Let's Do Good

January 30, 2026

We are in a dark place at the start of 2026. There’s no sugar coating the grim view of the world that is currently taking hold as a result of the present federal administration. The administration is creating an era of isolation and demonization, working to “other” people who do not fit within their preferred narrative so it is easier to attack them. The power and influence of the State is being used for nefarious purposes. Rights are being stripped away from vulnerable communities. Families and communities are being torn apart through aggressive quasi-military action. International alliances are hanging by a thread. And the wealthiest people in the world are pocketing even more wealth at the expense of the bottom 99 percent.

It may feel as though these dark times have come on fast, and pieces of it have, but many of these actions build off 50+ years of policy and ideology that has emphasized individualism at the expense of community. Ideas that are rooted in beliefs that people who are different from you are not part of your community and that your wealth defines your value as a person. This belief is at the core of the “Reagan revolution” that focused on stripping protections from workers, communities, etc., in favor of tax breaks and subsidizing the hoarding of wealth at the top. A push for removing regulations that protected workers and the environment to make it cheaper for businesses to operate. An emphasis on suburban home ownership, whose design can isolate individuals and strip people of community, while creating unsustainable development patterns that will harm all but the wealthiest communities. Strong Towns, in the video below, describes how this development pattern can be compared to a ponzi scheme.

To pull ourselves out of this doom spiral we find ourselves in, we cannot argue simply to go back to the way things were. The previous era is what led to this moment. The groundwork was laid decades ago, if not centuries, as we refused to truly address the needs of our communities and swept real divisions under the rug.

Instead, we need to create a bold, positive vision for the future that emphasizes investment in the American people. Yes, this sounds like a cliche that politicians have run on nearly every year. But instead of using this phrase as an empty platitude, it should be at the core of our plans on how to move forward. Look at the vision Mayor Mamdani laid out in his campaign in New York City - investing in affordable housing, investing in childcare, investing in access to transit, and taxing the wealthy to pay for these important programs. These are specific policies that we can internalize and embrace. On a slightly different side of the political left, you have Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson arguing in favor of a vision of abundance. The abundance agenda has similar goals, but focuses on streamlining regulations to make it easier to address our most pressing concerns and investing in the development of programs and research. There are ongoing, active debates on the merits of the approaches outlined by Democratic Socialists and the Abundance Democrats, but both approaches emphasize the need to invest in community benefits and encourage the creation of a strong public.

I won’t get into the ongoing debate (you can check some of it out here and here), but I believe this is the right time to focus on some of the most impactful ideas the debate has inspired in me, with an eye on what they can mean for cities and our urban environment.

Invest in Affordability

Life is expensive. While the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation that followed, as a result of supply chain breakdowns and monetary policy, brought this issue to the forefront for most people, it had been building in some of our largest cities for over a decade. New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles had been dealing with an affordable housing crisis for years. The cost of owning a personal vehicle has made some metros that people normally consider affordable, like Houston, just as expensive to live in as these coastal cities.

Affordability, especially affordable housing, will be the key domestic policy issue of this generation. Unless people feel as though they can truly improve their quality of life, they will continue to lose faith in the benefits of living in our society.

Governments at all levels should be invested in building affordable housing at scale. This does not necessarily mean building new public housing, but we also should not be opposed to that idea if it is done in a thoughtful way. It means addressing some of the largest barriers to building housing.

Local and state governments should alter zoning to allow for smaller homes and multi-family homes in all neighborhoods. We no longer build what we traditionally think of as “starter homes,” smaller homes, just over 1,000 square feet, on a small piece of land. These are the homes that populated Levitt Town and streetcar suburbs across the country. Many of these starter homes from that time period have been expanded upon, which was by design. Newer suburban construction is focused on houses more than twice the size of these homes on lots that are a half acre or more, as required by local zoning laws (it should also be noted that these larger homes are not tied to increased happiness and often lead to a reduction in happiness due to longer commutes, less contact with loved ones, and other expenses). At the same time, much of our older housing stock is in bad shape, making a less expensive home ultimately more expensive due to all of the maintenance and repairs that must be done.

We can also look to change our laws around property taxes, instead moving towards a land value tax. Land value taxes are based on the value of the land instead of the value of the property. High value land, like in downtowns and high demand neighborhoods, it would benefit the property owner to develop the land to its fullest potential. An apartment building would bring the owner more value than a parking lot, while still being taxed at the same rate. This can help reduce the incentives of land speculation and encourage denser development patterns. New York State is considering a pilot program to allow up to five cities to implement a land value tax system.

Cities should also choose to be more active in housing development itself. The City of Syracuse is exploring a public developer model. In this model, local governments provide low or zero interest loans to affordable housing developers, helping to reduce their overall construction costs, while providing the public entity (city, land bank, etc.) with equity in the development.

As you can tell, you can get in the weeds quickly when talking about housing. But the vision must be to provide quality and affordability.

Invest in Public Infrastructure and Speed Up Results

Construction takes time, especially on large scale projects. Yet, does it need to take as long as it does now?

In general, the answer is no. Unfortunately, our system has been built in a way that truly beneficial projects can be delayed, even when that delay further hurts the communities they are occurring in. Ezra Klein, in the video below, goes into greater detail regarding California’s high speed rail’s continued delays and reductions in scope. While the project may eventually be completed, these changes and delays will ultimately make the project much less successful.

Now this is not to say we shouldn’t take time to evaluate alternatives and ensure the projects we invest in are the best options, especially when we look at the history and impacts of large scale projects in the 20th century. This is saying that we need to rethink our regulatory framework to make sure beneficial projects do not die a death of a thousand cuts.

