Credit: Courtesy of Baxter Hankin

Syracuse Urbanism Collective is inviting community members to share their perspectives and ideas at its first-ever Smart Growth in CNY Conference. 

The event will focus on ways to improve the city’s infrastructure, housing, public spaces, and transportation. 

“Sometimes the issues surrounding urbanism, which is really the focus of this conference, are not always at the forefront of what people are most concerned about and addressing in their jobs, activism, [or] in whatever other work they do,” said Baxter Hankin, president of Syracuse Urbanism Collective. 

The all-day event will take place on Friday starting at 8 a.m. in the lower level of the McCarthy Mercantile at 217 S. Salina St. It will feature four-panel topics: 

  • placemaking open spaces and public amenities
  • housing and development
  • transportation and infrastructure
  • local and regional development patterns

Each panel will be led by one moderator and include five panelists. The panelists are industry experts in the panels they will sit on. At the end of the conference, guests will have a chance to engage in discussion with the panelists and network. The ticketed event will include breakfast, lunch, and a merch bag with conference memorabilia. The first panel discussion of the day will begin at 9 a.m. and the event will end with closing remarks at 5 p.m. 

To learn more about the panelists and to see a tentative agenda for panel discussions, visit the Syracuse Urbanism Collective’s website. Guests can also purchase tickets for the conference there. 

“The goal of the conference is to create some conversations about how Syracuse and Central New York can manage growth in the future to the best of our advantage for everyone here and everyone who’s going to be here,” said Hankin.  

Hankin and his team members intend to use the conversations held among panelists, volunteers, and attendees to incite change, he said. 

A few years ago, Hankin attended a conference hosted by the Congress for the New Urbanism. The urbanism collective is a sub-chapter of CNU, Hankin said.

The annual event is nationally recognized and takes place in different cities throughout the country. Hankin attended the conference when it was held in Oklahoma City. He considers the event to be the inspiration for the urbanism collective’s event this year. 

“We’re on the cusp of growth and change, we have a lot of different factors that are quickly turning this community from one that’s either been in stagnation or decline into one that’s going to be growing,” Hankin said. 

For residents who are unable to attend the conference in person, there will be an opportunity to watch a recording of the event. It will be available to watch on the Syracuse Urbanism Collective’s website and YouTube channel. 

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Yolanda Stewart was raised in the Bronx, New York City. Before choosing a career path in journalism she found a voice in writing plays, short stories, and a myriad of other creative outlets. She is a 2022...