrylate, providing greater durability, skid-resistance and reflective safety values. Unlike painted asphalt which has to be re-done every two years, Methacrylate is designed to last up to 20 years. The Connective Corridor’s hybrid cycle track on University Avenue is one of the first in the United States outside of Europe and the UK where they launched. The Connective Corridor bike network earned a U.S. DOT safety recognition award. It also adds to a pleasant streetscape and a healthy lifestyle.

3. Urban greenway. The Connective Corridor planted 285 new trees as part of the project. There are 27 species – including maple, birch, sycamore, oak, honey locust and elm, as well as flowering varieties such as pear and cherry. The green bags at the bases are part of a GI water management system to ensure the trees stay hydrated and healthy. Water must be applied slowly to prevent runoff and adequately penetrate the soil, so those tree bags help with slow watering to help better establish the trees. The tree pits are green too. They are Flexi®-Pave porous pavement set with Gravel-Lok durable, eco-friendly permeable aggregate bond.

4. Mobile hot spots. You may know that the Connective Corridor bus service is free for both campus and community members, linking University Hill and downtown through a loop with 74 well-marked stops. But did you know that the Corridor buses are also free mobile public hot spots with on-board Wi-Fi? They’re smart buses that also feature GPS systems that link to free mobile bus-tracker app’s for iOS and Android users. User numbers have grown to 187,354 annual rider counts, with seven-day a week service during the academic calendar and special schedules during academic breaks.

5. City lights. Now that streetscape reconstruction is finished, take some time to look up. The Corridor is working with 70 building owners on façade projects. You’ll see improvements ranging from historic restoration projects to complete redesign of building faces. Lighting is a connective thread along the Corridor, and 23 buildings are being illuminated as part of the façade program. It’s a way to brighten up the City, make it more pedestrian friendly and show off Syracuse’s beautiful historic architecture. Next up is lighting Fayette Park and public art installations along the Corridor that also integrate illuminations. Be sure to check out a showcase Corridor lighting project – Onondaga Tower, featuring state-of-the art LED lighting and controls that change colors and patterns. The system was designed by Ephesus Lighting, headquartered in the building.  The flickering firefly lighting in Forman Park was designed by Dr. Linnea Tillett, Founder and Principal of Tillett Lighting Design, working with Olin Studio and the Syracuse University School of Architecture. Some of her other lighting projects include the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom Park in NYC, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn Bridge and “Ice Heart” in Times Square. Tillett is known for her subtle lighting designs but she also worked with New York State lighting manufacturer Selux on the design of the high efficiency LED light columns along the Corridor.

6.  Public art.  The Connective Corridor is one of the largest public art projects encompassed in a complete green streets project in the country.  Fully 10% of the total streetscape construction budget has been allocated for public art and public design projects.  This kind of commitment to public art — about $2 million in all — is somewhat stellar in the world of creative placemaking.  We’re bringing together national artists, regional and local artists, faculty and students to conceptualize, design, produce and install works along the Corridor and Civic Stripe, and we’re hoping this model inspires other communities to consider the important role of public art in enlivening communities.  Read more about the works being created, the artists, and how we did it on the public art page of this website.  Follow our public art blog in the Syracuse New Times.

7. The big picture. The Urban Video Project at the Everson Plaza was the Connective Corridor’s first-funded public art project. UVP hosts thousands of people each summer for its popular outdoor film series, along with year-round world-class transmedia work by international artists. The moving images are about the size of an average IMAX screen, projected on the outside wall of the iconic I.M. Pei-designed Everson Museum. UVP was one of the first projects in the United States dedicated to permanent outdoor video art projections. Catch the programs from dusk to 11 p.m., Thursday through Saturday evenings, year-round. Check http://www.urbanvideoproject.com/ for the upcoming program schedule.

8. Red bistro sets. From Luxembourg Gardens, to Times Square and Bryant Park, Fermob Poppy Red Bistro Sets are popping up in the best gathering spots. Syracuse has joined that list with a Café Corridor project that awarded bistro sets to businesses who agreed to add or expand outdoor seating and dining opportunities along the Corridor. The bistro chair design was created in Europe in the 19th century and has found its way to the world’s best parks, universities, museums and public gathering places. Now you’ll find them at Syracuse’s hippest coffee spots, ice cream shops and cafes as part of our new street scene. And yes, red awnings and other new patio areas and furnishings are also part of that Café Corridor project.

9. Fun stuff. There have been nearly one million musical notes played on the singing sidewalk at Syracuse Stage as of 12/31/2015. A sophisticated software program tracks the steps played on more than 40 sensor-activated musical pavers. The soundscape was designed by SenSyr, a startup company launched by Syracuse University Physics Professor Ed Lipson and Paul Gelling. Custom soundscapes to compliment shows at Syracuse Stage were created by area musician Emmett VanSlyke, working with the Connective Corridor and the artistic team at Syracuse Stage. SenSyr also created the eight high-intensity LED light screens with electromagnetic sensing technology, much like radar, and are programmable for color variations based on motion sensing based on sophisticated integrated electronics — making for a multi-sensory experience.

10. Living lab. Visual and performing arts students give pop-up performances on the Corridor bus and design mobile art galleries on the buses. Architecture students refashion empty storefronts and create projects like the S.ALT Mural — the country’s largest public art mural comprised entirely of QR codes. Design students study form and function, and create public design prototypes, wayfinding systems and large-scale public art. iSchool students develop mobile app’s.  Policy majors work on urban planning challenges. The Connective Corridor is a living lab for community revitalization. As much as building a physical network to connect University Hill and downtown, the Corridor is really about connecting people. This kind of meaningful engagement helps develop the next generation of civic leaders who will take lessons learned from  creative placemaking and put them to work in communities where they live, work and call home.