Large scale projects will always take time. They’re complex and involve a wide variety of stakeholders and communities. But this delay in process, and resulting increase in price, has trickled down to smaller scale projects too, like trail networks and bus improvements. Community opposition, often led by a small group of vocal community members, can derail projects. While this seems reasonable, these groups often do not reflect the larger community, but instead a small minority who happen to have the time and resources to advocate against changes. There is also always a desire to prevent change, even when that change is beneficial. Often their views change once a project is implemented and they see the benefits in action. Look at New York’s congestion pricing program. Prior to implementation, the program was supported by only 30 percent of individuals polled in the metro area. One year later, a majority polled supported the program, with an even higher share of individuals who frequent the congestion pricing zone.

We should take these as lessons to invest in public infrastructure and implement it as quickly as possible. Delays give people time to question the value of the investment, and question the ability of government to accomplish important tasks.

To achieve these goals, we must set priorities. Pick specific goals that we want to accomplish and put as many resources as possible towards achieving them. This could be expanding our active transportation network, where we require all street reconstruction projects to include improvements to bike and pedestrian facilities. Or, on a more pressing matter, it could be addressing the lead issue in our water supplies. Lead pipes should not take a decade to replace. While cities and towns often do not have the funds available to address the full scale of the issue, states and the federal government should prioritize these replacements. This is not only an investment in important public infrastructure, but its also a work training program and an investment in improving health outcomes.

We should also remember that public infrastructure includes our parks and public spaces. In America, we have de-prioritized public spaces, instead focusing on expanding our private domains. Yet, public spaces, including parks and plazas and public art, are some of the most important places in our communities. We should look back to the New Deal to demonstrate just how important these spaces are to our society. The Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) built trails and expanded access to nature for millions of Americans. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) invested in art and architecture, museums and performance spaces. Both programs employed millions of people working towards improving our public infrastructure.

Invest in Education and Research

Affordability and public infrastructure are both investments in the present and the future. In order to capitalize on those investments in the future, we also need to invest in education and research.

Unfortunately, the current federal administration has been waging a war on higher education, possibly jeopardizing one of our greatest strengths. Our colleges and universities have been the envy of the world for decades, attracting students from nearly every country, many of whom choose to stay in the US once they have completed their degrees. Even those who do not stay have been exposed to American culture and bring some of our ideals back with them. Education and culture are our greatest soft power. If we continue to disinvest and restrict who has access, we risk destroying our competitive edge and ceding our cultural relevance.

Many European countries provide higher education for free or for a very reasonable price. College in the US wasn’t so different in the not-so-distant past. New York City famously offered all residents free education at the City University of New York (CUNY) up through the 1960s, and then at a very reduced price in the 1970s. It was seen as an investment in its residents and demonstrated a belief that government should support the ambitions of its people. Unfortunately the financial crisis of the 1970s put an end to this program, as the federal government did not see this as a vital service as it looked to impose penalties on the City for its financial misfortunes (I highly recommend Fear City by Kim Phillips-Fein).

While we may not be able to get back to free college for all, we should find new ways to invest in higher education to make it affordable and accessible to all, including international students. Universities shouldn’t compete in creating the most luxurious experiences for students, but instead invest in their everyday needs. We need to build more connections between cities and their colleges, creating pipelines for local students to attend and reinvest in their communities. We should streamline research grant funding, making sure researchers can spend more of their time on their actual research instead of filling out paperwork. We are already seeing universities in China surpass American institutions in research output, with that gap likely to expand as recent cuts begin to take effect.

Research goes beyond just scientific breakthroughs, such as medical and and computing discoveries, and includes history, social sciences, and the arts. Investing in the development of thought and expression matters as well.

Invest in Climate Change Mitigation

One area we need that expanded research to focus on is climate change mitigation and making existing technologies more efficient. The world is moving away from fossil fuels and our current federal administration’s obsession with oil and coal risks leaving us behind.

As much as I believe we need to focus our future around expanding transit and active transportation options, we will still need cars in many places and those cars need to be electric or zero emission. Right now, China is dominating the development of electric cars. Their cars are cheaper, more efficient, and more advanced than anything produced in the US at this time. The only reason they are not more widespread is because of tariffs we have placed on their car manufacturers to protect the American auto industry. It is only a matter of time before these vehicles make their way into Europe and the US. If we want our auto industry to remain competitive, we need them to get serious about EVs, especially smaller, more affordable models. We cannot allow American EVs to focus on trucks and SUVs while the rest of the world prefers smaller, safer, and more efficient vehicles. In fact, many American made vehicles are illegal to sell in other countries due to their size and lack of safety measures aimed at protecting people outside of their vehicle. Focusing on large trucks and SUVs will limit the reach of the American auto industry and will keep these important companies on the verge of becoming irrelevant on the world stage.

Just as important as advancing our EV technology is speeding up our transition to renewable energy. Bill McKibben, in his recent book Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, demonstrates that solar power provides us the best chance to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. Solar panels have increased their efficiency dramatically over the last few years and now produce energy at far lower costs than any other form of technology, even in colder, cloudier climates. Similar to EVs, China is again leading the way. China produces the largest share of solar panels in the world and have dramatically lowered prices. We should invest in bringing their technologies into the US if we want to make dramatic changes quickly, but we also need to invest heavily in domestic production.

