Connective Corridor design teams present visions at Sept. 21 symposium, ‘Connecting the City’

Connective Corridor design teams present visions at Sept. 21 symposium, ‘Connecting the City’September 14, 2006Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

“Connecting the City: The Connective Corridor Design Symposium” will take place Thursday, Sept. 21, in the auditorium of the Everson Museum of Art. The half-day symposium, which is open to the public, will examine the rebirth of the American city, and the design teams in the Connective Corridor design competition will explain their visions for the project.

The program will begin at 2 p.m. with “Defining Urban Environments,” a lecture by Mark Robbins, dean of the SU School of Architecture. The team presentations, moderated by competition advisor Casey Jones, will follow. Each team will present for 30 minutes and then answer questions submitted through the interactive kiosks at the exhibition sites.

“The evolution of the Connective Corridor is a clear sign of the stronger collaboration between Syracuse University and the city,” says Mayor Matthew Driscoll. “I want to thank National Grid for making it possible for us all to share the visions of four talented design teams who’ve taken a creative look at how we can connect University Hill with downtown.”

“It is exhilarating to be a part of this important next step in the process of uniting the City of Syracuse with the University community via the Connective Corridor,” says Cantor. “The symposium will be a wonderful chance for the public to get informed and excited about how the University and community are being connected through the arts and culture as a result of this innovative project.”

The team presentations, moderated by Jones, will follow. Each team will present for 30 minutes and then answer questions submitted through the interactive kiosks at the exhibition sites.

“In nine months, the city and the University have gone from public forums — aimed at learning what Syracusans sought for the future of their city — to the production and exhibition of these four diverse and compelling schemes,” Jones notes. “The symposium is a terrific opportunity to hear from the designers first hand about how those hopes and dreams were translated into visions for the Connective Corridor.”

The finalist design teams are Deborah Berke & Partners and Olin Partnership; Field Operations with Clear; the Rockwell Group; and Sasaki Architects. They were chosen from a field of 10 applicants. Each team includes architects, urban planners, civil engineers and other design professionals.

The competition, sponsored by National Grid, will result in the selection of a final design team that will be recommended to Mayor Driscoll to create the final design vision for the Connective Corridor. The winner will be announced later this fall.

For those who cannot make it to the symposium, Time Warner Cable will broadcast the program on public access channel 98 at 7 p.m.

The concepts are currently on display at the following locations:

• National Grid New York Division Headquarters, 300 Erie Blvd. WestThrough Sept. 24, (viewable in windows facing Franklin Street)
• The Everson Museum of ArtThrough Sept. 24, (Tuesday-Friday and Sunday noon-5 p.m.)
• Marshall Square Mall Through Sept. 19, (9 a.m.-9 p.m.)
• Syracuse Stage Sept. 11-24, (noon-5 p.m.)

Technology partner Time Warner Cable has joined the project to offer features such as interactive kiosks, Internet connectivity and public service announcements. Kiosks available at the viewing sites will enable the public to offer comments or questions concerning the design features on display.

The Connective Corridor is a community-wide project to create a center for the arts and culture in Syracuse by designing a landscape and transit system to link the people and activities of the University Hill and downtown. When completed, the corridor will feature a vibrant pedestrian and bicycle pathway with distinctive landscaping, lighting, benches, historical information and public art spaces. An accompanying public shuttle bus route will be offered free of charge to riders commuting between cultural venues, shops, hotels and Syracuse University.

The Connective Corridor is being created through a combination of public and private funds. U.S. Rep. James Walsh has secured $5.36 million in federal transportation funding for the initiative. U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton have secured $4 million in federal transportation funding for the corridor project and an additional $4 million for the construction of an intermodal facility at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. National Grid is supporting the project as lead corporate partner with a $1 million economic development grant.

For more information on the Connective Corridor and the design competition, visit http://connectivecorridor.syr.edu/.