In 1955 the Federal Highway Administration chose to build a highway directly through the downtown corridor of Syracuse, NY. This act displaced thousands of people whose downtown businesses lined the avenues that would become I-81 and that had thrived on small community scale up until that point. During the mid 1970’s many American cities experienced flight from downtowns due to poorly regulated zoning rules and irresponsible practices that led to a disadvantaged less than acceptable means for community based environments. Syracuse suffered considerably as many buildings were vacated due to lack of interest in being downtown as the automobile allowed for greater potential to flee crowded congested dirty downtown. As a result of the bisection of Syracuse by I-81 the disregard for the once thriving community, Syracuse was in an economic slump.
Now we have an opportunity to fix that. One solution that local businesses, the local city government and many advocates of sustainable urban living support is the removal of the I_81 highway from the heart of Syracuse and a re-routing of traffic around a ring highway that is the common and sensible solution built into thousands of cities around the globe. The Office of Open Atelier Architects was ground zero for several years of planning during the debate when many outlying ill informed members of the community fought against the removal of the highway. The booklet is one reason that the city grid is now being planned for and executed and the Highway I-81 will take its place as a ring around the city merging into what has been known as 481, which will eventually be renamed the official route from the southern part of the state to the Canadian boarder as I-81. The journey has been long, but sensible solution is being implemented.