Tonight at the Rose Café, I attended a talk by Lisa Nicholas, a senior planner for the City of Ithaca. Ms. Nicholas began by giving a general overview of what is involved in city planning, and then focused on specific examples of how Ithaca is developing and growing as a city.

While I knew going into this lecture that living downtown is expensive, I was not aware that Ithaca has in fact been on Top Ten lists for the most expensive housing in the country. Ms. Nicholas explained that these high rental and real estate costs are due to a severe housing shortage in the city, which is motivating the construction of multiple new housing projects.

For me, one of the most interesting parts of the talk was Ms. Nicholas’s discussion of the Commons area downtown, which she described as “everybody’s neighborhood” and a key part of the city’s environment and history. She noted, however, that the Commons has been a source of conflict in city planning, as many people have been concerned that constructing new hotels and apartment buildings nearby undermines the character of the area. For this reason, she explained that new housing projects have to be carefully approved to ensure that they blend into the environment in which they are situated.

I feel that this lecture gave me a much better appreciation for the work that goes into sustaining a growing and vibrant community like Ithaca.