The study is in part an outcome of the previous OCL report on strategic government consolidation, which recommended an immediate and comprehensive focus on reinventing downtown as a magnet for the investment and creativity necessary in the new economy and a focus on harnessing the growth potential of the nearby medical and educational institutions to accelerate revitalization of the hub. The study resulted in the first annual Syracuse Downtown Living Tour.

The study committee looked at the activities of five communities – Saratoga, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Silicon Valley and Baltimore – known for the success of their economic development efforts.  Speakers from those cities, as well as representatives of economic development organizations in Central New York, presented a picture of the status of economic development strategies in our area and provided possible approaches to specific aspects of community and economic development that might be applicable to our community.

This report details the economic and community problems being experienced in today’s inner city neighborhoods in Syracuse and discusses the interdependent nature of economic and community development.