Business, government and community leaders got a chance to look to the future, so they can make better plans today.
Cornell university brought them together for the first "State of Upstate" conference in Dewitt. Cornell's Community and Regional Development Institute put together a detailed analysis of data from the Census Bureau and other surveys, in hopes of charting a path toward a better economic future.
Organizer John Sipple says researchers found a number of issues that need to be taken into account including population shifts in a number of areas. "There's glimpses of hope here and there and there's a lot of depressing data." Sipple told CNY Central, "But the glimpses (of hope) are where we can work more regionally, we work more collaboratively. We don't pit town against town, city versus city. When we come together across the region we have more success."
Cornell intends to follow up on the state of upstate with a series of workshops, briefings and publications to help planners focus on economic development, healthcare, poverty and other areas that need improvement.
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