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The Daily OrangeUniversity Hill named one of top neighborhoods
By Shayna Meliker
Posted: 10/13/08, 3:52 AM EST Section: News
The Syracuse University area is one of 10 great neighborhoods in the country, according to a selection by the American Planning Association.
The APA, a city planning organization created in 1978, listed the Greater University Hill neighborhood as one of its 2008 selections, among other picks near Denver, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Judy Schmid, former president of the South East University Neighborhood Association, has lived in the Syracuse area with her husband for 22 years. She said the APA's recognition will benefit the neighborhood.
"You've got a very activist population, as well as a very diverse one," she said. "It's great, especially if there's a backyard cookout, where everyone brings different cultural differences."
Schmid also said APA, which recognized the area for its Connective Corridor program, environmentally friendly parks and civic participation, missed some key aspects of the neighborhood.
A number of the city's hallmark features, including the Westcott Street Cultural Fair and the Syracuse Rose Society, were started by area residents, Schmid said. She said she wasn't surprised the neighborhood was recognized but didn't hesitate to point out the area's problems.
"We have too many irresponsible young adults here who are a little too heady with their own freedoms," said Schmid, an SU alumna who raised her daughter, now 19, in the area. "I worry about the students. All of us do. These students are everyone's future, and we want to see them safe and healthy."
Raffaella Pakrooh, a senior public relations and marketing major, said recent conflicts between the neighborhood's permanent residents and students make her unsure of why APA recognized the area.
"I know that there have been a lot of complaints about noise, but I think that's something you have to expect in a university neighborhood," Pakrooh said. "It is a beautiful place, though. And you'll see two to three DPS cars driving by in a night, so I think it's getting better in terms of safety."
The APA, a city planning organization created in 1978, listed the Greater University Hill neighborhood as one of its 2008 selections, among other picks near Denver, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Judy Schmid, former president of the South East University Neighborhood Association, has lived in the Syracuse area with her husband for 22 years. She said the APA's recognition will benefit the neighborhood.
"You've got a very activist population, as well as a very diverse one," she said. "It's great, especially if there's a backyard cookout, where everyone brings different cultural differences."
Schmid also said APA, which recognized the area for its Connective Corridor program, environmentally friendly parks and civic participation, missed some key aspects of the neighborhood.
A number of the city's hallmark features, including the Westcott Street Cultural Fair and the Syracuse Rose Society, were started by area residents, Schmid said. She said she wasn't surprised the neighborhood was recognized but didn't hesitate to point out the area's problems.
"We have too many irresponsible young adults here who are a little too heady with their own freedoms," said Schmid, an SU alumna who raised her daughter, now 19, in the area. "I worry about the students. All of us do. These students are everyone's future, and we want to see them safe and healthy."
Raffaella Pakrooh, a senior public relations and marketing major, said recent conflicts between the neighborhood's permanent residents and students make her unsure of why APA recognized the area.
"I know that there have been a lot of complaints about noise, but I think that's something you have to expect in a university neighborhood," Pakrooh said. "It is a beautiful place, though. And you'll see two to three DPS cars driving by in a night, so I think it's getting better in terms of safety."
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nomadofthehills
John Vanek
posted 10/13/08 @ 6:31 PM EST
This area is a trash heap compared to many areas around the country, particularly the North East. Not only is it disgusting to look at with the results of rampant binge drinking three nights a week, but the crime is out of control as well. (Continued…)
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