47 Small City Anchor Institutions • Feature • Myers There’s no mechanism built in at this time for Blueprint 15 to go back to the city and say, okay, the tenants have said this, what are you able to do to accommodate these demands?” While the East Adams plan echoes earlier promises of return, its implementation suggests otherwise. Instead of guaranteeing residents a place in the redeveloped neighborhood, the plan relies on housing vouchers, pushing residents into the private rental market. These vouchers often carry less weight with landlords and offer no assurance of securing stable housing. “The current scheme for transformation leaves residents with echoes of the past, where promises of holistic and even scientific considerations of their needs uphold the march of development over residents’ own interests and desire for decision-making power. As these 8 blocks of Syracuse’s downtown continue to churn, the city has yet to manufacture the ideal resident that it has long sought. Instead the residents whose circumstances have largely been shaped by the city’s past attempts, remain in an unaddressed limbo.” At this moment, when large institutions are working to “repair” their role in city planning, after their own contributions to urban renewal and amid their ongoing role in gentrification, Syracuse is a key example of how residents have used their voices to organize or articulate grievances. Moving forward requires “addressing those unanswered demands,” says Jess. “Otherwise, there’s not a possibility for success, because you don’t have any mutual stakes.” I-81 corridor construction
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