By investing in solar, wind, and other renewable technologies, we invest in communities across the country. Renewables will be needed in every part of the country and we can retrain existing energy workers in the installation and upkeep of these new technologies. Wind and solar farms can become part of our agricultural communities, with designs that enhance crop production by regulating temperatures.

The current administration is doing everything it can to prevent these investments from taking hold, but the economic, environmental, and societal benefits are too great to prevent this transition from occurring. We should be investing, at all levels of government, to make sure we catch up with other international powers and lead the way where possible. This includes streamlining regulations to speed up installations, public / private partnerships to help lower costs and ensure the benefits reach consumers, and integration of technologies wherever possible.

Don’t Let “Perfect” be the Enemy of “Good”

Don’t get me wrong, these are all big problems for us to solve, and there are many issues that fit within these broader themes. But we need to take a lesson from Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor and zero in on a few key issues at a time in order for us to make progress. No project will be able to solve every issue facing our society. We shouldn’t expect them to.

If we hold out for the perfect project, nothing will ever improve. This doesn’t mean we should accept any project, or pursue change for change sake. But we should embrace projects that do good in the world. Embrace housing developments that expand affordable housing and are developed near transit or active transportation lines, even if it's not affordable for everyone. Embrace expanding transit service, even if the vehicles the community can afford to purchase run on diesel. Embrace renewable energy projects, even if they impact scenic views. All of these projects will noticeably improve our communities, but they are not perfect.

So let us tear down barriers to these types of developments. Invest in projects that move the needle in the right direction. Let’s get big things done. As Mr. Feeny said in the Boy Meets World finale, “Do good.”

Urbanism Lessons from the Great White North

September 15, 2025

Did you know that Syracuse is the only place in the world that experiences winter?

Yeah, me neither.

But when you talk about ways to improve the City and create more comfortable places to walk, bike, and take transit, many people like to bring up snowy, cold weather as the reason we can’t do what other cities do. We can’t have protected bike lanes because the snow plows won’t be able to clear the streets. We can’t have outdoor oriented spaces because its cold for a few months out of the year. We need to be able to drive everywhere because its too cold, snowy, or wet to walk, ride bikes, or take transit.

While our cold, snowy, and rainy weather can make these things less appealing to some, often the way to overcome these obstacles is to double down and create environments that can be embraced year round. It is with this in mind that I reflect on my recent travels to Toronto, Ontario. To be fair, our trip took place during a beautiful late summer weekend, with temperatures in the upper 60s and blue skies. But we would be surprised at how often our own weather is just as nice and just as pleasant. Think back to the first nice day in spring, when the temperature is barely in the 50s, but the sun is out and so is every single person in Syracuse looking to enjoy themselves. These are the days we should plan for, with adaptations that make the same spaces function comfortably in the cold, winter months.

Toronto is a massive city, with nearly 3.3 million residents in the city proper and over 10 million in the wider region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Even though the scales are very different, there is still a great deal we can learn.

A recurring theme through all of my writings is the importance of density. When we think of dense neighborhoods often we think of Manhattan with its skyscrapers and residential towers. Toronto has plenty of neighborhoods that embrace this development pattern as well, typically following the path of its subways, but it also embraces a more gentle density you may associate with Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Boston, and other older, Northeastern cities. These communities have a mixture of townhouses, row houses, multi-family homes, and small apartment buildings. These structures often blend into neighborhoods, yet add enough density to create a critical mass for nearby businesses to flourish.

When residents live close to amenities, such as retail shops, groceries, pharmacies, bars, restaurants, etc., it gives them options in how they get around. The best way to encourage people to walk instead of drive is to provide a walk that has a purpose, feels safe, is comfortable, and is interesting. Gentle density helps provide this experience by bringing the needs of residents closer to their home and ensuring more people are acting as “eyes on the street.” When you look at the residential streets above, its hard to argue that they’re not pleasant places to walk around. Even in winter months, being only a block or two away from many of your daily needs makes walking to your destination more appealing. As the Nordic saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” A warm winter coat, or rain slicker and umbrella, can help make the walk a pleasant one, even on the worst days.

Now some will argue against density, believing urban spaces are too loud and unpleasant. Again they are thinking of traffic clogged streets in our downtowns or noisy neighbors. But Toronto demonstrates an interesting way to address those concerns.

While traffic clogged streets are still common throughout Toronto, many local streets are extremely quiet and pleasant. This has been achieved through alternating one-way streets. Toronto, similar to many older industrial cities, has a gridded network of narrow streets. As a result, many operate as one-way streets with parking along one side. When these streets intersect with larger thoroughfares, their direction changes, preventing drivers from cutting straight through the neighborhood. This design does add some additional traffic onto the arterials, but it helps keep many streets quieter with slower traffic that is perfect for walking and biking.

In fact, many of these one-way streets are home to bike lanes. Contraflow bike lanes (lanes that let people ride their bike in the opposite direction of traffic) are often found opposite the parking lane, with sharrows provided for people riding in the direction of traffic. The narrow streets, parked cars, and tree lined environments all act to slow cars down through the neighborhoods. It also doesn’t hurt that the speed limit on these side streets is 30 kph, or roughly 18 mph.

These neighborhood bikeways offer up an extensive network of quiet streets within inner-city neighborhoods just outside of downtown, but people still need access to the high streets, where businesses are located. Along these corridors, Toronto has implemented an extensive network of protected bike lanes (which are currently being demonized by the conservative government of Ontario, but they still exist for now). These protected facilities used raised concrete curbs or short barriers, known as Toronto barriers, to separate bikes from cars. At times, these lanes are raised even with the sidewalk to provide additional protection, which may also aid in clearing them in winter as they can be cleared alongside the sidewalk. Many of the Toronto barriers have also been used to beautify their neighborhoods, with artists painting murals on them.

