Connecting Cornell students with design and planning projects in upstate communities.

Collegetown Grocery Store, Collegetown

Collegetown Grocery Store, Collegetown

This project involves research and design guidance for a grocery store in Collegetown that will increase access to healthy food options for both students and permanent residents. Students will work with the grocers, Cornell’s Division of Nutritional Sciences, City officials, and community members to describe community interest and help assist,...
14th St. Planning District, Elmira Heights

14th St. Planning District, Elmira Heights

The Community Progress organization of Elmira Heights has begun a multi-stage project will work to help revitalize the economic and social landscapes of Elmira’s 14th street district (i.e. main street). The project will begin with a detailed Historical Significance Survey of existing properties as a means to help revise architectural...
Joint Comprehensive Plan, Spencer

Joint Comprehensive Plan, Spencer

CRP 5072 (Land Use and Environmental Planning Workshop) partnered with the Spencer Joint Planning Board last semester to help produce a comprehensive plan for Spencer, which was presented to community members and chairs people at the end of 2011. Issues of land use, zoning, future development, and local government regulation...
South Hill Recreational Way, Ithaca

South Hill Recreational Way, Ithaca

The Friends of South Hill Recreation Way, a community group who has been working over the past few years to gain support for the improvement of this walkable greenspace, is ready to move its efforts to the next stage. DesignConnect has previously worked with this group to help produce design...
Mall Redevelopment, Dewitt

Mall Redevelopment, Dewitt

The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, as part of its Central New York Climate Change Innovation Program (C2IP), is looking for a new and sustainable use for an abandoned shopping mall in Dewitt, New York. The property, which is now under the ownership of the Town of...
Latest entries

Six Mile Creek, Update #1

The Six Mile Creek team is well underway with creating visuals of maps and design plans for certain sections of Six Mile Creek. High and low cost versions of the proposal have been created and further detailing of each section will be conducted. In progress maps will be shown to the client, members of the...

DeWitt Mall, Update #1

The DeWitt mall team has been in the news lately following their first public meeting.  Findings from last semester’s DesignConnect team were presented and feedback was gathered from the public.  The information presented has captured the attention of local news outlets and many residents have expressed their anticipation for DesignConnect’s final deliverables.  The final deliverables...
DesignConnect in the News

DesignConnect in the News

DesignConnect has been receiving some press this semester.  Here are some of the items in the press about DesignConnect. Cornell Chronicle: Students solve design dilemmas Hannah Stamler at the Cornell Chronicle Online wrote a nice piece on DesignConnect as an organization.  DesignConnect’s client for the Six Mile Creek project provided some nice words for the...
Collegetown Grocery Store, Update #1

Collegetown Grocery Store, Update #1

The Collegetown grocery store group held a public meeting in mid-March to discuss the idea of a grocery store located in Collegetown with key stakeholders and members of the community.  The public meeting was a successful meeting of the minds between DesignConnect and the Collegetown Neighborhood Council.  Topics covered in the meeting ranged from access...
Spencer Progress Update #1

Spencer Progress Update #1

The Spencer team has delivered their proposal to the planning board in Spencer and begun work on developing proposed zoning maps for the town and village of Spencer. Members of the Spencer team have also attended Spencer planning board meetings and provided the community with feedback on Spencer’s Site Plan Review Law. At the end...
Jam Session #1, Spring 2012

Jam Session #1, Spring 2012

DesignConnect kicked off the Spring ’12 with its first Jam Session of the semester on Thursday, February 23rd.  Michael Tomlan from the Historic Preservation Planning program came and spoke to DesignConnect participants about writing proposals and how to navigate the early phase of a project’s life.  After Tomlan’s presentation, each group met with their team...
DesignConnect Final Review: "Lightning Talks"

DesignConnect Final Review: “Lightning Talks”

Design Connect would like to invite the Cornell community to take a break from studying for finals this Sunday and attend the Fall 2011 Final Review! - Sunday, December 4, 2011, 2:00-4:00 pm. Mallot Hall 251. (http://g.co/maps/xw8f2 for a map.) -  This semester, student teams worked on mapping contamination in Ithaca, organizing a beer trail in Cazenovia,...
Kick-Off Meetings

Kick-Off Meetings

Thank you all very much for coming to our fall kickoff meetings this week. If you missed them and are interested in joining us, it’s not too late! Please contact designconnectcornell@gmail.com. You can download the presentation from the meetings as a PDF file, after clicking on the following link: Kickoff Fall 11 Presentation      ...
Culinary Trail, Cazenovia

Culinary Trail, Cazenovia

Madison County Tourism is seeking assistance from DesignConnect in planning, designing, and implementing a cuisine trail that showcases the agricultural and culinary richness of Central New York.  A number of local farms, restaurants, breweries, and vineyards are eager to tap into the momentum gathering behind both local food and agritourism to further stimulate the regional...
Route 14 Corridor, Schuyler County

Route 14 Corridor, Schuyler County

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County is seeking assistance in making Route 14, the road that links the tourist destinations of Watkins Glen and Montour Falls, safer and more conducive for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.  Along this particular section of Route 14 lies the Queen Catherine Marsh, a state park and preserve that will be...
Contamination Map, Ithaca

Contamination Map, Ithaca

The Ithaca Community Advisory Group is seeking assistance in raising public awareness about the threat of Brownfields (polluted land) to the local community.  Currently, information documenting land contamination of Ithaca properties is available to the public but is difficult to access, hard to understand, and fails to provide a holistic look of Brownfield threats to...
Six Mile Creek Walk, Ithaca

Six Mile Creek Walk, Ithaca

Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) is excited to begin exploring opportunities that would enhance connections between downtown Ithaca and Six-Mile Creek.  Elected officials and local business owners agree that Six-Mile Creek remains an underutilized asset for the city of Ithaca. By increasing access to the Six-Mile Creek trail and improving the quality of recreational and pedestrian...