On Wednesday I attended the Cafe Series, and heard Lisa Nicholas describe the city of Ithaca from an Urban planning perspective. I’ve never seen a city through this viewpoint, so it was an interesting and thought-provoking perspective. How do you create a city that honors the traditions and culture of the area, is sustainably designed, is pleasant and convenient to live in, and promotes growth? It’s not an easy task, but one that must be successfully completed for a city to grow and be healthy.

For example, Ithaca is filled with environmentally minded people, has good public transit, a nice park, and a welcoming, unique down-town. However, it’s population has been stagnant for the past 100 years or so. How to facilitate growth in the City without building huge apartment buildings that ruin its personal feel? The design of multi-use public areas could be a good choice for Ithaca, providing new residential space while facilitating commerce and community interaction. It remains to be seen whether this idea will take off, but it seems promising!

Personally, I’d be interested to explore ways to connect Ithaca with the Cornell and Ithaca College communities. Generally, I get the feeling that Cornell and downtown Ithaca are two very separate spheres, but with the potential for interaction. Both have fantastic places for people to connect and mingle: Ithaca’s beautiful pedestrian downtown and Cornell’s grassy quads. What steps can be taken to connect these communities? Maybe more advertisement of events such as the farmers market and chili fest, or promoting the public concerts at Bailey Hall?