While many of these high streets have protected bike infrastructure on them, their most important feature is the transit network. Toronto has an extensive gridded network of streetcars which run frequently and are easy to use. Their gridded network allows for riders to transfer with ease from north-south routes to east-west routes. While the sheer scale of the streetcar network is impressive, it unfortunately runs in mixed traffic for most of its length. By forcing streetcars to share the road with cars, transit riders often find themselves stuck in traffic, especially when a car is waiting to turn left from the same lane. When you look up travel times for walking, transit, and driving, driving is still twice as fast, if not faster, on many routes. And this can be attributed to the streetcar’s inability to maneuver around cars obstructing its path. When the streetcar approaches downtown, dedicated right-of-ways begin to appear, speeding up the trains and making the travel experience more pleasant and efficient. All transit benefits from dedicated right-of-ways, especially rail transit.

Good transit, with sheltered stations, makes it easy to travel no matter the weather. It reduces safety concerns that come with driving in snowy, rainy, and icy conditions. But it needs to be efficient to cut down on how much time you spend waiting for your ride.

Even though we want to cut down on our time waiting outside for transit in poor weather, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be embracing the outdoors in all weather. Although we were visiting at the end of the summer, we were still impressed with the number of places throughout Toronto that are oriented towards the outdoors.

Kensington Market, a business district just north of downtown, opens up its streets to people walking and biking on the weekends by restricting car access. This is something many other cities across the country do often, including famously 34th Ave in Queens which first opened up during the Covid pandemic and has been sustained through community advocacy. What makes the Kensington Market interesting is how so many businesses are opened up directly to the street. Shops and cafes are fully open to the elements, while other bars and restaurants have large patio spaces that were filled with customers. These businesses understand that people want to be outside and enjoying the atmosphere in nice weather, and that even winter offers up days where its pleasant to be outside (as long as there’s a heater nearby).

This mentality can be seen throughout other business and entertainment districts in Toronto as well. One prime example of this is the Distillery District. The Distillery District took an old industrial landscape and brought life to it through residences, shops, restaurants and bars. As you walk in through the main entrance, a stage is front in center hosting music artists. You walk down the brick streets and see street performances and public art. Lining the brick streets are restaurants and bars with large outdoor patios, which on the night of our visit were filled. When we were sitting at dinner, taking in the outdoor atmosphere, all we could think was that this is what we wish Franklin Square was in Syracuse. Both neighborhoods are so rich in architectural character and history, but only one has looked for ways to invite in the public and activate its streets (which may ultimately be a topic for a later post). The Distillery District also sits at the end of a streetcar line, making it easy to have an entirely car free experience while visiting, or if you’re lucky enough to live nearby.

Before I let this get too long, I did want to highlight one more thought I had while visiting, and that is the importance of providing queer spaces. Like many larger cities, Toronto has what some call a “gayborhood,” that is lined with bars and restaurants that have created safe spaces for those in the queer community to come together. The crosswalks are often painted rainbow, with rainbow lights, signs, and flags hanging lining the streets. As the LGBTQIA+ community has become more accepted, many of these spaces have begun to disappear, with Syracuse only having 1.5 gay bars left at this point in time. But there is still a significant need for them, especially in the Trump era. The current political culture has once again renewed attacks on the queer community, especially individuals who identify as trans. Gayborhoods have always been safe spaces that have celebrated both the visual and performing arts, allowing for creative expression that reflects the unique perspective of historically marginalized communities. If you build a strong queer community in your cities, you help to create a vibrant art scene as well, attracting visitors and residents alike. We should look for more opportunities to highlight these histories and encourage the development of new queer spaces moving forward.

In the end, the main takeaway we can embrace from any city visit is the need to embrace urbanity. Weather does not dictate how we use spaces or restrict us in how we move around. If we provide people with legitimate options outside of a car, and bring people closer together, our snowy city can be a place that is more enjoyable for all.

Destiny USA and the City

May 27, 2025

Some people would be surprised to learn just how many malls the Syracuse area had at one point in time. Not just the recently closed suburban shopping malls like Shoppingtown and Great Northern, but Camillus, Fayetteville, Penn Can, Fairmount Fair, and others, along with the attempt at an urban mall with the Galleries in Downtown Syracuse. The City was surrounded by indoor shopping malls of various sizes and quality. Today, many of those shopping malls have been converted into outdoor shopping plazas, or, in the case of Penn Can mall, into a mega automotive sales center. Only one indoor shopping center remains: Destiny USA.

While Destiny USA continues to draw crowds during the holiday season and various weekends throughout the year, it is far from the shopping destination it once was. The mall is experiencing high vacancy rates, especially in the addition that opened in 2012, and its owner has defaulted on one of its loans. There are serious concerns about its future, even as new businesses continue to open and existing businesses continue to reinvest in their stores.

Some may argue that we don’t need the mall and wishfully think that its demise would lead to more foot traffic on urban streets. While I agree with the desire for more urban foot traffic and stores in urban environments, the reality is that without Destiny USA, all major retail would continue to exist outside of the City of Syracuse, and we would lose one of the last true third places in our region. Like it or not, the mall attracts a more diverse clientele than any other commercial space in the region and is a major employment center. While we have seen the resurgence of Downtown Syracuse and some other neighborhood business districts, the reality is that we still choose to gather at the mall, and it remains a vital space within our community.

