Erie Blvd - Syracuse, New York

Cycle District

A Biodiverse Mobility Landscape

As cities around the country work to remove highways once championed by mid-twentieth century planners, it is clear that a focus on safe and sustainable transportation infrastructure is emerging. Cycle District Erie transforms Erie Boulevard in Syracuse from a car-centric commercial thoroughfare to a multi-modal connector for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit. The work challenges car-centric paradigms by employing lightweight infrastructure such as painted lanes, trails, and traffic calming strategies to encourage low energy modes of mobility. 

The proposed Erie Boulevard is reduced in width and reconfigured to accommodate alternative mobility options, including continuous sidewalks on each side of the roadway. Between Burnet Avenue and Erie Boulevard, the trails are imagined as a series of large loops stitching together the fabric of the Dewitt, Eastwood, Eastside and East Syracuse communities. The loops are integrated into the 400 mile Erie trail and unite existing bike paths through a reconfigured, pedestrian-friendly street network. 

‘The trail system also acts as a device for organizing development on the site into landscapes of urban harvest, structured wetlands, community gathering spaces, health and sports, education, and wildlife preservation.’

As appropriate, the trails are elevated, allowing landscapes to flow and blend across program zones. 

The Cycle District offers a mix of experiences for urbanites and wildlife alike. Erie Boulevard is home to a variety of retail amenities and restaurants that will benefit from easier pedestrian and bicyclist access while also incentivizing residents to make use of the trails, and connectivity between adjacent communities will benefit the region as a whole. Further, as in any context, robust and diverse transit options moves Erie Boulevard away from the pay-to-play, automobile required model and towards a more equitable mobility landscape.