ABOUT VISUALIZING 81

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Visualizing 81 is an initiative to use immersive media tools to connect viewers with the past, present, and future of Syracuse’s 15th Ward. As plans take shape to replace a 1.4-mile section of Interstate 81 with a “community grid,” it is our hope that these visualizations of the predominantly Black, Jewish, and immigrant communities that were displaced through the construction of the highway will help guide conversations and decisions about the future.

Our site combines 360 imagery, historical photos, holographic capture of buildings and spaces (also known as photogrammetry), architectural models of Syracuse’s present infrastructure, and immersive VR and augmented reality tools to tell this story.

This project is made possible in part thanks to the Online News Association’s Journalism 360 Challenge, which funds ideas using immersive storytelling to discover new ways to engage audiences and advance the field of journalism. Visualizing 81 was one of 12 projects chosen for funding in 2020. It also receives support from the Peter A. Horvitz Endowed Chair in Journalism Innovation, faculty at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture, and numerous faculty, staff, and students at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

VISIT OUR FIRST-LOOK SITE

You can experience the first look at Visualizing 81 published in February of 2021 by clicking here. Since this initial version of our project, we have updated our site to incorporate a greater variety of multimedia assets, to reduce loading times, and to increase mobile compatibility and overall user experience. Regardless, our first-look site and its scrollable-animation style remain online at this link for you to explore.

OUR TEAM

Amanda Paule is the editorial lead for Visualizing 81. She is a class of 2022 student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Magazine, News and Digital Journalism and French and Francophone Studies. Find her on Twitter @amandapaule and on LinkedIn.

Sonny Cirasuolo is the visual and XR lead for Visualizing 81. He is a class of 2021 graduate from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with degrees in Advertising and Policy Studies. He is currently an Augmented Reality and Video Producer for Yahoo Sports. Find him on Twitter @SCirasuolo and on LinkedIn

Molly Gibbs is the photo lead for Visualizing 81. She is a class of 2021 graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with degrees in Photojournalism and International Relations. Find her on Twitter @MollyMGibbs and on LinkedIn.

Lawry Boyer is the architectural-visualization lead for Visualizing 81. He is a class of 2022 student at the Syracuse University School of Architecture pursuing a Bachelors of Architecture. Find him on LinkedIn.

Kevin Camelo is the web designer for Visualizing 81. He is a class of 2021 graduate from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Syracuse University School of Information Studies with a degree in Graphic Design and Information Management and Technology. He is currently a Visual Designer at IBM. Find him on Twitter @kevuhmelo and on LinkedIn.

Evan Starling-Davis is a contributor to Visualizing 81. He is a Syracuse University graduate student pursuing a doctorate in literacy education. Find him on Twitter @e_starlingdavis and on LinkedIn.

Dan Pacheco is the Horvitz Chair in Journalism Innovation at the S.I. Newhouse School and a faculty adviser for Visualizing 81. Find him on Twitter @pachecod and on LinkedIn.

Amber Bartosh is an assistant professor at Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and a faculty adviser for Visualizing 81. Find her on Twitter @AmberBartosh and on LinkedIn.

Jon Glass is the executive producer at The NewsHouse and a faculty adviser for Visualizing 81. Find him on Twitter @jonvibe and on LinkedIn.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES

Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us: Joan Bryant, Daren Jaime, Beth Crawford, Juanita Sales, Julya Guins-Clark, Jessie Griffin, Eloise Currie, Courtney Rile, Ed Bogucz, Nancy Keefe Rhodes, Roy Gutterman, Veda Shastri, Sarah Kozma, Nicole Fineman, and the Onondaga Historical Society.

The 15th Ward and Beyond, Daylight Blue Media

“15th Ward Stood Tall, Fell,” Maureen Sieh, The Post-Standard

The Black Syracuse Project

Blueprint 15

Building a Better Future: The Structural Racism Built into I-81, and How to Tear it Down, NYCLU

“Charting Renewal,” City Scripts public forum, Lanessa Chaplin, Lizabeth Cohen, Lawrence Vale, John Washington

“The Destruction of Syracuse’s 15th Ward,” Onondaga Historical Association

“Equitable Economic Development: What Does the Smart City Designation Mean for BIPOC in the City of Syracuse?” public forum, Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, Yahkeef Davis, Lee McKnight, Sharon Owens, Laiza Semidey

“Exclusive: $100 million plan would turn Syracuse public housing into neighborhood for all,” Marnie Eisenstadt, The Post-Standard

“For I-81 and environmental justice, details matter more than words (Commentary),” Lanessa Chaplin, NYCLU, The Post-Standard

“Freeways Without Futures,” Congress for the New Urbanismd

“The Future of Urban Freeways Is Playing Out Right Now in Syracuse,” Amy Crawford, Bloomberg CityLab

“How to Decimate a City,” Alana Semuels, The Atlantic

“I-81 Highway Robbery: The Razing of Syracuse’s 15th Ward,” David Haas, Syracuse New Times

I-81 Opportunities, New York State Department of Transportation

“In Syracuse, a road and reparations,” Robert Samuels, The Washington Post

“Let’s unite Syracuse: Replace I-81 with a community grid,” Advance Media NY Editorial Board, The Post-Standard

“Mapping the Food Environment in Syracuse, New York, 2017,” Onondaga County Health Department

“Marjory W. Wilkins: Early Black & White Photographs,” Nancy Keefe Rhodes, Light Work

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: People’s African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church,” Judith Wellman, Angela Williams, Julya Guins-Clark, and Juanita Sales

“Navigating I-81: Readers want to see grid in detail. Here are DOT’s maps,” Teri Weaver, The Post-Standard

Our Stories: A Virtual Black History Museum, Syracuse NY, the Black History Preservation Project

Portrait of a City: Syracuse, the Old Home Town, John Williams

“‘Reliving history’: Residents fear I-81 project could displace communities,” Maggie Hicks, The Daily Orange

ReThink81

“Stent (or Dagger?) in the Heart of Town: Urban Freeways in Syracuse, 1944-1967,” Joseph DiMento

Syracuse African Americans, Barbara Sheklin Davis

“‘Reliving history’: Residents fear I-81 project could displace communities,” Maggie Hicks, The Daily Orange

“Syracuse Housing Authority: 75 Years ‘Building Neighborhoods, Growing Dreams,’” Ken Jackson, Urban CNY

“Syracuse | I-81: Campaign Cities,” Congress for the New Urbanism

“Urban Renewal, the 15th Ward, the Empire Stateway, and the City of Syracuse, New York,” Aaron C. Knight

“What is Redlining and Urban Renewal? Inequality and Resistance in mid-Century Syracuse,” Todd Goehle and Ocesa Keaton

“What Urban Renewal Didn’t Destroy: Que Reunion Recalls the 15th Ward,” Ken Jackson, Urban CNY