So let’s take a look at what Destiny USA used to be, what was promised, and how we might be able to breathe new life into this important anchor of our community.

Opening in 1990, Carousel Center was by far the largest mall in Central New York, with a seven story atrium at its center, and its namesake carousel dutifully renovated and back in use at nearly 100 years old. The mall’s 1,000,000 square feet of retail space, laid out in a modified dumbbell shape, was filled with 120 shops, including anchor tenants such as Kaufman’s, JCPenney, Chappell’s, and Hills. The corridors were lined with planters filled with tropical plants and display cases. Smaller stores, like the WB Store, Disney, Discovery, and Noodle Kidoodle, emphasized unique layouts, interactive elements, and distinct facades. It was the peak of mall design from the era, focused on creating an experience for all visitors and encouraging them to spend hours wandering the halls.

The mall was an immediate success and became the largest commercial hub in the Syracuse area. Some will blame Carousel’s success for the downfall of the other urban shopping experiment, the Galleries in Downtown Syracuse which opened in 1987. The smaller urban center was an attempt at reinvigorating downtown retail, but the center never was able to truly take off.

Meanwhile, Carousel Center’s owners started to look towards the future with big ambitions. They wanted Carousel Center to grow into the largest mall in America and possibly the world.

In the early 2000s, new designs and promises for the facility seemed to pop up on a near endless stream. A Tuscan Village, a recreation of the Erie Canal, an aquarium, an amusement park, and hotels that would claim their place as the tallest buildings in Syracuse. The exterior design would shift constantly, from an Emerald City look alike to a faux 19th century city to a futuristic dome. The drawings and designs were awe inspiring - an experience that would take days to weeks to fully enjoy. The aim was to take what was successful in other mega-malls, like the Mall of America, and put it on steroids. Looking back, it all feels like a fantasy. The fact that the designs were constantly shifting in dramatic ways should have clued us in that nothing was set in stone, but instead they were searching for the vision that would draw the most interest from the public. The developers promised a shopping and entertainment complex that would bring tens of thousands of jobs and millions of tourists, as long as the City and County would help secure favorable financing.

I won’t go into the financial decisions that were made, nor argue whether they should have been made differently, as there is no going back now.

What was originally deemed the project’s first phase officially opened in 2012, years late and after many of the ceremonial first hires were let go. The expansion pushed the mall to 2.4 million square feet with over 300 shops. The large gray structure’s outward appearance lacked the personality and light of the original structure, instead appearing almost prison-like with few windows or architectural quirks to attract the eye. Inside, the “Canyon” created an open gathering space lined with restaurants and entertainment venues, including a large ropes course and an upside-down museum. Fake trees and sculptural lights attempted to create a personality within the space, but lacked the life of the real trees still used in the original section. The corridor off the “Canyon” lacked any visible identity with the few windows tucked away near entrances, restricting sunlight on our few sunny days.

While the initial list of shops and restaurants brought new and exciting businesses to the region or the first time, including Saks Off 5th, Coach, Nordstrom Rack, the Melting Pot, and Texas de Brazil, the economic realities of our region could not support all of them for long. Shortly after opening Toby Keith’s Bar and Grill closed, with its large space difficult to fill until a new trampoline park opened years later. Margaritaville, which surprisingly only closed in early 2025, never opened its second bar, closed its gift shop (which required a State liquor law exemption just to open), and rarely sat customers past the main bar area. The mall’s ambitions and promises were never fulfilled. This was a case of going too big for what the region could support on its own, but not big enough to make it a destination in its own right. Should further phases have followed the initial expansion, its tough to say what would have been its fate, especially with the increasing reliance of e-commerce for most retail stores, but it may have had more of a fighting chance than this mid-size mega-mall has had.

Destiny USA’s owners recognize that the commercial landscape is changing, and brick and mortar retail across the country is struggling. They have, smartly, begun to pivot more to entertainment and experience driven tenants. This includes traditional mall mainstays like arcades and movie theaters, along with virtual reality centers, an updated go-kart track, the revamped Apex bowling alley, an interactive indoor zoo, and the previously mentioned trampoline park. In recent months it was announced that the movie theaters would be upgraded and an indoor pickle ball club would be opening this year.

These are smart choices that lean into the mall’s previous strengths at creating experiences for visitors vs being a quick place to shop. Destiny USA should continue to explore opportunities in this vane, while being open to an even more diverse set of tenants, which is increasingly common in malls across the country. So what might this pivot look like:

Double Down on Active Uses

The incoming pickle ball club will be an interesting test case for Destiny USA. The sport is incredibly popular around Syracuse, with courts popping up in parks across the county, but indoor facilities are harder to come by. A new indoor club recently opened in DeWitt, and several YMCA’s offer courts on certain nights of the week. But there is a lot of potential in bringing this active use to the mall. Unlike traditional gyms, which have not been as successful in Destiny USA’s history, pickle ball is a more social activity which may encourage its patrons to visit the bars and restaurants throughout the mall after they play. If the facility is designed properly, it could even become host to regional tournaments, which can bring in visitors from across the State.

If successful, Destiny USA should look to attract other similar active uses. One such example is Fieldhouse USA, which operates six locations across four states. Fieldhouse USA pairs various athletic courts, including volleyball, basketball, and tennis, with a kid friendly adventure park, complete with an indoor zip line. These facilities are located in both enclosed malls and strip malls, but offer the benefits of a more traditional anchor tenant as they bring in visitors from across the country. Many of these locations host regional and national tournaments which bring in visitors who will spend days in the community and would benefit from the other amenities already available at the mall. With a hotel across the street and several former anchor stores lying vacant, Destiny USA could easily redevelop one of its prime storefronts and position a similar facility for many regional tournaments, both for kids and adults.

