SYRACUSE -- Syracuse was founded on the immigration and innovation that developed this area during the industrial revolution, according to Mayor Stephanie Miner. How does the Salt City fit into today’s world, and how can it solve the problems that it faces? This is the question that Mike Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, put out there when he issued his “Mayor’s Challenge,” a nation-wide competition put on by The Huffington post and Bloomberg, asking mayors of various cities to submit new and interesting ideas on how to solve the nation’s toughest challenges.
Dominic Robinson, Director of Northside Urban Partnership, or Northside UP, was asked by Mayor Stephanie Miner to lead the development of Syracuse’s application for the Mayor’s Challenge.
The competition includes a two-minute video that highlights the north-side of Syracuse and the diversity it embraces, and the plans for a proposed “World market Square” that would aim to revitalize the neighborhood. The video and proposal have made Syracuse one of 20 finalists in the competition. You can vote here.
“We confidently state that the disconnected and disenfranchised residents of our communities are assets, waiting to be tapped, rather than problems to be treated,” Dominic Robinson says.
“The World Market Square can be a blueprint for other neighborhoods in Syracuse and throughout the country, and we hope you share in our excitement,” says Mayor Miner.
The ‘World Market Square” is a described as a “combination of programs (that will) generate economic activity and attract investment to the Northside,” according to Mayor Miner.
Syracuse is competing for one of five prizes in the Mayor’s Challenge, ranging from $1 million to $5 million. The winner will be announced in a few weeks.
