Downtown: 25 Years from Today

By Gary Ferguson

As I start packing my desk and writing memos to help with a smooth transition to our next leader, I wanted to play the role of urban futurist... thinking about the possibilities for our downtown 25 years from now. What do I envision in Downtown Ithaca a quarter century from now?

Twenty-five years is a long time. During this period, we are likely to experience at least one fundamental change to our daily lives that will impact what we do and how we live. For example, in the last 25 years that fundamental change was the growth of the internet and the explosion of both online data and options for instantaneous communications. What will be the next fundamental change to our lives? Absent that information, future prognostications are incomplete.

Let’s start with transportation and its impact on Downtown. We know that connecting Downtown to the other key community centers is an essential task for our future. How we move people about the City 25 years from now — that will be the question. Today, we are on the cusp of launching an on-demand service for a specific part of the community — the West Hill, West End and Flats/Downtown areas. On-demand is currently forecasted to be a growing trend in public transportation. Bike share has been re-introduced to the community, this time with electric bikes able to climb hills. If Carshare can solve its insurance procurement dilemma, we are looking at a fleet of electric Carshare vehicles.

But all of this is now. How are we likely to move about our community in 25 years from now? Over the years Ithacans have waxed poetically about various exotic ways to move people: trolleys, pod cars, trams, chairlifts... all have been mused over. My vision for 25 years from now- autonomous shuttles that routinely connect Downtown with Southworks, the Waterfront, Cornell and Ithaca College. Such a system would eliminate the current driver shortage and provide the needed frequency to make the shuttles attractive to users.

Thinking about parking infrastructure,

I envision a Downtown where parking will still be with us 25 years from now. That may not be progressive or futuristic, but it may reflect the reality of our community. Today, there are three trends that relate to this topic.

First, Ithaca has one of the highest percentages of people walking to work in the country—over 40%. Hopefully, that will not change. People will continue to find jobs at Cornell and Downtown, and if you are fortunate enough to live in the City, walking will continue to make sense. But not everyone wants to or can afford to live in the City. The second trend is that, today, over 15,000 people commute into the City for work each day from outside of Tompkins County. I do not see that changing. In fact, those numbers may increase. Third, hospitality, entertainment, retail, and food and beverage jobs are so important and plentiful to our community and are increasingly being filled by people who have no financial choice but to live outside of the City. For in-commuters and people who must work in the City, but live outside the City and County limits, parking will remain a necessity. Even folks with autonomous vehicles will need a place for them to wait and park. Our visitors and tourists typically drive as well. Maybe in major cities parking needs will recede; in Ithaca I struggle to see that occurring soon. Hence, I foresee a garage in the West State Street corridor as well as in the West End/Waterfront area.

In 25 years, I envision a growing trail system around our community that will finally include Downtown. There has been discussion for over a decade on the need for trails along Six Mile Creek. Heading up into the gorge, such trails could link up with the South Hill Rec Way and provide a way for folks living near the waterway to easily access Downtown. Heading down river, trails can connect Downtown with the Route 13 corridor and the Black Diamond Trail. Such a comprehensive trails system could make Ithaca an even more attractive visitor destination. The trail can also serve as recreation for residents and ways to commute into and out of Downtown for walkers and bikers.