Attract Office Uses

Office tenants may not be as exciting as an indoor sports complex, but they offer stability. While remote work has increased in popularity, the vast majority of companies still require workers to be in the office at least a few days per week. This is especially true for more service oriented businesses, included medical offices. As the Syracuse area grows, there will continue to be a pressure to expand medical service providers and a shortage of convenient locations. Already, many primary care physicians, dentists, and medical specialists have located deeper into the suburbs where parking is free and plentiful, but access for anyone without a vehicle is difficult. Relocating a practice, or opening a new one, within Destiny USA, already one of the top transit stops in the region, would not only provide vital access to lower income residents and those without vehicles, but still retain the ease of vehicle access the more suburban locations offer today.

Other office tenants may also see the value in locating in a large commercial center like the mall, which would provide amenities and access to dining options that a typical suburban office park likely lacks. For the mall, these uses provide stability while also increasing the customer base for the remaining retail tenants.

Consider a Grocer

When looking at the history of the mall, the original intention was for the facility to act as a sort of town square - providing residents with access to their daily needs in one location. This often included a pharmacy, post office, and grocery store. It may be time to revisit this idea.

As the Inner Harbor continues to develop and more residents move into the neighborhood, there will be an increasing demand for a full service grocery store and easy access to a pharmacy. You don’t need to look too far to find another Upstate mall with a grocery store. Colonie Center just outside of Albany is home to the area’s only Whole Foods. Its convenient location as an anchor tenant to the mall, and located near several large office complexes, has been a boon to the area. Destiny USA should look for an opportunity to bring in a unique grocery store, including the possibility of a Whole Foods, that would make it a destination grocer while also providing needed access to food for a growing neighborhood.

Bring In Residents

Speaking of a growing neighborhood, Destiny USA could play a vital role in its creation. While in the past I have floated the idea of redeveloping its northern parking lots near the lakeshore, the most likely candidate for redevelopment lies within the expansive parking lots that sit between Hiawatha Blvd and Bear St. Rarely, if ever, have these lots been full of customers, with the third ring of lots only ever seeing activity during the New York State Fair when they are used as a park and ride location.

With the growing need for housing, and the mall’s growing need for revenue, ownership could choose to either develop the lots themselves or sell them to another developer. With the Inner Harbor seeing hundreds of millions of dollars investments in the coming years, including hundreds of new housing units and the County’s aquarium project, these far flung parking lots could help bring these new residents even closer to the mall’s door.

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While many of the new developments will include some level of mix-use, having hundreds of national chains, restaurants, and entertainment venues within an easy walking distance will be an amenity that no other residential properties in Central New York will be able to offer. This creates a captive customer base for retailers who choose to locate within the mall and encourages the expansion non-retail tenants who see the value in locating near potential employees.

The future of Destiny USA does not have to be dark and dismal. With the right choices and creative thinking, we may be at the beginning of its reinvention. Remember, the mall as a concept isn’t dying, its evolving. Look around the world and you will see new, adventurous takes on what the mall can be. Its one of our last true third spaces and one that brings all corners of society together. That’s too important of an asset to lose.

99 PI: Meet Us Bypassed The Fountain

All Cities Are Beautiful

January 1, 2025

At the beginning of each new year many of us find ourselves making resolutions on how we’d like to change for the better. This could be going to the gym more, taking up journaling, traveling, or being more present with your friends and family. It's a time to reset, take stock of everything that came before, and decide how we’d like to begin anew. Many times to begin this process of change we must also change our mindsets. As 2025 begins, I’d like to take a moment to reset how we view our cities and remind us that all cities are beautiful. All cities are home to joy, sadness, excitement, the mundane, and the beautiful. Let’s remember to look for the beauty in all of those emotions and see how our environment shapes them.

When we travel, we often are open to seeing the beauty in the places we visit. We notice the vibrancy of a downtown district or the way an urban canyon forms as you look down a crowded street. We notice the unique restaurants, cafes, and bars that we visit while wandering around a new place. The cultural touchstones unique to each city. Even the everyday places (corner stores, gas stations, laundromats, etc.) spark interest and intrigue as we compare them to the ones we see in our neighborhoods.

Naples, ITA

North Berwick, UK

Florence, ITA

Kilkenny, IRE

Rome, ITA

Yet, when we’re home, in the city we are most familiar with, we continually overlook these same values and beauty. Our everyday experiences, from home to work and school, blind us from the beauty others may see when they experience it for the first time. So, in 2025, I challenge each of us to look for the beauty in our everyday lives, in the cities we call home.

This goes beyond the places we all know as beautiful - the cathedrals, historic buildings, stately homes, and park space - and ventures into the everyday beauty. How the street trees look in the fall. How the sunlight hits the houses in your neighborhood at the right time of day. The utilitarian structures that someone put a little more effort into to make them unique, even a parking garage.

Santa Monica, CA

Los Angeles, CA

New York, NY

Rochester, NY

Cincinnati, OH

This includes the events that gather our neighbors into common spaces to enjoy a shared experience. Festivals change how we experience our cities, pedestrianizing them, allowing us to experience new vantage points otherwise off limits or fleeting when you drive by in a car. Slowing us down and allowing us to look at the details on each and every building.

