The Syracuse University area is one of 10 great neighborhoods in the country, according to a selection by the American Planning Association.

The APA, a city planning organization created in 1978, listed the Greater University Hill neighborhood as one of its 2008 selections, among other picks near Denver, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Judy Schmid, former president of the South East University Neighborhood Association, has lived in the Syracuse area with her husband for 22 years. She said the APA’s recognition will benefit the neighborhood.

‘You’ve got a very activist population, as well as a very diverse one,’ she said. ‘It’s great, especially if there’s a backyard cookout, where everyone brings different cultural differences.’

Schmid also said APA, which recognized the area for its Connective Corridor program, environmentally friendly parks and civic participation, missed some key aspects of the neighborhood.

A number of the city’s hallmark features, including the Westcott Street Cultural Fair and the Syracuse Rose Society, were started by area residents, Schmid said. She said she wasn’t surprised the neighborhood was recognized but didn’t hesitate to point out the area’s problems.

‘We have too many irresponsible young adults here who are a little too heady with their own freedoms,’ said Schmid, an SU alumna who raised her daughter, now 19, in the area. ‘I worry about the students. All of us do. These students are everyone’s future, and we want to see them safe and healthy.’

Raffaella Pakrooh, a senior public relations and marketing major, said recent conflicts between the neighborhood’s permanent residents and students make her unsure of why APA recognized the area.

‘I know that there have been a lot of complaints about noise, but I think that’s something you have to expect in a university neighborhood,’ Pakrooh said. ‘It is a beautiful place, though. And you’ll see two to three DPS cars driving by in a night, so I think it’s getting better in terms of safety.’

But Dan Johnson, a senior at Le Moyne College, said he’s had a different experience. He lived in a house on Ackerman Avenue last year, and all eight of his housemates had their cars broken into within the year.

‘There’s so much crime around here, and I think police are looking for the wrong people,’ he said. ‘I have no idea why (APA) would pick this neighborhood. It looks disgusting, with trash everywhere.’

Garbage strewn on the street is only one of the problems that concern Pat Tinto, who has lived on Livingston Avenue for 32 years. She said she hopes recognition from the APA will help the neighborhood gain more city services, like garbage disposal.

Tinto said one of her primary concerns is the balance of students and permanent residents.

‘The issue is density,’ she said. ‘They’re stuffing students into houses where there isn’t enough room for all of them. And then they’re chopping the price up by bedroom and charging these students too much.’

Tinto said another concern she has for students is that landlords who acquire too many properties won’t pay attention to the upkeep of those houses. She said the houses that are getting broken into and damaged are those occupied by students, not permanent residents.

She said she’s hoping a solution to the balance problem will come with next year’s opening of the new Ernie Davis Hall and the University Village Apartments on South Campus’ East Colvin Street.

‘I think that’ll get students, especially upperclassmen, back onto campus,’ Tinto said. ‘It’ll help even out the balance in the neighborhood, and it’ll be safer for the students.’

shmelike@syr.edu

Published on October 12, 2008 at 12:00 pm