New York, NY

Syracuse, NY

New York, NY

Syracuse, NY

Pittsburgh, PA

But this doesn’t mean we should preserve our cities in amber. Our cities are beautiful because they change and grow. In Syracuse, so many of our historic buildings have been changed in recent years, bringing new life to them through conversions and rehabilitations. New buildings add to the fabric of our cities, demonstrating vibrancy through contrast.

We’ve expanded ways to see our cities. New shared use paths, bike lanes, and transit have given people new found access to their communities, at a pace and scale that connects us to our surroundings. We’ve preserved our waterfronts in ways to give everyone access because everyone deserves a chance to enjoy it.

New York, NY

Pittsburgh, PA

Denver, CO

Syracuse, NY

New York, NY

We’ve found opportunities to bring color into our streets. Murals, both on buildings and in the streets, have given people a chance to put their mark on their neighborhood. They’ve brought people together and showcased different cultures. While we often see graffiti as a nuisance, it can also be beautiful, defining a space and time.

Naples, ITA

Chicago, IL

Washington, DC

Rochester, NY

Minneapolis, MN

In 2025 we must take moments to appreciate this beauty and find ways to keep infusing life into our neighborhoods. We should be open to welcoming new neighbors and allowing them to add to the shared beauty of our cities. Always be looking around as if this is your first time seeing your city. See it through fresh eyes and look for your chance to make your mark. All cities are beautiful, if you look for it.

The Market Commons at the CNY Regional Market.

A Healthy Future for the Regional Market

November 6, 2024

Since 1938, the CNY Regional Market has called the City’s Northside home. Nestled between Park St and Hiawatha Blvd, the Regional Market has easy access to I-81 (soon to be Business Loop 81) and the Parkway, yet feels disconnected from the City neighborhoods that surround it. Traditionally an industrialized neighborhood, many of the industrial buildings that remain along Hiawatha Blvd are either underutilized or vacant and act as a barrier between the nearby residential neighborhoods. But it remains an essential anchor within the neighborhood and a regional attraction.

In 2023, the Regional Market released a $90 million plan aimed at addressing many of their long time maintenance needs as well as investing in new infrastructure that would help bring the facility into the modern era. While these repairs and investments are sorely needed, they were soon overshadowed by a State audit that revealed questionable financial practices by the individuals running the Market that have greatly jeopardized its future stability. As there is renewed focus on the Regional Market and concern for its future, let’s dig in to what what that future could look like.

Market Commons

Market Diner

Commission Houses

Market Commons

The approximately 50 acres controlled by the Regional Market includes five “sheds” where vendors sell produce on Thursdays and Saturdays, as well as run a flea market on Sundays. Three larger warehouses, known as the Commission Houses, sit between the sheds and Hiawatha Blvd, while a strip of commercial buildings, the Market Commons, line Park St. The Commons includes Market Diner, an M&T Bank office, and a Wendy’s, with large vacant spaces currently available for lease. Additionally, the Market controls a vacant warehouse across Tex Simone Dr that sits just outside of the NBT Bank Stadium parking lot.

Surrounding all of these structures is asphalt. Acres and acres of asphalt with few dedicated spaces for pedestrians. In fact, the only sidewalks within the Market area line roughly 1,300 ft of Park St near the commercial buildings. Otherwise, pedestrians intermingle with vehicles as they circle the sheds either looking for a place to store their car, dropping/picking someone up, or picking up large purchases they may have made that day. For individuals who may have parked further afield, a shuttle provides an easy, accessible way into the Market, making stops outside of each shed.

The mural within the Market Diner illustrates an idealized walk from the Market to NBT Bank Stadium. Currently visitors are fenced in within the Market with poor pedestrian connections to the stadium area.

Lining the perimeter of the Market is a dilapidated chain link fence, further severing the grounds from its neighbors. And the Market has a lot of neighbors. The Regional Transportation Center (RTC), NBT Bank Stadium, Destiny USA, as well as one of the denser neighborhoods of the City of Syracuse all lie across the street from the Market, yet feel completely disconnected from it.

So what can we do to reconnect the Market with its neighbors and set it on a course for a healthier, livelier future?

First, let’s start by tearing down that fence. While there is a desire to control the space within the Market grounds, the existing fence fails to enclose the entirety of the property and sends a visual signal of disinterest in its neighbors. This is not to say a fence should not be part of the property, but only where absolutely necessary and it must be thoughtfully designed. Instead, it is encouraged to expand the Market’s facilities to include buildings that line Hiawatha Blvd and NBT Bank Pkwy, creating a barrier between the heart of the Market and the street, but in a way that welcomes visitors.

Now, these structures do not need to be market specific, but can bring in other uses that compliment the mission of the Market, including housing. New York State is in the midst of a housing crisis, as is the Greater Syracuse Area. With historic growth coming to Central New York as a result of the Micron investment, Syracuse is in need of more quality affordable housing. As a State sanctioned authority, the CNY Regional Market should be tapped as a resource to address this crisis. Not only would this address a need in our community, but it would also be good for the Market itself. Developing a mix of affordable and market rate apartments would provide a reliable source of income for the market as well as create a captive audience for their vendors to sell to. Food deserts are often discussed extensively in planning circles, and yet the Regional Market offers an opportunity for fresh food and produce oriented development (maybe not as catchy as transit oriented development, but still providing direct access to needed resources).

Gateway entrance to NBT Bank Stadium and the Regional Market at the corner of Hiawatha Blvd and Tex Simone Dr, as shown in the Hiawatha - Lodi Brownfield Opportunity Area plan.

The cornerstone of these new structures should be the vacant warehouse across Tex Simone Dr. Back in 2012, the brownfield opportunity area plan for Hiawatha Blvd saw this corner as an opportunity to create an appealing entrance to the market / ballpark district, including a large welcome sign that straddles Tex Simone Drive, announcing your entrance into a true destination. I support this vision, and I believe anchoring that corner with a large, mixed-use building, provides the best opportunity to truly transform how we view the entire district. Building off the success of the Hiawatha Heights Apartments next-door, which converted an old industrial building into residential lofts, the construction of a new, mixed-use building can help solidify the transition of the neighborhood away from its industrial past and into a modern, urban center.

In addition to the new mixed-use buildings lining the Market, improved pedestrian and bicycle connections will be sorely needed. Currently, the only sidewalk available on Hiawatha Blvd sits outside of the new CubeSmart self storage facility (not my favorite commercial property use, but better than a vacant building). Tex Simone Dr has no sidewalks to speak of. And NBT Bank Pkwy only has a sidewalk along its northern curb from Tex Simone Dr to the RTC. Pedestrian connections into the Market area are non-existent, while crossing any of the surrounding streets is a dangerous task. The first step to addressing these gaps is to fill them. Every curb should be lined with sidewalks, providing easy pedestrian access to all of the key anchor destinations in this area. Next, we must address the lack of safe crossing opportunities. In 2019, SMTC conducted a mobility study of the Market area that highlighted potential opportunities to narrow some of the surrounding roadways and improve crossings.This includes adding pedestrian islands at the Park St / Hiawatha Blvd intersection and bike lanes along Hiawatha Blvd. It’s encouraging to note that many of these changes are being pursued by the City of Syracuse in the coming years.

One thing the SMTC study does not address is the potential narrowing of NBT Bank Pkwy. The street, from curb to curb, has a typical width of around 50 ft with 4 travel lanes. With around 3,500 vehicles per day, this street is extremely overbuilt and encourages drivers to travel over the speed limit regularly. While turning lanes are needed at the Park St intersection, the majority of the street’s length can and should be reduced to one lane in each direction, with a turning lane into the RTC to assist the movement of buses. With this extra space, on-street parking can be implemented along with wider sidewalks and street trees. A mid-block crossing, with curb extensions, from the Market to the RTC should be implemented to improve connections for transit riders and travelers alike while slowing drivers through squeezing the roadway.

Now that we have addressed access around the Market, we should turn our attention to its interior and focus on improving the mobility of visitors along with the overall experience. This begins by restricting vehicle movements and expanding pedestrian spaces. First, we must remove the parking lanes that directly line the Market sheds. These spaces are highly coveted due to their close proximity to the vendors, but also encourage drivers to circle close to where most people are walking, creating conflicts and spewing exhaust right where people are mingling. Instead, these spaces should be converted to green spaces with sidewalks and trees. Some vehicle access will need to be maintained to allow vendors to access their stalls and for the Market shuttle to drop visitors off. Minimal access should be provided for customers. Some additional parking can be added in the far northeast corner, but a better option would be to utilize the parking lot at NBT Bank Stadium, while expanding the shuttle service for visitors in those lots. Syracuse Mets games typically start at 6:35pm, with gates open at 5:35pm. With the Market closing at 2pm, there should be no overlap in the use of the parking lots. The fewer parking spaces within the Market property, the more land that can be repurposed as park space.

One type of parking that should be included within the Market property is bike parking. Currently, the only bike parking available sits at the corner of Farmers Market Pl and Park St, a truly unpleasant place to be let alone leave your bike. Instead, the Market should consider providing indoor bike parking / lockers, as well as a large bike corral directly behind the Market Commons building that sits along Park St. It’s imperative to provide convenient, safe bike parking if you hope to encourage more people to ride to the Market.

As we look at the uses inside the Market grounds, we should take some inspiration from the revitalization plans that were released last year (and are currently removed from their website). The plans called for the redevelopment of the Commission Houses into a food hall, similar to the Salt City Market in Downtown Syracuse. While this is an intriguing idea, a food hall may be better positioned at a location along the edge of the property, providing easier access throughout the week. This could occupy one of the larger empty spaces in the Market Commons building, or even the first floor of any new development at the vacant warehouse on Tex Simone Dr.

Market Commons would benefit from more dining options, and potentially a sports bar that ties itself into the local sports history of the ballpark down the street. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, there are no good dining and drinking options near the ballpark, which prevents fans from lingering in the neighborhood before or after a ballgame. Finding ways to tie the ballpark closer to the Regional Market is key to the future of the district. This may include working with the Syracuse Mets to hold more afternoon games, perhaps even calling them Market Days, to tie into the energy of both community anchors.

Market Commons vacancy with windows.jpeg

At its heart, we must improve the areas used by vendors, including providing more space for refrigeration and electrical hookups. These are functional items that vendors have expressed a need for and that more modern markets are providing. If this requires the demolition of some of the older structures, we should be open to that, as long as their replacements offer the better amenities and functionality. We should preserve as much of the historic structures as possible, but we should not let their histories prevent us from creating a more functional market space for vendors and visitors.

The Market area, and the greater Northside neighborhood in which it sits, has a lot of potential. From the Market and the RTC to the ballpark and Destiny USA, so many of our regional assets sit close together, yet feel completely disconnected from one another. As we have discussions surrounding the future of the Market, it’s the perfect time to dream big and create a true destination on the Northside.